European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 15, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Assure his attention Span. The test attempts to estimate 0 familiar and new stimuli. Previous studies by Fagan and others had focused on identifying babies who Are Likely to do poorly in , who has formed a company to sell his lest has marketed it As a tool to study children Al risk of being below average in intelligence but he has not advertised it As a test to find those that May be above average in intelligence. The infant intelligence tests have intrigued psychologists because they Are the first baby tests that have any predictive value. Fagan and other Independent researchers established their effectiveness in recently completed Long term studies in which babies were followed until they reached school age. The tests which attempt to measure what babies remember Are based on the Assumption that they will be More interested in stimuli they have not previously encountered. One test involves showing infants photographs or pictures and measuring How Long they look at them. In theory babies will look at a new stimulus for a longer Lime than one they remember having seen before babies who Are Likely to be below average in intelligence will remember lower of the stimuli they have i seen before. Variations involve testing whether babies remember 1 sounds or objects they have fell but not seen until the new tests were developed researchers had tried to use infants motor skills As a measure of intelligence but this method had Zero  said Marc h Hornslein who directs family and child research Al the National Institute of child health and human development in Bethesda my working independently Bornstein and Susan Rose of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in new York have found that a baby s performance Al age 4 months and 6 months on tests of visual memory correlate with in at 4 and 6 years of age they used tests that they developed themselves but that Are similar to those developed by Fagan. The predictions Are Independent of the parents education i and income group which also Are correlated with to. 5 but the predictions Are by no Means absolute Bornstein said and there is wide agreement that intelligence is determined both by genetics and by environment which is one reason Why children of More affluent and educated parents tend to score higher on id tests How to handle child s fear of storms by Marianne and Stephen Garber and Robyn Freeman Spizman Cox news service Reader s letter a Lew weeks ago. We had a severe thunderstorm and my daughter was petrified. She s never liked storms but this was beyond thai. She was hysterical. When we went to the paediatrician Lor her 5 year checkup i mentioned it and he said not to dwell on it to try to co Lorl her and she would Likely get Over it. However it s happened every Lime there s a storm. She clings to me and screams. I really Don t know what to do. Witt she outgrow this a mom although your daughter s reaction is stronger than that of Many children her age. Ear of storms and Thunder is very common at Points in their Young lives children Are scared of a number of things the dark animals new experiences the weather and losing mom or dad some studies report Hal children have As Many As seven significant Lears Belore they reach the teen years of course most of these pass naturally. Lingering Lears. Especially when they impede everyday activity Are More troubling. Many adults with specific phobias experienced intense childhood Lears of one kind or another that never eased. While children do not appear to suffer from the severe panic attacks that Send Many adults to emergency rooms children s fears Are real you Are Correct to take your daughter s fear seriously. We be talked with Many children about their fears. Frequently they comment that being told something is simply of does t help. Nor does downplaying it. Then along with the anguish the child feels inadequate. Your daughter May naturally outgrow her fright As she gains insight info weather Phenomena. Yet since her reactions Are intense you can help her become More comfortable with storms. Acknowledge her fear and clarify it. On a Clear sunny Day without the threat of rain talk with your daughter about her weather concerns what Friy Lens her about storms arc you Correct thai it s the Roar of Thunder or is she scared of lightning the dark foreboding sky and wind7 defining the fear is the first step toward controlling it. Provide Correct information unless you ask. You will never know what explanation your child has assumed for natural Phenomena one Young child s fears grew out of her misconception that Thunder Means the Devil is beating his Wile. A 4-year-old who had heard that lightning was sent by witches was afraid they would come for him. Correct any misinformation your child May have and teach appropriate weather facts simple experiments like counting the delay time in seconds Between lightning and Thunder Are illuminating knowing thai each second Means you Are one More mile farther from the source of the lightning is both fun and reassuring to a child. Teach a coping skill. Devise positive statements for your daughter to quietly repeat when a storm is developing. I am Safe inside the  this storm will pass in a few  most lightning never hits he ground but when in does in strikes the highest spot and i am not the tallest thing  re create the experience. Make a videotape or record the sounds of a storm. With your child View the video without sound until she is comfortable simply watching a storm slowly introduce sound to the scenes then have her listen to the tapes As she closes her eyes and imagines a storm you should continue repealing each experience until she feels Little anxiety before going on. End each session with a description of a Beautiful Rainbow and the Sun coming out time Lor the real thing try to be available when the next storm brews. Plan a series of fun activities us Lor this occurrence. Select a few of your child s favorite records to drown out the sound of the storm. Make Popcorn and play a game to pass the Lime. At first play away from windows. Later As your child becomes More comfortable leave the drapes open but stay across the room. After she experiences several storms with Little or no fear suggest she move nearer the window and watch one with you Praise your child at each Slep of the Way. Invite a few friends to share the Rainy Day fun. They will keep her mind Oil the storm As Well As providing a new audience with whom she can share her weather information. While you Don t want your daughter Sas haying through an electrical storm a new Raincoat or umbrella Are lilting rewards Lor her now Altitude. A 15,1989 the stars and stripes Page 15