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©Arlene R. Taylor PhD Realizations Inc
 While in place at birth, the frontal lobes of the thinking brain really begin to develop at about 6 months of age. By 12 months of age the frontal lobes are beginning to gain control over the subconscious drives of the emotional brain. Wernicke’s area (the portion of the left temporal lobe that translates sounds, especially speech sounds, into something that has meaning) becomes active at about 18 months of age, and then Broca’s Area kicks in (the portion of the left frontal lobe that provides us with the ability to speak aloud). This means there is a span of time when children understand words but have difficulty verbalizing them. The frustration this can cause may explain, in part, some of the behaviors exhibited during the terrible twos. Some care providers have discovered that teaching American Sign Language to babies tends to reduce some of the frustration experienced during this communication lag.
By the age of two, if children have been exposed to a variety of activities and have been encouraged to be who they were designed to be--and their parents understand something about brain function--you may be able to start recognizing the child's brain lead. The old axiom, train children in the way they should go and when they are old they’ll never depart from it, makes incredible sense when viewed from this perspective. If you are living your own innate giftedness at least 51% of the time and your brain is purring along using a fraction of the energy that is required when utilizing functions from one of the other three divisions of the cerebrum, why would you ever want to live another way?
Following are examples of what to look for when trying to identify your child’s innate brain lead.
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 Left Frontal Lobe
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Right Frontal Lobe
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The child may have a brain lead in this division if he or she:
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Gravitates toward tools and machines
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Likes to use tools to construct things
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Tries to take apart small machines to figure out how they work (e.g., portable CD player)
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Is articulate but not chatty
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Sets personal “goals” for self (may try to do it for others as well)
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Seems to like to argue
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Is good at math
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Prefers multiple choice or essay tests
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May have a good sense of time and want to tell others what to do based on time
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Likes to read stories about famous sports figures or great generals or leaders—people who did great things
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Wants to make the rules and wants other to follow them
- May tend to intimidate others (e.g., some teachers) with emerging inductive-deductive style of reasoning and the need to people to present logical reasons for what they say or do
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The child may have a brain lead in this division if he or she:
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Wanders off or explores
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Daydreams
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Draws, often expansively covering the entire page
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Is good at visual or spatial games
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Moves and gestures when talking
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Prefers to run, jump, and climb, often while making noises
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May not read as a young child or may read voraciously about new and different things (e.g., may like futuristic stories and science fiction)
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Tends to be good at geometry (although this may be a function of the skill of the teacher to bring this out in the child)
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Prefers essay tests in which there is no one right answer (although would rather use a computer for preparation than handwriting)
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Seems to have a shorter attention span, jumping from one thing to another as if searching for variety
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May know the answers but may be unable to clearly state how the answer was arrived at
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May often be way ahead of the teacher
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If truly interested in a subject or topic or project can lose all sense of time
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 Left Posterior Lobes
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Right Posterior Lobes 
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The child may have a brain lead in this division if he or she:
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Seems to need more routine
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Prefers to eat at the same time every day
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Prefers to have the same food for the same meal
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Prefers to be told what to do and how to do it
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Likes toys that follow a track
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Likes to read books about “how to do” something the right way, and about the real world
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Prefers true-false test
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Wants his/her room and personal space kept “just so”
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Tends to want to be on time and meet deadlines
- Tends to be willing to follow the rules when he/she knows what they are
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The child may have a brain lead in this division if he or she:
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Is very chatty
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Knows everyone in the neighborhood and is known by everyone
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Likes to change clothes often and play dress up
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Enjoys and often wears bright colors
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Touches and likes to be touches
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Likes to read animal stories, biographies (stories about people), and romances
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Likes pets and usually remembers to take care of them
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Giggles a lot or is “silly”
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Likes to help others or to share their experiences
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Prefers to be in the same room with others rather than be alone
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Is not particularly good at tests and doesn’t like to take them
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Following of examples of general descriptions of behaviors that tend to be exhibited by children based on innate brain lead.
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Left Frontal Lobe
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Right Frontal Lobe
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Children with a preference for using this division tend to be verbal, logical, and conceptual.
They want to make decisions, like to direct others, and tend to challenge others when discussing concepts (e.g., information that is stated rationally rather than logically). If they are not given opportunity to make decisions they will find ways to do so (e.g., saying “no” to almost everything)
They can test almost everything to the limit, and can focus attention on a problem until it is solved to their satisfaction. They are usually careful and somewhat cautious. They may look self-assured in new situations but are slow to warm up to strangers in separation situations.
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Children with a preference for using this division tend to enjoy innovation, and trouble-shooting.
They like to solve problems and, if none exist, may create a few to solve. Typically, they arrive at answers in an abstract, intuitive way but may not be able to state how they arrived at their answers or conclusions.
They take in huge amounts of data second for second and can almost lose touch with reality as they generate ideas. They get the picture quickly and may get bored as the teacher goes through the sequential steps so often emphasized in most curricula. |
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Left Frontal Lobe
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Right Frontal Lobe
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Children with a preference for using this division tend to:
- Prefer large-muscle activities
- Like to use tools of all kinds and try to gain the most effect with the least effort
- Tend to arrive at answers by evaluating the pros and cons
- Seem to develop and exhibit an inductive/deductive reasoning style quite quickly and easily
- Can become impatient when things do not go their way or when answers to their questions don’t seem logical to them
- Enjoy taking things apart to see how they work
- Like to make or set the rules
- Want to make decisions, be in charge, and tell others what to do
- Like to investigate, research, analyze, and evaluate data/projects
- Tend to argue and debate almost everything
- Like to set goals and achieve them
- Are competitive and want to win
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Children with a preference for using this division tend to:
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Left Frontal Lobe
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Right Frontal Lobe
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Validate these children for an ability to:
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Validate these children for an ability to:
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Left Posterior Lobes
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Right Posterior Lobes
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Children with a preference for using this division tend to need routines and limits. They often ask questions such as, “Am I doing this right?” or “Is it time?” They usually follow the rules, try to be good team players, and like to keep things in order.
They don’t like others to move their belongings (bounded shapes) without their permission.
They tend to remember the words to a song. Like most children, they enjoy stories; but will usually prefer factual stories. They enjoy repetition and may ask you to read the same story to them over and over again.
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Children with a preference for using this division tend to need interpersonal connection. They usually make friends easily and encourage everyone to participate.
They aren’t particularly adept at details. If allowed to work on a detailed project with a friend, so they can connect and communicate with each other during the learning process, they will likely do the detail much more accurately.
They tend to love stories of almost any type, but especially those about people and/or animals.
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Left Posterior Lobes
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Right Posterior Lobes
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Children with a preference for using this division tend to:
- Prefer small motor activities that involve handling/manipulating bounded shapes
- Show stress when asked to change (e.g., when the schedule is unexpectedly varied or the lunchbox menu is different)
- Don’t venture out by themselves
- May exhibit separation anxiety, especially when expected to move into a new situation such as enrolling in day-care or starting school (show change stress)
- Want repetition, predictability, familiarity, and stability
- Like routines and are bothered by interruptions
- Need additional time to adjust to change to a new environment or situation
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Children with a preference for using this division tend to:
- Like to dress and undress, to change clothes and play dress-up endlessly
- Enjoy rhythmic music and movement (e.g., ballet), may enjoy singing
- Are sensitive to nonspeech sounds (e.g., cries and shouts)
- Like nature sounds such as pounding surf, falling rain, singing birds
- Like to collect souvenirs¾provided there is a connection with a pleasant experience
- Separate easily if they can transfer to another trusted person (e.g., mother to teacher)
- Tend to touch everything and like to be touched
- Want to be with others and may dislike being alone
- Seek facial and eye contact
- Enjoy pets and stuffed toys that can be held
- Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk…
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Left Posterior Lobes
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Right Posterior Lobes
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Validate these children for an ability to:
- Produce and supply services dependably
- Follow directions accurately
- Complete assignments on time
- Keep belongings organized
- Memorize facts, figures, and names
- Spell words accurately
- Achieve neat printing and/or cursive writing
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Validate these children for an ability to:
- Build trust and harmony
- Be a peacemaker and help others to feel comfortable
- Verbalize own feelings
- Observe and acknowledge the feelings of others
- Give smiles and hugs
- Harmonize sounds and colors
- Exhibit a sensitivity to others, to creatures, and to nature
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Brain Maturation
The brain matures more slowly than the body. For example, the largest of the three bridges that connect the two cerebral hemispheres (the Corpus Callosum) is not myelinated or wrapped with insulation until about age twenty or twenty-one. Until myelination is complete, the brain is at risk of “shorting out,” so to speak (e.g., exhibiting behaviors that a myelinated brain might question).
The pre-frontal lobes directly behind the forehead that contain the brain’s executive functions (e.g., decision, willpower, planning, conscience, morality) are considered to be developed somewhere around the mid-twenties—and this process typically takes about 1.6 longer to occur in the male brain.
Caveat: There can be 2-3 years of difference in maturation rates between brains of the same chronological age.
Be aware that decisions made prior to the maturation of the Corpus Callosum and pre-frontal lobes may not work very well once the brain has developed and matured.
Factors That May Skew Behaviors
Remember: typically exhibited characteristics may be skewed in an individual child based on a host of factors such as:
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Opportunities that the child has been given
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The past experiences of the child (especially those related to unrealistic expectations, rewards, or punishment)
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The child’s perception of who he/she needs to be to make the parents feel okay about themselves
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The child’s position on the Extraversion-Ambiversion-Introversion Continuum
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The child’s Sensory Preference
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The presence of abuse or vicarious exposure to abuse
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The presence of an intact versus a fractured family system
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Expectations and/or pressure from culture, society, family, school, religion, etc.
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Being downshifted due to fear, trauma, crisis, or anxiety
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Whether the child has been medicated due to a diagnosis of ADD or ADH
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Brain Lead 
