The late Glenn Doman, founder of the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia who, for more than half a century, had studied the development of human intelligence in thousands of children worldwide, stated, “We are persuaded that every child born, at the instant of birth, has a greater potential intelligence than Leonardo da Vinci ever used.”
Doman's
initial work in physical therapy with brain injuries led him inevitably into
the problems of brain-injured children.
This life-long study of brain injuries became the primary focus of the
Institutes when it was established in 1955.
This work revolutionized the treatment of brain-injured children,
resulting in world-wide interest in the Institutes' methods. His insights into child-brain development,
whether involving an injured or a well brain, led him to the conclusion that traditional
educational methods were actually hampering rather than enhancing a child's
natural ability and desire to learn, severely limiting the innate
intellectual potential of our species.
His
primary focus was on developing the intellectual potential in young children,
including fully rounded creative expression.
This spectacularly successful method teaches babies to read virtually
from birth. As his program expanded, he
also began teaching young children math skills, encyclopedic knowledge, foreign
languages, gymnastics and music.
He
found that virtually all human learning occurs from birth to the age of six
and, from that point, the ability to learn steadily declines and the major
strides in our growth is thereafter more a matter of wisdom than learning. Doman felt that learning, or the desire
to learn, is most intense during the first six years of life. The most interesting aspect is that Doman's
methods are producing individuals with extremely high intelligence.
I
used his techniques of How to Teach Your Baby to Read with my own children who
were a bit older at the time, and I also used his techniques with my husband, Don
Pendleton, following his brain hemorrhage.
And after writing to Glenn Doman about that, he called to tell us both
how good that was for healing. Thank you,
Glenn Doman.
Don
and I also wrote about this in our book, Whispers From the Soul, The Divine Dance of Consciousness.
~Linda
~Linda
