Chess helps children with learning disorders
Chess is not just a title clash between Anand and Carlsen, or merely a battle of wits. The popular game can actually help children with learning disorders. "It's the art of the coach to use chess as a tool either to silence or stimulate a particular part of the brain", says trainer and chief consultant Chess Centre. The first person to be certified as a chess trainer by the World Chess Federation, says children who play chess have shown 100% improvement in academic performances.
Therapists and psychologists often refer children with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to chess training. For example, a 12- year-old was diagnosed with ADHD in 2009. His parents complained that he did not concentrate in class or cooperate with his teachers. The psychologist who specializes with ADHD kids, says she suggested only chess training and no psychological therapy for him. "Initially he was not interested, he played impulsively. He slowly started processing and his attention deficiency reduced. He has overcome ADHD now and sits in one place for half an hour. ADHD kids usually cannot sit for more than 3 minutes continuously", she said. The child even went on to play the National age group chess championship in 2011.
Psychologists also assert that after a year of playing chess consistently, children have shown an increase in their IQ levels. "Chess looks at the intellectual capability and not academics. So even children with learning disorders have shown an improvement in their cognitive skills", says head department of psychology. She explains the case of 8-year-old, who exhibited disruptive behaviour, and gave up in the middle of tasks. "A year after playing chess he had the ability to focus and did not get mentally tired of tasks", she says.
A parent of two girls who have been playing chess for almost three years says that there is drastic improvement in both of them. Her elder daughter, 11 couldn't concentrate for more than five minutes and her teachers also frequently complained. After she started training in chess, her concentration improved, and she scored really well in mathematics. Her younger daughter 7, had memory problems. I don't find her saying she doesn't remember things anymore. Her IQ has also gone up from normal to very superior in two years", she says. The mother is now an accredited chess trainer and works to improve cognition in children with disorders. "My daughters always win an argument with me now and all explanations to them have to be logical", she adds.
Chess trainers can handle kids with mild disorders, but a therapist is required in the case of children with severe disorders. "I've used chess as therapy even for mentally retarded children who have very low cognitive scores," says occupational therapist. Cognition that requires both basic and high level skills is found in chess. The game has helped children with visual perception disorders and those who cannot recognize letters and numbers. "The basic skills required for reading, writing and playing chess are the same, so the game has an impact even when it is not directly linked," she says. "Research has shown chess training resulting in high math scores and improved reading," she adds.
Practical chess training is different from the training that children with special needs undergo. "You come to know the child has some disability when they don't even learn the moves, only a handful stay back in chess" says India's first international master. The concept of chess and the setting in which it is played, helps children with social and communication disorders, say experts. The Newman international academy in Texas, "uses chess as a therapy for all people and age groups including those with special needs", says their founder. Chess is also used to rehabilitate patients who suffer from spinal cord injury, he says. "Chess classes are therapeutic for children with problems and the beauty of it is that neither the child nor the society knows that it's therapy," she says.
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Therapists and psychologists often refer children with learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to chess training. For example, a 12- year-old was diagnosed with ADHD in 2009. His parents complained that he did not concentrate in class or cooperate with his teachers. The psychologist who specializes with ADHD kids, says she suggested only chess training and no psychological therapy for him. "Initially he was not interested, he played impulsively. He slowly started processing and his attention deficiency reduced. He has overcome ADHD now and sits in one place for half an hour. ADHD kids usually cannot sit for more than 3 minutes continuously", she said. The child even went on to play the National age group chess championship in 2011.
Psychologists also assert that after a year of playing chess consistently, children have shown an increase in their IQ levels. "Chess looks at the intellectual capability and not academics. So even children with learning disorders have shown an improvement in their cognitive skills", says head department of psychology. She explains the case of 8-year-old, who exhibited disruptive behaviour, and gave up in the middle of tasks. "A year after playing chess he had the ability to focus and did not get mentally tired of tasks", she says.
A parent of two girls who have been playing chess for almost three years says that there is drastic improvement in both of them. Her elder daughter, 11 couldn't concentrate for more than five minutes and her teachers also frequently complained. After she started training in chess, her concentration improved, and she scored really well in mathematics. Her younger daughter 7, had memory problems. I don't find her saying she doesn't remember things anymore. Her IQ has also gone up from normal to very superior in two years", she says. The mother is now an accredited chess trainer and works to improve cognition in children with disorders. "My daughters always win an argument with me now and all explanations to them have to be logical", she adds.
Chess trainers can handle kids with mild disorders, but a therapist is required in the case of children with severe disorders. "I've used chess as therapy even for mentally retarded children who have very low cognitive scores," says occupational therapist. Cognition that requires both basic and high level skills is found in chess. The game has helped children with visual perception disorders and those who cannot recognize letters and numbers. "The basic skills required for reading, writing and playing chess are the same, so the game has an impact even when it is not directly linked," she says. "Research has shown chess training resulting in high math scores and improved reading," she adds.
Practical chess training is different from the training that children with special needs undergo. "You come to know the child has some disability when they don't even learn the moves, only a handful stay back in chess" says India's first international master. The concept of chess and the setting in which it is played, helps children with social and communication disorders, say experts. The Newman international academy in Texas, "uses chess as a therapy for all people and age groups including those with special needs", says their founder. Chess is also used to rehabilitate patients who suffer from spinal cord injury, he says. "Chess classes are therapeutic for children with problems and the beauty of it is that neither the child nor the society knows that it's therapy," she says.
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Labels: attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chess, cognitive, disabilities, increases, injuries, intellectual talk, IQ, learning, psychologist, spinal cord, therapy
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