TPP 139: Psychologist and Author Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD on Redefining Giftedness and Intelligence
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
43 min
2 speakers
7 chapters
transcribed 12 hours ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the focus of the conversation with Scott Barry Kaufman?
See, here's the interesting thing is that it was put in my IEP, you know, he needs to forever be in special education because he's an anxious person. Well, that's one way of viewing the situation. But another way of viewing the situation is this kid is anxious because we've told him he's learning to his disabled as any normal human being. It's a natural reaction to any normal human being saying that you're not capable of doing anything in your life. Therefore, what we need to do, our task is to reduce his anxiety by showing him his highest strengths. Now, that's a whole different way of framing the whole IEP, the whole purpose of education of that child than the way that it normally is treated.
Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. Actually, perhaps I should say welcome back to the podcast. For the first time since launching the show in 2016, I took a little break during the month of December to get my family resettled in the US where we just moved from the Netherlands and just to have a little breathing room. But I am excited to be back in the podcast chair from my new office in New Jersey. So I'm Debbie Reber, and I am kicking off this year with an interview with someone who I've had the honor of getting to know over the past year, Scott Barry Kaufman. I've been looking for an opportunity to get him on the show for a long time now.
Scott actually joined me and Marcus Sutra of Eye to Eye at my New York City Differently Wired book event this past summer, and he shared his personal story of being labeled and underestimated as a result of his learning difference when he was in elementary school and middle school. Today, he is a psychologist, an author, and a podcaster who's interested in helping all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and meaningful life. Scott has a PhD in cognitive psychology from Yale University, and he's currently based at Barnard College, Columbia University, where he is exploring the depths of human potential. Scott is also a prolific writer, having written the books Ungifted, Wired to Create, Twice Exceptional, just to name a few.
And he's also a regular writer for the Scientific American magazine. Actually, I could fill up an entire episode just sharing Scott's accomplishments, so I'm going to stop now, but you get the point. Scott is incredibly passionate about what he sees as his primary work in the world these days, which is changing, or perhaps expanding, the way that intelligence is defined and measured. In our conversation, we talk about his ideas about intelligence, potential, and what it actually takes for our children to develop into self actualized adults. I hope you enjoy our conversation. And just a few short announcements before I get to the episode. As I mentioned in my mini solo cast that I released in mid-December, my book Differently Wired is now finally available as an audiobook narrated by yours truly.
To listen to Differently Wired, just go to amazon.com and you can download it using Audible. And last month, I did a TEDx talk in Amsterdam called Why the Future Will Be Differently Wired. So TED Talks are all about ideas worth spreading, and I would love your help spreading this one. I wrote this speech with a broader audience in mind as I want to challenge employers, colleagues, community members, and other people in our lives who may not be raising differently wired kids to consider the importance of neurodivergence in our society, to consider the importance of our kids in society. You can find it at tiltparenting.com on the homepage or on YouTube or on the TEDxAmsterdam website. So I would love your help spreading the word to these audiences.
Thank you so much. Oh, and one more thing. I just want to give you a heads up that next week, I'm also releasing a very exciting episode with another guest I've been wanting to have on the show for a long time. Julie Lithcott Hames, the author of the fantastic book, How to Raise an Adult.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the focus of the conversation with Scott Barry Kaufman?
0:00–8:05
2
How did Scott’s early school experiences shape his view on giftedness?
8:05–13:28
3
Why does Scott argue that traditional IQ tests miss key aspects of intelligence?
13:28–21:04
4
How should educators shift from labeling to highlighting a child’s highest strengths?
21:04–28:33
5
What does it mean that a child’s potential is a ‘moving target’?
28:33–35:26
6
What would a school built on Scott’s ‘personal intelligence’ model look like?
35:26–41:32
7
Which qualities does Scott say are essential for self‑actualized adults?
41:32–42:52
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
TPP 266a: A Conversation with Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne
TPP 522: A Whole Child Approach to ADHD with Phil Boucher, M.D.
TPP 091a: A Conversation With Steve Silberman About His Book “Neurotribes”
TPP 521: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood
TPP 253a: Advocate and Author Jonathan Mooney on Why Normal Sucks
TPP 520: Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids