Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Head size?

Wow! That's three big head/hydrocephalus scare stories we've heard to day. That can't be common!

Let's see; big head, big feet, tall......Have we covered non-divorced parents and colicky baby yet? LOL!

Well, we're non-divorced, but the kids were not at all colicky. Please don't throw things at me, but DS7 slept through the night (meaning 6 hours at a single stretch) at 6 weeks and DS4 slept through the night at 8 weeks.

I think they're probably both engineers, though, so they both had that sort of personality from the start...Plus they're my kids, and I like my sleep!

it was a friend who said my DD had finally grown into her big head...

honestly, I hadn't noticed anything unusual -- size-wise that is.

And everyone remembers what Cowboy Curtis said:
"Big feet means...big boots!"

Same in our house: DS8 was up to 10 hours every night by 12 weeks, and his brother wasn't far behind. DD4 was slept for six hours for the first time at --- I swear --- ten days. She was uneven until about 2-3 months, but still. It was nice. Mom and Dad both like their sleep, so it's probably genetic.

When he was awake, DS8 made up for all the sleeping by being, shall we say, a high-maintenance baby.

Val

I'm kind of late posting here, but I wanted to let every one in on some research that has been taking place with brain size and autism. I can only find reference to one study in 2005, but I know I just read another study which confirmed the correlation.
Here is the 2005 article:

http://www.myomancy.com/2005/12/autism_mercury_

Like twomoose said, I've read it has more to do with making associations between the two hemispheres, and possibly the number of folds or wrinkles in a brain that determines intelligences.

The question isn't how big is the brain, but how big is the primary work it does to keep it alive. Whales or elephants require larger brains, because they are larger animals. The ratio of that brain to their body requires a lot of primary cortex use, directly using the brain to help move their muscles and sensory uses. Human brains have primary cortex, but we have a secondary and tertiary cortex that allows for additional processing....

We have a lot of brain matter that can't be explained by moving a muscle or sensory issues...Anyway, I don't know if this makes sense, but I just thought I'd add why brain size doesn't really relate to intelligence.

I dont necessarily think large head size=big thinker, however I glanced at the article and thought, it just seems to leave a lot in question as far as the loose conclusions it makes. Probably just one of those areas of study were there are just going to be more questions than answers for a long time to come.

There is presumably a difference between the healthy brain and its rate of growth,/range of size and rates of growth when there are problems. The article refers to large head size not present at birth - I can definitely tell you both my kids had huge heads when they were born

Our ped has always taken head measurements;
I imagine most doctors would look at head size from birth, if not earlier, and going forward to get a rate of growth. Spikes in that rate of growth would probably be a more reliable guage of any problems rather than just a single measurement.

We are a large headed family; I could make a case for large head size= clutter prone and easily frustrated...

DD has been 90% height, 95% weight, 164% head circumference for a long time. I was heartbroken when we'd go out and hear *every single day*, "What a beautiful baby BOY!" to my DD, even when dressed in pink from head to toe. She looked like Charlie Brown until her hair grew in. :-(

The autism link is well documented for babies with smallish heads that suddenly grow to a giant size.

Here's another study on head circumference and IQ:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/118/4/1486

Published online October 2, 2006
PEDIATRICS Vol. 118 No. 4 October 2006

The Influence of Head Growth in Fetal Life, Infancy, and Childhood on Intelligence at the Ages of 4 and 8 Years


Of couse it can just be hereditary, like big feet...

P.S. My FIL had a notoriously monster cranium through adulthood. He had to special order a motorcycle helmet which looked quite a bit like those original, old scuba globes. For what it's worth, he did have the highest score ever recorded (at the time) on his specialty medical board exams. He also definitely fell into the category of "clutter prone and easily frustrated." LOL!

Our 9m1w son is at 99% for length, 30% for weight, with a 99% head. He is pretty brawny, with very little fat.

He is walking now and from behind he looks like a cantaloupe with legs.

Thus, I have nicknamed him "El Melon con Piernas." or just "El Melon"

At 3, GS9's nickname was 'Caillou'(sp).

Austin,
A friendly reminder not to call your DS a melon-head within hearing range - afterall, he's probably listening ****and understanding!

Grins