Author: Deborah Morris

Autism and Education – How Does it Affect Your Child’s Education?

College community services also accept students that have autism. Autism is a disorder that affects the entire person and most often lasts for the lifetime of the person that it affects. Specifically this disorder affects one’s ability to create emotions, memories, sensory abilities, non-verbal communication skills and much more. It affects one in one hundred and fifty individuals of all races and social status; and tends to affect more boys than it does girls.

A common description that I have heard among professionals is that many people who suffer from autism can think thoughts but cannot vocalize those same thoughts.

Key Symptoms Include the Following:

Repetitive Behavior – For example, a young child may seem unusually fixated on a particular toy, constantly arranging objects in a specific way or obsessive about certain things.

Lack of Social Interaction – Another symptom is in the area of relationships. Research has found that people who suffer with autism are usually ‘socially unaware’. This means that they are oblivious to the feelings of people around them.

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication – By nature, autism is a neurobiological disorder. Hence it affects the manner in which the brain converts thoughts into words. Therefore, a child might be thinking of an answer to a question, but vocalizing it becomes a very difficult task! Non-verbal communication is difficult for many of us who are considered “normal”, so imagine what it must be for one who has difficulty connecting with their emotions – let alone the emotions of others!

Limited interests in activities or play – For example, a child might focus on a part of a toy instead the whole toy or play a specific tune on a toy over and over again, rather than play the twenty-nine other tunes on the toy. Also the need for a rigid routine would mean that any new activities are met with resistance.

Tell Tale Signs
During early childhood it is not uncommon for parents to have troubling instincts about certain behaviors that their child may display – for example they may not want to be held, don’t look people in the eye, have delayed speech, lack of interest in games or what I call ‘super repetitive play” – where the child only seems interested in one toy – ever, etc. As both a parent and a teacher (as well as one who has an autistic half-sister), please, please, please follow your instincts.

Nobody knows your child the way you do, so if your pediatrician says “wait and see” yet you feel strongly that your child needs to be evaluated – do what YOU feel needs to be done. Parents that I have heard from have mentioned some of the following as red flags that got them concerned – their child was ‘not pointing’,’not giving them eye contact’, didn’t seem to be ‘able to focus’, ‘unaware of their surroundings’ or as one lady put it “I just don’t feel like she is connecting with me”.

Early Intervention
Early intervention, especially in the pre-school years has been proven (by researchers) to, in many cases improve social, cognitive and communication skills – especially if it is in an educational setting that is tailored to meet the needs of a child with special needs. Remember, for some children, the earlier the intervention, the better!

Types Of Autism
A spectrum has been created for autism which makes it possible for the medical profession to accurately diagnose the disorder. The disorders range from mild (Asperger Syndrome) to severe (Autistic Disorder) and can be diagnosed by the age of three and sometimes as early as eighteen months. Autism Spectrum Disorders are categorized based on the degree of impairment that the sufferer encounters in the following areas;

o Communication Skills

o Social Interaction

o Restricted Patterns of Behavior

Asperger’s Syndrome
In 1940, Hans Asperger’s described a set of behavioral symptoms that occurred mostly in his male patients. They all seemed to have normal intelligence and language development, yet they had poor co-ordination and communication skills. In addition their social skills were very noticeably lacking.
Typical symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome include the child being diagnosed much later in life than with typical autism – usually between the ages of five through nine. In addition they are known to have limited facial expressions, obsessive behavior, poor social interactions, difficulty reading the body language of others, odd speech patterns and obsessive routines.

In addition to the above, symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome include an unusual sensitivity to sensory stimulii such as lights (that others will not notice as being too bright) or sounds (that others might barely be able to hear.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder
Childhood Disintegrative Disorder or CDD was discovered by a special educator by the name of Theodore Heller. Children with CDD are said to develop a disorder that resembles autism, but only after two to four years of normal development. In other words, the children unexplainably seem to regress. They lose their language skills,their toileting and self care abilities, their interest in the environment, etc. While the disorder begins to look exactly like autism, the history is very different.

Symptoms include increased risk of seizures as well as the symptoms of autism.

Rett Syndrome
Rett Syndrome was first diagnosed in 1954 by Dr Andreas Rett, an Austrian Pediatrician. It is a developmental disorder that has a greater tendency to occur in girls more than it does boys. It is caused by mutations on the X chromosome on a gene called MECP2. Symptoms include normal development until six to eighteen months after which there is after which there is a stagnation or slowing down of skills. Following the stagnation, there is a period of regression when the child looses their communication skills and eventually all purposeful use of their hands. Symptoms that follow include the stereotypical hand washing movement, seizures, slowing of normal head growth and disorganized breathing patterns.

The disorder can be confirmed with a simple blood test.

Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified
Otherwise known as PDD – NOS, is a condition on the spectrum in which one person doesn’t act like another with the same disorder. In other words, John may display some symptoms, while Mary may display something totally different. Also they may often be subject to the same key symptoms, but may be in varying degrees.

Due to the very nature of PDD – NOS (meaning that there are no strict symptoms because they vary from one child to another), PDD-NOS is very difficult to diagnose and is therefore often misdiagnosed. Treatment also has to be very specific to the needs of the person in question and may often include alternative therapies such as martial arts and music.

Autistic Disorder or Classic Autism
Is sometimes referred to as ‘mind-blindedness’ – referring to the need to be in their own world, lack of social interaction and, limited ability to communicate, a display of repetitive behaviors and distress over changes – no matter how small. Children (or adults, for that matter) who suffer from classic autism are not considered to be “high functioning”.

How Does Autism Affect Your Child’s Education?
In many cases, the ‘autistic child‘ will be required to be in Special Education classes – where teachers are trained to understand how to deal with the symptoms, autistic tendencies and other disorders. While “inclusion” is the new buzz word in special education, I find that children with severe autism do not usually benefit from it. However I have seen children with autism benefit and even excel in certain subjects; for example, I was observing a business computing class once where the code html was being taught. During a test, the teacher deliberately placed errors in part of the code for the students to correct and re-write. Well there was a young man in the class who corrected the teacher before the test began – and he had Asperger’s Syndrome. His ‘obsessive behavior’ worked out to his advantage – it converted into ‘attention to detail’ resulting in him becoming an outstanding website designer.

Weaknesses can be turned to strengths sometimes – and I hope that they will for your child.

(c) Copyright Lydia Riddle 2009

For further details on education and kids, please take a look at my website at http://www.educatekidz.com

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5 Reasons To Focus on Inner Thigh Exercises With Your Pilates and Fitness Workouts

If I asked you to “name the parts of your legs,” what would you list? Quads? Hamstrings? Calves? Shins? Feet? Ankles? Did I miss anything? Dynamic Pilates Manly have also leg exercise.

What about your inner thighs? When was the last time you put a little focus on working the muscles of your upper, inner thighs? For healthy movement habits a body in balance needs the benefit of strong, fit, and flexible inner thigh muscles. How much love and attention are you giving your whole leg? (Inner thighs included.)

Every muscle in our body needs to have an adequate amount of both strength and flexibility to function well. When we think about targeting the thighs most of the attention gets placed on the Quads (along the front of the thigh), and the Hamstrings (along the back of the thigh) since these two muscles groups are needed to bend and straighten the knee and help us stand up, sit down, climb stairs, etc…

And from there it’s usually, “I want to tone my hips.” Or “I want a better looking, tighter behind.” So we start focusing on exercises to work the Glutes and outer thighs, and sometimes forget completely about the value of the all-important, sexy upper inner thighs!

When I work with new clients I am surprised how little muscle activity is happening with these muscles! For many people the inner thigh muscles are both weak and tight (yes, it’s possible) which can result in restricted hip mobility, tight hamstrings, poor leg alignment and additional stress (wear-and-tear, pressure, and pain) at the knee joints. And if the knees don’t hurt, there’s a really good chance that the lower back does!

Above and/or below weak, tight, inner thighs there is increased risk for pain or injury. Think you’ve been training your inner thighs… I find that many clients, rather than engaging the full length of the muscle initiating from where the leg meets the body, the tendency is to squeeze the legs together starting at the knees which only places more stress on the already stressed-out knee joints.

Whether you do Pilates, Yoga, walk, run, play sports, lift weights or just want to stay safe and healthy for your daily life activities, here are five reasons to find, feel, and focus on stretching and strengthening the inner thigh muscles (Adductor Muscles).

1. IMPROVE BALANCE – The inner thighs are an important part of the leg to help maintain balance when standing and walking. As we age, there is a tendency to stand and walk with a wider stride thinking that this is helping our balance. But this “wider” stance only further weakens the inner thighs, and makes us less stable. Maintaining strong inner things so it’s easy to stand and walk with your legs closer together will help keep you more on-center to enjoy better balance.

2. HEALTHY HIP MECHANICS – The inner thighs stabilize the leg as it swings forward and backwards for a healthy stride to walk and run. They also are critical for support and movement for lateral (side-to-side) movement. Sports like basketball, tennis, racquetball and horseback riding would be impossible without strong inner thighs.

3. PAIN-FREE KNEES – The balance of support between the inner thighs and outer hip muscles is what stabilizes the leg for healthy, pain-free movement at the knee. The knee joint can only flex and extend, but the leg can move in all directions from the hip. Without adequate support on the inside and outside of the thigh the risk of a medial or lateral knee injury (pain) may increase.

4. BETTER ANKLE MOBILITY – Do you have stiff ankles, tight calves, heel pain… a contributing factor can be what’s happening at the other end of the leg. Your inner thighs are every bit as important as what is happening at your feet. The inner thigh muscles contribute to how you stand – rolling in or out at the ankle. With the right amount of both support and flexibility at the hip-end of the leg with the inner thighs, you can help improve posture, reduce foot pain and keep your ankles healthy with better mobility to avoid sprains & strains, Achilles tendonitis and other debilitating foot, knee and hip problems.

5. ENJOY MORE CORE SUPPORT – Of course your inner thighs aren’t a part of your core… BUT, what they do, or don’t do, can dramatically affect how well you are able to maintain good posture and enjoy healthy movement habits. For a strong well-lifted core, good inner thigh support along with proper pelvic floor function is an important foundation for hip placement and a healthy, well-aligned spine.

Just knowing that your inner thighs should be working won’t make them turn on and start working correctly… It will take intentional focus to improve your mind-body connection, deliberate muscle engagement, and purposeful fine-tuning of your movements habits during exercise and daily life activities to activate the inner thighs for proper support.

Understanding how to use the inner thighs properly along with how they relate to the rest of the body to improve balance, healthy hip mechanics, pain-free knees, better ankle mobility and more core support is a part of the process of retraining your body for better health. When you understand the value of better body mechanics you are one step closer to better health.

What are your inner thighs doing for you? Helping you stay strong, healthy, and on-balance? Or are you feeling challenged to stand upright, find it difficult to balance easily on one leg, or are battling to maintain your good health and are struggling with foot, knee, hip, or back pain?

What can YOU do to take action and start incorporating the right inner thigh exercises into your weekly workouts to re-train your body for better posture and develop healthy movement habits?

Is it time for you to find, feel, and focus on your inner thighs?

Aliesa George, PMA-CPT is the founder of Centerworks® and creator of the Healthy Movement Habits™ Training and Mentorship programs. For more than 20 years, Aliesa has been helping her clients improve their mind-body connection for better strength, flexibility, and fitness for an active, injury-free lifestyle. Good health doesn’t happen by accident! To improve health & fitness it takes the right action to get the right results. Aliesa has helped transform thousands of lives by sharing her expertise, tips, techniques, and wellness success strategies through her online courses, live events & training programs, books, products, and educational learning resources. Specializing in foot-fitness, functional movement, and Pilates she assists clients in integrating her Intentional Movement Training Systems™ strategies for whole body health through the development of healthy movement habits into everything from sports, fitness, and daily life activities. Register NOW to receive the bi-monthly Centerworks Wellness Success eNews packed with articles, tips, and information to keep you healthy from your head to your toes!

Are you ready to fine-tune your fitness to look good and feel great? How’s your posture affecting your health? Take the Quick Posture Quiz ( http://www.centerworks.com/functional-movement/ ) on the Centerworks.com home page to learn more about your current posture and health habits.

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6 Whiteboard Animation Questions Answered

I’m sure you’ve noticed the growth in so-called ‘whiteboard animation’ videos on the Internet. Storyboard artist Sydney employs three rendering steps to increase the flexibility of retrieved images, which include erasing irrelevant regions, unifying styles of images and substituting consistent characters.

You know. The ones where an artist’s hand is seen to sketch out text and images in double-quick time to illustrate the message the video is trying to get across.

And I’m sure, like most people, you find this type of video very entertaining to watch and maybe you’re curious as to how they are made and would like to know whether you could make them too.

In this article, I will answer some of the most common questions about whiteboard animation videos and demonstrate that they are far easier to create than you probably imagine.

Are you ready? Then let’s dive in.

1. Why should you use video?

We’ll start at Square One. If you are trying to get a message across, whether to sell something, educate people or just to entertain, why choose video over other formats?

There are at least three good reasons.

Firstly, video is the most accessible, immediate and compelling medium around at the moment. We are all used to watching TV or film and digesting content in the form of moving images. We associate it with being entertained and we like to be entertained.

In other words, people are more likely to stick with a video until the end than they are with pure text or text and images.

Second, the Internet loves video. People will share entertaining or informative video content through social media, such as Facebook or Twitter, with a readiness not found with other formats. (When did you last hear of a printed document ‘going viral’?)

And Google loves video. Do a search on almost any subject and you will find a good crop of videos appearing prominently. It has been amply demonstrated that, all else being equal, a video will rank higher and more quickly than the same content in another form will.

Third, if you create a video, you have the means to easily adapt it to present the same information in other formats. You can strip off the audio to create something people can listen to and have that audio transcribed to have something people can read.

2. Why should you use whiteboard animation videos?

In simple terms, whiteboard animation videos have all of the plus points of other videos, but much more so.

First, there is always something happening on screen to keep the viewer engaged and interested.

Second, most of us have been brought up on cartoons and the element of animation creates a powerful subconscious draw. It brings the kid out in us.

Third, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Carefully chosen images in a whiteboard animation can engage with viewers on an emotional level that simple words cannot. The fact that those images are moving only adds to the engagement.

For all of these reasons, whiteboard animation videos have been shown to be significantly more effective at getting a message across than other video formats. And that is particularly true of sales messages.

3. Why else should you use whiteboard animation videos?

Still not convinced? Then here’s the decider.

Yes, whiteboard animation videos are entertaining and informative but they are also a whole lot more fun to watch than dry wordy PowerPoint presentations.

Which would you rather sit down and watch (and pay attention to) – a serious public information film or an episode of the Road Runner trashing Wile E Coyote (yet again)?

That is an extreme example but you get the point. We are going to be much more ready to digest information if we are having even a little bit of fun along the way.

In other words, we learn better when we are being entertained.

But that is not all. Having to break information down into a form where it can be demonstrated with simple sketch images and short text snippets forces whoever is making the video to present even complex concepts in an accessible manner.

4. How do you make whiteboard animation videos?

Not so long ago, it used to be very hard or very expensive to create whiteboard animation.

You literally had to get a graphic artist to draw the images and text you wanted to use in your video and then film them doing it in ‘real time’.

You then had to use some clever technology and editing skills to speed up the footage you had taken and make it synchronise with the message you were trying to get across.

If you were not gifted with the whole range of expertise required to do this for yourself, you had to employ some very expensive professionals to do it for you.

And that did not come cheap.

That is why almost all of the early whiteboard animation videos that hit the Internet streets came from big businesses with deep pockets.

Fortunately for the rest of us, that has now all changed.

There is now ‘off-the-shelf’ software that automates the process of creating whiteboard animation.

In simple terms, you just select the images and text you want to use, specify how you want them to be animated and let the software do the rest.

5. How does whiteboard animation software work?

The first thing you will need to do is write down the key points you want to convey in your video.

Next, you develop your outline into a ‘script’. How detailed this is will depend on how good you are at ad-libbing.

(If your video is not going to have a voiced narrative, you will, of course, miss out this step.)

You then use your script to create a rough ‘storyboard’. This will indicate the type of images and text you want to use to illustrate each of your points.

Text is easy because the software will provide a text-editing tool, much like a standard word processor. You will just select the font, color, etc you want to use.

Images may be a little more difficult. The software will come with a built-in image library and you may be able to find most (or even all) of what you need there.

If not, you can pay a few dollars to acquire royalty-free images from online stock image libraries. Or, if you have particularly specialized needs, you can always pay someone on websites like Fiverr.com to create tailored images for you.

You now fire up the software and you are ready to roll.

If you have a narrative, you can record that inside the software or import an audio file you created elsewhere.

Then it’s just a case of adding the images and text to the virtual whiteboard in the order you want them to appear. You will be able to specify the animation effect you want to use to introduce each image or text, how long you want it to take and whether you want it to stick around or disappear.

If you have a narrative, you will need to play around with timings to make sure what happens on screen dovetails with what is being said.

When you have finished, you hit ‘create video’ and job done.

Your new whiteboard animation video is now ready to be uploaded to YouTube, Facebook, your website or wherever else you want to place it.

6. Should you be using whiteboard animation?

Yes! All else being equal, whiteboard animation videos are going to out-perform run-of-the-mill videos in a whole array of applications.

They have been shown to be more effective at selling, training, presenting and entertaining.

And with very affordable software now on the market to automate the process of creating whiteboard animation, there is no longer any excuse for not using this powerful medium in your online activities.

This is especially true if you aren’t the most polished presenter out there. Whiteboard animation carries a highly perceived value because it looks slick and professional and few people realise that it can now be produced cost-effectively.

And here is another reason to use whiteboard animation. It is a whole lot of fun!

When you start enjoying the video production process, not only will it stop feeling so much of a ‘chore’, that enjoyment will also come across in your finished product, making it even more effective at getting your message across.

The bottom line is that whiteboard animation is a new and exciting medium that has the potential to significantly boost your online activities.

Once the preserve of big business, software now makes whiteboard animation accessible to all. So isn’t it time you used it to get your message across in a fresh and compelling way?

If you want to find out more about using whiteboard animation in your business, visit Scenesbydean.com

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Realities Regarding Human Growth & Advancement in Early Youth

Childcare courses suggest to their students that they also need to focus their study on the important foundations to successfully educate and monitor the progress of a child’s development in accordance with the industry’s standards. From birth with age 5, a youngster’s mind undertakes its most remarkable growth. While human development is highly individual and dependent upon both nature and support– or, genes as well as setting– there are some basic turning points. According to the National Association for the Education of Youthful Kid, these landmarks drop within 4 domain names of child growth: cognitive, psychological, physical as well as social, with development in one domain influencing growth in others.

Cognitive Development

Kids are constantly increasing and rearranging their psychological structures as they refine their experiences. The structure of their brains really changes. Activity causes the brain to develop and also eliminate neural circuits. This happens throughout life, yet it is most typical in very early childhood years. Youngsters pick up from observation, tasks and also from direct guideline. But, to boost cognitive performance, activities and also direction should straighten with the kid’s phase of development and also with his cognitive abilities.

Psychological Growth

Social skills is connected to emotional well-being and also a youngster’s capacity to adjust to his environment. Psycho Therapist Uri Bronfenbrenner, best referred to as the innovator of Ecological Equipments Theory as well as the founder of HeadStart, demonstrated that kid growth is best comprehended via the interrelated contexts of household, college, area as well as culture. This is supported by the National Scientific Council on the Developing Youngster based at Harvard University, which specifies, “The psychological wellness of young children is carefully connected to the social and emotional qualities of the environments in which they live.” It takes place to claim that the early emotional experiences of kids “actually become embedded in the style of their brains.”

Physical Growth

Electric motor abilities refer to the physical capacities young kids establish. Gross electric motor abilities are huge activities making use of the arms, legs as well as feet. Fine motor skills are smaller activities, such as those with the fingers and thumbs. Gross and also great electric motor abilities develop together as lots of activities count on their sychronisation. While physical development follows a specified pattern, it is affected by genes, weight at birth, nutrition, child-rearing, personality, social class and ethnic culture.

Social Development

Play is an important part of human growth as well as development. According to Doris Bergen, Distinguished Teacher of Educational Psychology at Miami University, pretend play can assist in point of view taking as well as abstract thought along with social as well as etymological competence. It helps children find out to mingle as well as resolve problems, and also it attaches children to their creativity, atmosphere as well as other individuals. Play actually transforms the brain by forming connections between nerve cells. David Whitebread, Senior Citizen Lecturer in Psychology and Education at the University of Cambridge, asserts that “Play in all its rich range is one of the highest possible accomplishments of the human species, along with language, society as well as modern technology” which these various other success would certainly not be feasible without play.

Wages Possibilities in the Field of Early Childhood Education

Early Childhood Education captures the education of the children aged up to eight from the moment of birth. If your family is a business owner you should choose a management courses Sydney.

Under the condition of parents’ being busy all the time and spending little time with their kids early education is developing as an area, becoming more successful than regular traditional studies. There has appeared a certain tendency in the families recently. In more and more families now both of the parents are employed. At the same time early child education has been developing for this time bit by bit. The field of An Early Childhood Education (ECE) can be valuable for you if you are eager to obtain career in this area.

Frankly speaking it is one of those careers not numerous nowadays that bring you work on the development and education of children of this age. You may assist them in learning about anything in the world doing this efficaciously.

Due to the fact that parents can’t spend much time with their children early education education is becoming more and more popular every day.
Different educating schools provide early childhood education programs now, they appear and become successful very quickly. Having a good experience or obtaining a bachelor’s degree in this field will bring you wonderful unstressed career. There is a huge range of options for you if you pursued a degree in ECE, you can work in various educational establishments – preschools, day-care centers, child services, elementary schools, health care facilities and community centers etc.

Typical wages got on these and other position range from $20,000 to $40,000 per year. It should be marked that wages in ECE field can be different for the same position in if compared in diverse cities, states and even schools in United States. Preschool teacher in such parts of the country as California and Massachusetts earns in average just over $12 per hour.

At the same time such locations as Texas, Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina can offer you only about $10 per hour for the same position. Due to the recent studies fulfilled by independent research institution we know that the highest payment for early childhood education can be found in New York City and Los Angeles where teachers get over $30,000 per year.

Compare it to

Phoenix and Atlanta where the same job will bring over $22,000 for the teacher. What should be payed attention is the type of the degree you have. It influences the size of childhood education salary greatly. Typical wages for a graduate with a bachelor degree ranges between $22,000 and $30,000 per year.

Master’s degree in early childhood education providing you with a possibility to get administrative positions will bring you from $38,000 to $56,000. There is also a difference what type of job you have – in a day-care center, preschool, or grade school. Here you can get wages from $22,430 to $38,290 per year. The salaries for teachers in early childhood education are believed to grow in the next several years.

Thus, the average rate will be bigger. Raising job prospects and proportions in this field in the average wages will lead to the increase of a number of educators in the following several years in the USA too.