Tuesday, December 31, 2019

What Is Dysgraphia

Often, homeschooling parents feel that theyre not equipped to homeschool a child with special needs or a learning disability. In my experience, thats just not true.  Home is often the best place for a student who learns differently. To highlight the benefits of homeschooling for special needs kids and to explain some of the lessor-known learning challenges, I went straight to the source - moms who are successfully homeschooling children who learn differently. Shelley, who is  an educator, author, marketer, and  editor,  blogs at  STEAM Powered Family.  Her oldest son is considered 2e, or twice exceptional. He is gifted but also grapples with dysgraphia and an anxiety disorder. His  struggles with dysgraphia began while he was still in public school, and heres what Shelley had to say. When did you first begin to suspect a problem? I struggled to read the messy scrawl of his printing - the letters irregular in size, random capitalization, a complete disregard for punctuation, and a few letters that were inverted and crawled up the sides of the paper. I looked into his bright, expectant eyes and turned the paper to my 8-year-old. â€Å"Can you read this to me?† The words he spoke were so eloquent, yet to look at the paper it appeared that a child half his age had written the message. Dysgraphia is a trickster that masks the abilities of the mind behind writing that is messy and often illegible.   My son has always been precocious and advanced in reading. He started reading around four years old and even wrote his first story a few months later in that adorable childish scribble. The story had a beginning, a middle and an end. It was called Killer Crocs, and I still have it tucked away in a drawer. When my son started school, I expected his printing would improve, but by grade 1 it became apparent to me that something was not right. The teachers brushed off my concerns, saying he was a typical boy. A year later, the school took notice and started voicing the same concerns I had earlier. It took a great deal of time, but we finally discovered my son had dysgraphia. When we looked at all the signs, we realized my husband has dysgraphia as well. What is dysgraphia? Dysgraphia is a learning disability that impacts the ability to write. Writing is a very complex task. It involves fine motor skills and sensory processing, along with the ability to create, organize, and express ideas. Oh, and don’t forget about  recalling proper spelling, grammar, and syntax rules. Writing is truly a multi-faceted skill that requires a number of systems to work in unity in order to achieve success. The signs of dysgraphia can be tricky to identify, as there are often other concerns, but generally you can look for clues such as: Significant difference in quality and expression of ideas when written versus spoken.  Students  can be incredibly eloquent and well versed in a subject, but if asked to write about the topic, they struggle to convey their knowledge.A tight and awkward pencil grip and body position while writingShaping letters in strange ways, starting them in awkward places, or varying their sizesIllegible and messy handwritingOrienting letters wrong, like writing letters backward or inverting themPoor spatial planning on paper (not leaving enough room for the words or starting in strange places)Avoidance of  drawing and writing tasksBecoming tired quickly while writing or complaining that it causes painUnfinished or omitted words in sentences when writingDifficulty organizing thoughts on paper, but not when  using other mediumsStruggles with grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, even though the student is well readThe appearance that the childs  mind is always going significantly faster than his hand.   My son shows every single one of these signs of dysgraphia. How is dysgraphia diagnosed? One of the greatest battles I think parents face with dysgraphia is the  difficulty in getting a diagnosis and putting a treatment plan in place. There is no simple test for dysgraphia. Instead, it is part of a battery of tests and evaluations that eventually lead to a diagnosis. This testing is very expensive, and we found the school simply did not have the resources or funding to provide comprehensive professional testing for our son. It took a very long time and years of advocating to get our son the help he needed.   Some possible testing options  include: Psychoeducational assessmentsAcademic assessments focusing on reading, arithmetic, writing, and languageFine motor assessments, specifically involving  skills used in writingWriting sample evaluationsTesting involving copying designs How can a parent help a child with dysgraphia? Once a diagnosis is in place, there are many ways to help a student. If funding is available, an occupational  therapist specializing in writing disorders can do a lot to help a child. The other approach is to use accommodations and concessions that allow the child to focus on his work, rather than struggle due to the writing issues. We have never had access to an OT, so we utilized accommodations while my son was in school and have continued to use them in our homeschool. Some of those  accommodations include: Typing – My son is learning to touch type and has use of a computer to type all of his written materials.Note-taker – In school, an aide worked with our son during exams, and he would dictate the answers, while the note-taker wrote them on the exam. In our homeschool we always provide our son with the opportunity to take â€Å"writing breaks,† and we act as his scribe.Dictation software – There are some fabulous speech-to-text  products on the market that work with word processors to type dictated text.Oral presentations – Instead of asking our son to write a report, we will ask him to do oral presentations. We can even videotape these to provide a record of his learning.Cursive – Although we have tried to go back and reteach printing to our son, it has proven to be an exercise in frustration. Instead, we chose to focus on something the school didn’t teach, cursive. Since it is new, we have the opportunity to work with him to develop new techniques and habits which will help him develop functional writing skills as an adult.Creative presentations – One of the things I love about homeschooling is that we can be creative in how my son demonstrates his knowledge. As part of a study on Ancient Egypt he created a LEGO pyramid and did a presentation. Other times he has produced videos talking about the subject. Together we think outside of the box to come up with ways he can show his knowledge without extensive handwriting. How does homeschooling benefit a student with dysgraphia? When my son was in school, we really struggled. The system is designed a very specific way that involves judging and grading children based on their ability to demonstrate their knowledge by writing it out based on  tests, written reports, or completed worksheets. For children with dysgraphia that can make school extremely challenging and frustrating. Over time my son developed a severe anxiety disorder due to the constant pressure and criticism placed on him in the school environment. Thankfully we had the option to homeschool, and it has been a wonderful experience. It challenges all of us to think differently, but at the end of the day my son is no longer limited by dysgraphia and has started to love learning again.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Plato and Socrates Anthology Essay - 1008 Words

Socrates Anthology and Plato Plato: I: Apology 1. What are the charges brought against Socrates by his Athenian accusers and what is his reply concerning the sort of wisdom he in fact possesses? The charges that were brought against Socrates were corrupting the young and Impiety. Socrates says â€Å"If you ask me what kind of wisdom, I reply, wisdom such as may perhaps be attained by man, for to that extent I am inclined to believe that I am wise; Whereas the persons of whom I was speaking have a superhuman wisdom, which I may fail to describe, because I have it not myself; and he who says that I have Speaks falsely and is taking away my character† (Pg 5). 2. What does Socrates say is his greatest service to the city? Socrates said that†¦show more content†¦He also says â€Å" the opinions of the wise are good and the opinions of the unwise are evil† (pg 21). 2. How does Socrates depict the individuals relationship to the State? Socrates believes that through the Law his parents were able to marry and conceive him. Then the laws provided his upbringing and education and also provided training in music and gymnastics. He believes that the relationship between laws and an individual could be similar to that of a father and son or a slave and master. 3. Why does Socrates say it would be unjust to escape the death penalty? Socrates gives a few reasons why it would be unjust to escape the death penalty. He says that his escaping from the prison would destroy the city, which is unjust. He made a contract with the city that he would stay in the city until the time of his death and breaking this contract would be unjust. His unjustness would also cause trouble for other people. â€Å"His friends could be driven into exile, deprived of their citizenship and lose their property† (pg 25), or if he decided to flee to another city that is well governed Athens will come to them as an enemy and the city will turn on him. 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Sunday, December 15, 2019

Name Professor Subject Date Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality Free Essays

People do possess certain behaviors that make us unique from one another. People do vary in their behavior or the way we think, feel and act. The complexity of human behavior and understanding its nature has been the main interests of those studying behavioral genetics. We will write a custom essay sample on Name Professor Subject Date Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality or any similar topic only for you Order Now We all know that if we inherit our physical attributes with our parents we also inherit their behavior which we call genotypes. We are also aware of the role of the society, culture or the environment in shaping one’s behavior. Which of the two then exerts the greatest influence in our life? In order to identify which really molds human behavior a family studies, adoption studies and twin studies where conducted. In these three settings the siblings are compared with their shared and non-shared experiences. The environment provides the child with care, education and other experiences. People differ in many ways in terms of intelligence, mental states, social ability, self-concept or self-esteem, attitudes, beliefs and preferences. Genetics versus environment can also be called nature versus nurture in shaping behavior. The debate between the two tries to challenge the fact that genotypes or the nature of a person’s behavior can be altered by the environment or the inherited traits will remain the same and control the person no matter how strong the influence of the environment. Suicidal tendencies and anti-social behavior for example are studied if it is inherited or purely environmental. In my own opinion the behavior could depend upon the individual’s personal adjustment or resistance to the environment that can create a difference in our behavior. Work Cited Haimowitz, Avi. Heredity versus Environment: Twin, Adoption and Family Studies. November 2005. Rochester Institute of Technology: Great Ideas in Personality 4 June 2009 http://www. personalityresearch. org/ How to cite Name Professor Subject Date Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Teaching in Nursing Elsevier Health Sciences

Questions: Develop a table that includes the following: Identify at least one local, one state, and one federal agency or regulatory body that will factor into developing curriculum for your chosen topic and health care setting. ( For this point the topic of the curriculum is leadership developmen course for undergraduate students) Describe how each agency or regulatory body will factor into your curriculum development. Identify two industry standards that will factor into developing curriculum for your chosen topic and health care setting. Describe how each agency or regulatory body will factor into your curriculum development. Describe how you will use will demonstrate this alignment. Answer: Curriculum development in nursing education is a creative process and also a scholarly one. The intension is to have an evidence-based, context-relevant and unified curriculum (Keating, 2014). It is an ongoing process in all countries around the world that pay much attention to the nursing field. The context of development ranges from refinement of activities taken up during implementation of the new changes (Iwasiw et al., 2014). One very significant course in nursing education is leadership development that is taught in all undergraduate nursing students (Billings Halstead, 2013). Nursing leaders are those who have an empowerment to be a professional and competent part of the healthcare system. Nursing leadership is about nurses who think critically, advocate for patients in an effective manner and give exemplary care and practice evidence-based nursing(Feldman et al., 2011).Nursing organisations play an important role is the process of developing curriculum for nursing education. They have the responsibility of gathering knowledge on the present scenario related to the concerned nursing topic after doing a needs assessment and analysing the information and thereby incorporating the vital and needful points in the nursing curriculum(Marriner-Tomey, 2009). Through several educational activities, the work of the organisations is to increase the leadership capacity of nurses for advancing health care by making positive changes in the curriculum nurses are taught.In this writing, a table format has been used for discussing one local, one state and one federal agency that factor into developing the curriculum for leadership development course for undergraduate students and two industry standards that will factor into developing the concerned curriculum and heath care setting. Name of the nursing regulatory body How the body will factor into the students curriculum development Two industry standards that will factor into developing curriculum for nursing leadership Nursing Students Association of New York State (Local Regulatory Body) The Nursing Students Association of New York State would drive the necessary changes to be made in the curriculum of undergraduate nurses on nursing leadership as a part of having a dominant say in the direction that nursing education must take. The organisation would explicitly demand clear indications of the gap present between the desirable and actual scenario of nursing leadership and thereafter influence the curriculum by doing the necessary changes. The enveloping and lasting quality of perennialism in education will be the top priority. The organisation would try to maintain the standards of the nursing profession in the changes put forward for the curriculum. It would give look into the professional standards and requirements of nursing leadership, the value, skills and knowledge of nurses, contents of education, program outcomes, curriculum design. The factors that would gain importance would be principles of learning outcomes, principles of program outcome, organising princ iples for content, principles for education. The body would thereby look into all the aspects of curriculum development before taking any actions towards bringing changes in the curriculum. The local nursing colleges would be highly benefitted and have soem efficient nurses who can be great nursing leaders(Del Prato, 2013). Standards-based curriculum development ccan be considered as an instructional design process that uses a delivery procedure and systematic content identification. The key elements include validated skill standards that identify competent performance of nurses. The primary difference between nonstandards-based and standards-based curriculum development is the use of an industry-determined standard, as opposed to a curriculum that is derived by educators (Hodgson et al., 2013). The two industry standards of health care industry, in relation to nursing leadership, that will factor into developing curriculum for nursing leadership are as follows: 1. All registered nurse must oversee the care delivered by other nurses while retaining the responsibility for the care quality given to the patients admitted to the health care setting. 2. All registered nurse must abide by the vision and the related goals and thereby implement the progress of health care consumer within the context of the health care setting (McGuire Ray, 2014). These industry standards would highly influence the development of the curriculum as these standards make up the actual needs of implementation of nursing leadership. By following the standards and incorporating them in the curriculum would be highly beneficial as the nurses would be able to demonstrate a strong commitment for continuos and life-long education for self as well as others. Nurses would also be able to mentor colleagues for nursing practice advancement and quality care. Communication skills would be developed and conflict resolution skills would be more. Participating in professional decisions in the organisation and providing advices to the fellow nurses would be skills that would be developed. Participation in influencing health care policy would be an added advantage that would benefit both the health care system and the healthcare consumers. The health care industry standards would thereby pave the path for more efficient nurses after they receive effective educatio n on nursing leadership. New York State Board of Nursing (State Regulatory Body) The New York State Board of Nursing is commited to produce lifelong learners having the ability to excel in the nursing careers and get recognised as nursing leaders keeping health and welfare of the common people at the forefront of values for providing patient-care (Ryan et al., 2013). Thereby the association would influence the curriculum development in a strong positive maner and strive to nurture undergraduate nurses in order to make them capable nursing leaders. The organisation would set up world-class nursing curriculum that would provide the educational foundation for preparing the next generation of nurses who are efficient leaders. The organisation would lead the way into a new era of nurses by making significant changes in the nursing curriculum on nursing leadership. As a result of the contribution of the body, excellent patient outcomes would be achieved. The organisation has the power to implement changes in the curriculum in a short span of time and in an effective ma nner. The influence of the nursing body would be to have a healthier society in terms of patient outcomes. In short, the body would be an important factor in the nursing leadership curriculum development and bring crucial changes in the quality of nursing workforce. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (Federal Regulatory Body) American Association of Colleges of Nursing is the national voice for baccalaureate and graduate nursing education. AACN works to establish quality standards for nursing education; assists schools in implementing those standards; influences the nursing profession to improve health care; and promotes public support for professional nursing education, research, and practice (Wilson, 2012).The body would thereby take part in curriculum development by creating an innovative model for mentorship in order to practice clinical leadership. Nurses would learn to about models and theories of nursing leadership and have the opportunity to implement them in their internships. The meaningful participation of the federal body would be highly benefifical as the changes would be brought at a national level. Incorporation of the changes would be done on a broader view and the impact is expected to be more deep. All the institutions in America would be able to bring the changes into practice and there by walk towards brining better quality of nursing workforce in the country. They would change the process of carrying out clinical education. In general, it may be stated that the body would make a markable impact in due course of development of nursing curriculum on leadership. References Billings, D. M., Halstead, J. A. (2013).Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty. Elsevier Health Sciences. Del Prato, D. (2013). Students' voices: The lived experience of faculty incivility as a barrier to professional formation in associate degree nursing education.Nurse Education Today,33(3), 286-290. Feldman, H., Alexander, G., Greenberg, M. (2011).Nursing leadership. New York: Springer Pub. Co. Hodgson, M. J., Matz, M. W., Nelson, A. (2013). Patient handling in the Veterans Health Administration: facilitating change in the health care industry.Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine,55(10), 1230-1237. Iwasiw, C. L., Goldenberg, D., Andrusyszyn, M. A. (2014).Curriculum development in nursing education. Jones Bartlett Publishers. Keating, S. B. (2014).Curriculum development and evaluation in nursing. Springer Publishing Company. Marriner-Tomey, A. (2009).Guide to nursing management and leadership. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby Elsevier. McGuire, C., Ray, D. (2014). Developing leadership roles in nursing and midwifery.Nursing Standard,29(9), 43-49. Ryan, A. M., Bishop, T. F., Shih, S., Casalino, L. P. (2013). Small physician practices in New York needed sustained help to realize gains in quality from use of electronic health records.Health Affairs,32(1), 53-62. Wilson, L. D. (2012). The American Association of Colleges of Nursings Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium.Journal of Gerontological Nursing,36(7), 14-17.