By Dr. Ennapadam S. Krishnamoorthy
What if we have misunderstood intelligence? What if a child who seems to struggle is simply thinking differently? I meet many families who sense that their child possesses creativity, curiosity, and grit, yet the system cannot always recognize it. My position is simple. Potential is present. The real task is to find the right keys.
In this piece, I outline the science, the mindset, and the everyday practices that help children flourish. You can use this as a calm checklist before the next report card, the next exam cycle, or the next big decision.
What learning really is?
Learning is not limited to school. It is the lifelong process of acquiring or modifying knowledge, skills, values, and preferences. It can be goal directed or exploratory. It can be driven by rewards, relationships, or meaning.
Think of something important you learned outside a classroom. How did you learn it? Who supported you? That reflection matters because the same principles guide your child.
Memory is the scaffolding of learning.
Memory has three stages.
- Encoding. Taking in and processing information.
- Storage. Creating a durable trace.
- Retrieval. Bringing the stored information back when needed.
A simple image helps. Your memory is a filing cabinet. How you label files and how you search for them determines what you can use.
Types of memory
Individual memory
- Explicit. Conscious recall.
- Semantic. Facts and general knowledge.
- Episodic. Events you lived through. When the story is about you, it becomes autobiographical.
- Implicit. Unconscious performance.
- Procedural. Riding a bicycle, playing an instrument.
Priming. Recognising patterns faster with repetition.
Collective memory
- Communicative. Family stories and everyday narratives.
- Cultural. Rituals, symbols, monuments.
- Functional. Institutions that keep memories alive, such as national days.
Both sides shape a child’s identity. What the brain records and what the family or culture repeats work together.
Behaviour is a response, not a label.
Behaviour is how an organism responds to internal and external stimuli. It can be voluntary or involuntary, conscious or subconscious, socially smooth or socially awkward. When a child seems difficult, pause and ask. Is this mischief or an attempt to navigate the world in a personal way?
Before you search for solutions, ask better questions
When a child is struggling, begin with a structured inquiry.
- Is this a learning, memory, or behaviour problem?.
- Is it developmental and present from early life, or acquired more recently?
- Are there psychosocial triggers such as a move, a school change, or a loss in the family?
- Are there neurodevelopmental or neurological features that need a clinical review?
- When did you first notice the change? What happened around that time?
Small life events can have big cognitive effects. Make a timeline. It often clarifies the path forward.
Intelligence, ability, and aptitude
These words are used interchangeably in everyday conversation, but they are not the same.
- Intelligence. Overall mental performance across domains.
- Ability. Skill based potential visible in the present.
- Aptitude. The predictive power for future learning in a domain.
In assessment, we use three broad groups of tests.
- Achievement tests. What has been learned recently?.
- Aptitude tests. Inherent capacity for learning in a domain.
- Broad experience measures. What the learner brings beyond the syllabus.
A child may not top standardised tests and yet be built for excellence in a way those tests fail to capture. That is why your interpretation matters as much as the score.
Can aptitude grow?
Yes. Aptitude is plastic. It improves with focused training, cognitive strategies, and instruction that rewards long term thinking. The right environment raises the ceiling.
Multiple intelligences: how you are smart
Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner reframed intelligence as a set of capacities that solve problems in a cultural context. Many children shine when their preferred intelligence is engaged. Ask yourself and your child. What kind of smart are you?
- Linguistic. Words and language.
- Logical reasoning. Patterns and analysis.
- Spatial. 3D thinking and visualisation.
- Musical. Recognising and creating music.
- Bodily kinesthetic. Skilled use of the body.
- Interpersonal. Reading and working with people.
- Intrapersonal. Self awareness and reflective insight.
- Naturalistic. Understanding nature and living systems.
Most of us have two or three that lead. Noticing them changes everything, from classroom engagement to career choices.
Why this matters
- It validates diversity in the classroom.
- It enables inclusive, non stigmatising pedagogy.
- It guides careers toward strengths.
- It supports holistic assessment through projects, performances, and portfolios.
- It keeps elders cognitively active by matching activities to strengths.
Gardner’s line remains useful. It is not how smart you are. It is how you are smart.
Brain dominance and fit
Families often face the summer debate. Which course or career now? Neuroscience does not hand out verdicts, yet it offers helpful lenses. One such lens is hemispheric dominance. In most people, language functions are left hemispheric. Emotional processing often leans right. This bias shows up as different strengths.
Left leaning profiles tend to show.
- Strong verbal memory.
- Comfort with reading, writing, and argument.
- Logical reasoning and structured problem solving.
- Persistence and preference for organised tasks.
Possible fits include medicine with a diagnostic focus, law, finance, data analysis, computing, philosophy, psychology, and research.
Right-leaning profiles tend to show:
- Visual memory for faces and patterns.
- Spatial skills for design and construction.
- Creative flair for art, music, and storytelling.
- Intuitive, mood-led decisions and a taste for novelty.
Possible fits include fine and performing arts, film, design, architecture, advertising, and other creative industries.
These are tendencies, not rules. Many careers blend both. Even within a field, the specialisation can align with the profile. For example, a right leaning medical student may enjoy radiology or surgery. A left leaning peer may prefer research or pathology.
Why alignment reduces conflict
When aptitude and enjoyment line up, motivation rises and friction falls. The conversation shifts from prestige to fit. Families move from “You must” to “Let us discover what you are wired for.”
Practical steps for parents and students
- Hold a calm self audit.
Ask simple questions. Do I remember names and facts easily? Do I sketch or daydream? Do I solve with words or with images? - Run mini experiments
Try a coding boot camp or a weekend art workshop. Notice what energises and what drains. - Use basic tools and mentors.
Short brain dominance quizzes and guidance from teachers or psychologists can highlight patterns. - Match fields to strengths
Build a portfolio for design or film if the profile is right leaning. Choose disciplines with structured progression if the profile is left leaning. - Design the home for learning.
Fewer distractions, more routines, clear sleep, and device hygiene. Small environmental changes add up.
Bringing intelligence into action
Three forces shape development.
- The person and the way they learn.
- The culture and the support it offers.
- The society and the rewards it values.
Our clinical work reflects this integration. At Neurokrish, in collaboration with Buddhi Clinic, we use a 360-degree framework when young people seek clarity. It includes family and learning environment review, aptitude and multiple intelligences profiling, mental health screening, Wechsler and other IQ measures where appropriate, brain mapping, and a holistic health evaluation. The aim is simple. Help the learner understand how their brain works and how to choose wisely.
We keep asking a few guiding questions. Can systems be integrated to unlock human potential? Can traditional wisdom and modern science sit side by side? Where helpful, practices like yoga or Ayurveda align with brain stimulation, neurofeedback, and counseling. Our answer is yes, with careful assessment and ethical practice.
If you would like to know more about our integrative model, visit buddhiclinic.com.
A closing thought for families
Do not ask only, How intelligent is my child. Ask, How is my child intelligent. Then design learning, choices, and careers that respect that answer.
Potential is already present. Your job is to hand over the right keys.
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