On any given evening, people in the Hua Lamphong community take their children to the Foundation for Child Development to stimulate their IQ.
The foundation's Duangkae Centre arranges a space for toddlers to play with sand and older children to paint.
"It is better than leaving these children at home with no activities to stimulate their brains," said Chettha Mankhong, the foundation's manager.
Flagging the issues: Foundation for Child Development manager Chettha Mankhong. photo: The Child Development Foundation.
"Sand play helps improve fine motor skills, which is crucial to developing a person's IQ, in the same way as other skills such as language and social interaction do."
The potential to develop one's intelligence depends more on environment and nutrition than genetics, he said.
People's intelligence potential contributes to their life achievements. The intelligence quotient test has become the most popular assessment method used by psychologists to measure people's cognitive ability.
Thai children's IQ is lower than the world standard score of 100, although it is on par with the Asean average. By comparison, Singaporean children scored 109 in a 2010 survey.
The Public Health Ministry reported that the average IQ of Grade 1 Thai students is 98.2, according to a survey of more than 23,000 students nationwide this year. However, Thai children's IQ rose from 94 in the 2011 survey.
Are Thais more stupid than other nations? Amporn Benjapongpitak, director of the Department of Mental Health's Rajanukul Institute, said, "IQ is just an assumed indicator. There are margins of error in the assessments.
"However, IQ assessment results are useful to show the areas that we have to address in childhood development. Despite the margin of error, the results reveal certain issues that we have to address."
THINK IT THROUGH
An IQ test is used to assess a person's ability to think, calculate, socially interact and reason. The average IQ of a normal person is between 90-110. People with IQs higher than 130 are considered geniuses. An IQ level of lower than 70 is considered an intelligence deficiency.
Dr Amporn said the desired IQ level for Thai students should be in the 100-110 range. "Our IQ level is fine but there is room to develop," she said.
Government agencies conducted IQ assessments of 23,641 Grade 1 students this year, aged six to 10 years. The human brain constantly develops but the level of development is faster during childhood.
To assess IQ, the researchers asked the participants questions and observed their interactions.
"Our IQ assessment was done according to world standards, while we eliminated questions with cultural and language implications so that the answers directly resonated with the sampled person's cognitive ability," Dr Amporn said.
She said the results of the tests were not meant to brand a person as smart or stupid.
"People should not be stigmatised by the level of their IQ because it is just an assumption," she said.
"Some psychologists have recently argued that IQ may not be the most effective tool to assess a person's cognitive ability. But we still use it because there aren't any other better scientifically proven methods."
The Department of Mental Health has found that genetics is not a main determinant in a person's brain potential. Dr Amporn said environment, food and what a mother eats during pregnancy play a significant role in children's development.
This theory is borne out by the nationwide test that shows children's IQ levels vary by location.
Jessada Chokdamrongsuk, director of the Department of Mental Health, said children in 42 provinces had IQ scores of 100 or more, while those in 35 provinces were below. Children in rural areas have an average IQ of 96.9, compared to 101.5 for those in cities.
Bangkok children have an average IQ of 103.4. Children in Samut Songkhram, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Phayao are among the provinces where children have IQ scores higher than Bangkok's.
Remote border provinces show lower IQ scores than the countrywide average.
"We are not worried about our average IQ level as much as we are about there being too many children with too low IQ scores, especially those in rural provinces," Dr Amporn said.
"While children in cities such as Bangkok and its surrounds have IQ scores higher than 100, around 5.8% of Thai children, mostly in northeastern and southern provinces, have IQ scores lower than 70."
She said the percentage was much higher than the world standard for children with lower IQs, which usually stands at less than 2% of the population. Poverty, nutrition and parenting contribute to a child's IQ.
"A person's IQ level is not determined from the day he or she is born, it depends on whether parents are equipped to raise their child," she said.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In the past, people pointed to malnutrition as one of the factors that suppress a person's IQ. Some children in landlocked rural provinces lacked iodine in their diets, one of the nutrients believed to boost human intelligence.
In 2011, the government passed a law requiring all salt for human consumption be iodised.
"The law helped fix the problem. Tests of children's urine in the past five years show that a smaller number of Thai children suffer from iodine deficiency," Dr Amporn said.
However, not all nutrition issues are solved by iodising salt. Children also need healthy, balanced diets to nurture their brains, consisting of all nutrients, especially iron, protein and folic acids which are found in fruits and vegetables.
To nurture a brain, mothers have to eat properly from the third month of pregnancy. For example, a lack of protein can affect a child's cognitive ability and make a child smaller than normal.
Dr Amporn said many factors can affect a child's brain development such as toxic substances, including lead in toys and house paint.
New studies also suggest that if a pregnant mother eats too much mercury, mostly found in seafood, she can leave a lasting negative impact on her child's brain ability.
"It ran against the belief of many pregnant mothers who thought they should eat as much seafood as possible during pregnancy to nurture their unborn baby with Omega 3," Dr Amporn said.
However, many expectant mothers in marginalised areas are unaware of this information since they do not receive pregnancy advice and education.
Social skills: Play and interaction are key to both emotional and intelligence quotients. PHOTO: SUPPLIED/Duangkae Centre
"Some babies are born with deformities because their mother did not eat properly. This should not happen because it is easily avoidable," she said.
The first three years of a child's life are crucial for brain development. Children should engage in activities to stimulate their cognitive ability such as social interaction, language and fine motor skills.
Some parents in the city send their children to private daycare centres before kindergarten. However, some parents are forced to leave their toddlers at home with their grandparents in different provinces while they work in the city. The grandparents are too old to engage with children in activities that stimulate their IQ, Dr Amporn said.
Mr Chettha said a lack of stimulation was one factor, but other parents went too far the other way and were overprotective.
"Some parents pamper their children too much and do not encourage them to make decisions and to think. These factors also slow down brain development," he said.
"Some children are raised in front of the TV, and they absorb violence from the graphic images they see. It does not only affect a child's IQ but also EQ (emotional quotient), which is equal to IQ in developing a person's potential."
This is why the Foundation for Child Development has organised facilities for children to develop their intelligence.
The foundation has worked with community leaders in designing the Duangkae Centre so parents can send their children when they have to work. They can also bring their toddlers to play after work.
"The community has to be aware of the necessity to provide the space for their children," Mr Chettha said.
"The community has to buy into the concept because they have to actively participate in the design of the centre to match the needs of the community."
The walls of the centre are painted with bright colours by the children in the community to create an inviting atmosphere.
It would be even better if parents made time to attend to their children by, for instance, reading books and playing with the child.
"People don't have to be affluent to provide good care for a child. Every community can provide an environment for their children if they work together," he said.
To address the issue of pre-kindergarten schooling, Dr Amporn said the government has planned to extend the 12 years of compulsory education to three years before kindergarten.
It means that the Education Ministry has to provide free education for students during the pre-kindergarten years, providing an option for parents who cannot afford to send their children to private centres.
"The government's working groups on child development suggest that the children's intelligence has to be developed from early age. It is the most crucial time," she said.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Mr Chettha, however, said that people should not look at IQ as competitive scores. "I don't want to place too much attention on the IQ scores," he said. "What's more important is a person's ability to live their life happily and successfully."
A person's emotional quotient is equally important because it shows they are properly equipped to be resilient and immune from negative environments, he added.
"Children without life skills or low EQs are vulnerable to undesirable situations such as drugs and teen pregnancy," he said.
Mr Chettha said it was unfortunate educators had chosen to concentrate more on intelligence than EQ.
He said this emphasis was reflected in school curriculums which focus on academic training rather than life skills such as relationships or social interaction.
According to Mr Jessada of the Mental Health Department, children with significantly low IQs also tend to have low EQ levels, affecting their ability to determine or solve life problems.
In searching for a solution, the Public Health Ministry is trying to improve the ability of people who take care of children, including family members and teachers in childcare centres. It also tries to help parents with financial needs to provide supportive environments for children via daycare centres.
However, public daycare facilities still fall short of the expectations of demanding parents.
Dr Amporn agreed that a person should be equipped with at least average IQ and EQ levels.
"We do not want a small number of people with IQ scores of 140. I would of course want to see Thai people have an average IQ of 100-120. However, if the majority of Thai IQ scores range between 95 and 98, I think it is fine as long as they also have a good EQ. It all comes down to simple care and proper attention.
"It does not matter if the parents are rich or poor. If the survey found that if parents raised their children with proper attention, the children have more of a chance to develop both their IQ and EQ capacity. Parental love and protection are the most important things for enabling a person to grow."
Early training: A boy waits outside the Foundation for Child Development's Duangkae Centre. PHOTO: Pornprom Satrabhaya
Crunching numbers: Rajanukul Institute director Amporn Benjapongpitak. PHOTO: Jeerawat Na Thalang
Bright bunch: Music is among the Foundation for Child Development's activities. PHOTO: SUPPLIED/Duangkae Centre
The swing of things: Children play at the Child Development Foundation's Narathiwat centre. Below, toys and games at the Duangkae Centre and children's drawing on a blackboard. PHOTO: The Child Development Foundation
Brain food: Nutrition is a key factor in the development of children's intelligence. PHOTO: Jetjaras na Ranong
LEAD-IN: PHOTO: Pornprom Satrabhaya
lead-in: Toys and games at the centre. PHOTO: Duang Khae Centre
