MIDAS™, which stands for Multiple Intelligences Developmental Assessment Scales, is an aptitude assessment tool created by Dr Branton Shearer, Ph.D. in 1987 as a means of enhancing a person's intellectual performance, career development and personal satisfaction, based on the theory of Multiple Intelligences developed by Dr Howard Gardner, Hobbs professor of cognition and education, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Dr Gardner's theory suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing that focuses on logical reasoning and linguistic abilities, is far too limited. As such, he proposed eight different intelligences or smarts, to account for a broader range of potential in an individual.

The 8 different intelligences or smarts are namely: Body Smart (Kinesthetic), Logic Smart (Logical-Mathematical), Music Smart (Musical), Nature Smart (Naturalist), People Smart (Interpersonal), Picture Smart (Spatial), Self Smart (Intrapersonal) and Word Smart (Linguistic).

MIDAS™ can be used by both children and parents to gain a deeper understanding of a child's skills, abilities and preferred learning style. From this understanding, plans can then be made to maximise study strategies, maximise learning through suitable enrichment programmes and provide evidence-based career guidance. This can be accomplished by the use of Multiple Intelligences (MI) strengths to improve areas of weakness.

MIDAS™ is acknowledged by Dr Howard Gardner and is internationally recognised as an efficient framework for obtaining a rich and descriptive understanding of a person's multiple intelligences. It has been successfully adopted by individuals, schools, businesses and other organisations around the world.

In addition to the 8 main intelligences or smarts, which represent general categories of ability that influence behaviour, there are additional sub-scales that describe more specific skills and activities to understand specific behavourial patterns. These are provided in the full version of the MIDAS™ tool, as qualitative indicators of skill to facilitate interpretation and educational use rather than as precise metrics.

A more detailed understanding of your child's MIDAS™ profile will then allow you to adopt the right strategies, activities and plans to help develop your child's true potential. In particular, a holistic understanding of where your child stands on the different smarts and sub-scales can allow you to leverage on his or her strengths to improve areas of weaknesses.

Speak to a UOB banker today to find out how you can get complimentary access to the full version of the MIDAS™ tool that will give you a deeper understanding of the additional sub-scales within each of your child's smarts.

MIDAS™ is not a test and the scores are not absolute. It is up to you to determine if these results are a good description of your child's skills and abilities.

Do remember that your child's abilities will change and grow over time. Each child is unique and develops at his or her own pace and in his or her own way. We hope that the findings you obtain through MIDAS™ will help you to recognize your child's unique gifts and assist in fulfilling his or her true potential.

MIDAS™ is an instrument that assesses the multi-dimensional aspects of intelligence. In essence, it measures the 8 smarts, and not just one, to give a dynamic, holistic profile of your child.

MIDAS™ does not assess your child on IQ alone. After all, every child has different smarts, and it is how we discover and develop these smarts that will allow our children to reveal their fullest potential. The MI profile of your child is a description of the different aspects of his or her intelligence, and demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of your child.

MIDAS™ is suitable for young children age 3 years old and above. You as a parent may answer based on your observations of your child. Otherwise, if possible, you may have your child answer on their own.