The new school year is about to begin. Does the month your child was born effect school performance? Are there natural academic and social differences between children born in the winter and children born in the fall? If your child was born in January, February, or March will she have an advantage compared to the child in the same class who was born in October, November, or December? Is there a January/December birthday barrier? The answer is yes. There is a birthday barrier, and the January kids are the winners.
Based on my years of experience, I think that this birthday barrier is most obvious and challenging during the early childhood years, from pre-school through 2nd grade, and for boys it is even more challenging. However, my experience is not new news. Research supports the fact that age matters.
So, if this isnt news, why do so many November and December children continue to get left back even in kindergarten? Why do these children continue to struggle through 2nd grade, and for some, even longer? The answer is: school administrators and teachers are quite aware of this problem, they just dont know how to fix it.
Age and Disorder: Different Needs
Some children have learning challenges which require smaller classes, or more specialized teaching, regardless of the month they were born. It is very important for parents to recognize these issues and seek the proper help as soon as possible. The earlier a problem is addressed, the better the outcomebut Im not talking about that childIm talking about the happy child who is part of the younger peer group in class and comparatively behind. Im talking about the child who is learning, but slower, and most likely, a boy. This is not a problem; its developmental, and most obvious in the early grades.
The Age Challenge
In kindergarten, the child born in December begins school at four years and eight months. When he turns five in December, he has to compete with the January child who will turn six. In first grade, the child born in January enters the class at six years, eight months. The child born in October, November, or December is still five. By the time the December child turns six, the January, February, March children will be turning seven. During these early childhood years, the age difference is significant. The gap between a six year old child and his class peers who are turning seven is huge.
The Research of Malcolm Gladwell
In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell, writes: Parents with a child born at the end of the calendar year often think about holding their child back before the start of kindergarten: its hard for a five year old to keep up with a child born many months earlier. But most parents think that whatever disadvantage a younger child faces in kindergarten will eventually go away, but it doesnt.
In fact, Gladwell goes on to write that: The small initial advantage that the child born in the early part of the year has over the child born at the end of the year persists. It locks children into patterns of achievement and underachievement, encouragement and discouragement, that stretch on and on for years.
So, what can we do? There are two realistic goals. The first is to group children according to age. Gladwell suggests, Elementary and middle schools could put the January through April-born students in one class, the May through August in another class, and those born in September through December in the third class. They could let students learn with and compete against other students of the same maturity level.
This grouping concept should begin in preschool. Being born in December versus being born in January should not sentence a child to a life-long struggle of low expectations and failure. Teachers are confusing maturity with ability.
The second goal is to change the birthday cutoff date. For years, I have talked about the importance and necessity of the Barbara Birthday Bill. The latest birth month for admission to a grade should be no later than August 31st. History has proven that children born at the end of the year are too young to compete with their January through June peers. However, educational history keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over, and its just not fair.
What Can We Do In the Meantime?
When assessing different levels of performance between children in the same class teachers should:
1. Evaluate if the slower childs performance is linked to age.
2. Make adjustments to accommodate the younger children in the class. The younger age group may account for one third of the class.
3. Meet with the childs parents to explain this age gap phenomenon.
4. Identify specific comparative weaknesses. Example: expressive/receptive vocabulary, sound awareness, letter-sound identification, story sequencing, making predictions, attention and focus, short term memory.
5. Implement a plan for school and home with specific games and activities to address specific weak skills.
6. Encourage success while building confidence and self-esteem.
This is a systemic problem, which without change, will not get better or go away. Each year, beginning in January, I speak to many parents who receive letters regarding the possibility of promotional hold-over, for their child. Although many of these notifications are necessary, many are age related. Understanding how social maturity and language development relates to age will be the beginning of change. There are many things parents can do to help their children. It takes time and effort, but it will be worth it. Feel free to send me an email if you would like some ideas at Barbarao24@aol.com, subject: Birthday Barrier.
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Barbara Offenbacher is a speech therapist.
