Sunday, May 17, 2020

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.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Effects Of Algal Blooms On Coral Reefs - 917 Words

live and feed in those coral reefs until they are big enough to survive the wide vast of the deep ocean. Warming temperatures are also a death sentence to many species of fish. When I was visiting Port Saint Joe, FL and it’s surrounding area, I noticed that at some places the tide was a tinted yellow, orange and red. It was Red Tide, also known as harmful algal bloom. Simple plants the live in the sea and freshwater grow out of control. These algal blooms produce toxic and harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds. Algal bloom has high concentrations of nutrients from agricultural and urban run off. Red Tide does expand the decomposition of which kills animals by depleting the oxygen levels needed, limits the aquatic plant growth. This was occurring both at the shoreline of Powell Lake in Laguna Beach, FL and the East Bay in Panama City, FL. Off the tip of St Joseph Peninsula State Park, the government agencies were picking up hundreds of dead fish t his past month alone. Red Tide could be found in a stretch of miles west of the peninsula to Mexico Beach and east of the peninsula to Cape San Blas. Taken at Powell Lake, Laguna Beach, Florida. Red Tide (Harmful Algal Bloom). When it comes to fresh water and salt water mixing, it is called an estuary. An estuary is body of water that has rivers and streams running into it with an outlet that leads directly into the open sea. This is where the rivers and streams drop all the sediments, rocks, sand,Show MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Climate Change On Marine Ecosystems1504 Words   |  7 Pagestemperatures. 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Non Verbal Communication free essay sample

Name: Sithembile Musemburi Assignment 1: What aspects of non verbal communication are likely to differ when people from different cultures communicate? Communication is a very important aspect of the human life, since it is the communication that helps human beings and other animals to connect with each other, as individuals and as independent groups. Communication serves a number of functions; to disseminate information, to express ideas and emotions, for education, to build relationships, for entertainment and for decision making purposes and is done verbally or non -verbally. Verbal communication involves the use of language, speech and voice where as in non verbal communication the body does the coding for us in form of gestures, facial expressions, posture, and paralanguage. This is why nonverbal communication is also termed the body language. Culture constitute the totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought. These patterns, traits, and products are the expression of a particular period, class, community, or population. Hence patterns, traits, and products considered with respect to a particular people may not be treated in the same regard to another people. This essay seeks to describe the aspects of non-verbal communication that are likely to differ when people from different cultures communicate. Examples will be drawn from different cultures to demonstrate these differences in cultures Samovar et al (2009), defined communication in the following way, â€Å"communication occurs whenever meaning is attributed to behaviour or the residue of behaviour. With this, different people from different cultures can possibly give different meanings to behaviour depending on how they understood it. This statement also supports that we should be careful about how we act as someone can give meaning to our actions whether they were conscious or unconscious. Culture has been defined by Hall (1974), as the medium evolved by humans to survive. He further states that nothing in our lives is free from cultural influ ences. The way people talk, dress, eat, walk is influenced by their culture. This explains why culture and communication can not be separated as it has a great impact on communication as well. Culture is not genetically defined but is learned through the society we grow in. As a child grows in a community, they learn through observations and being taught what is acceptable and inacceptable in that culture. This in turn shapes the values of that child. Hoebel and Frost define culture as an, â€Å"integrated system of learned behaviour patterns which are characteristic of the members of a society and which are not the results of biological inheritance. The environment and setting one was brought up in and lives in determines how we communicate. Non verbal communication according to Samovar et al (2009) is,†any communication that involves non verbal stimuli that are generated by both the source and his or her use of the environment and that have potential message value to the source or receiver. † The behaviours that most people engage in consciousl y and unconsciously contribute to non verbal communication. A reflex action of behaviour is triggered during a conversation that can sell one out even if verbally they seem to be in agreement with what is being said. Non verbal behaviour can easily substitute the verbal communication as it represents our true emotions in most cases Although Ekman et al (1975) suggests that some non verbal communication aspects of facial expressions are universal, there are many aspects of non verbal communication which differ from one culture to another. As much as facial expressions of anger, fear, joy, sadness, and surprise are more or less the same amongst all cultures there are some non verbal aspects that mean totally different things from one culture to another which might have serious repercussions to the sender and receiver if coded and decoded in ignorance. A wrong gesture or facial expression can make or break a business deal or proposal whether it was intended or not. As much as culture is diverse all over the world, non verbal aspects of communication are bound to differ depending on where you are and where you are from. Those aspects include but are not limited to the following, facial expressions, head movements, hand and arm gestures, physical space, touching, eye contact, and physical postures. Although smiling is understood as an expression of happiness in most cultures, in some cultures like the Chinese it may mean something sad or uncomfortable is being discussed. However, in Bulgaria and Thailand, nodding means the opposite, a very definite no. Physical space refers to the distance which people feel comfortable approaching others or having others approach them. It can be categorised into the following , intimate space reserved for intimate relations, private or personal space for friends and relatives, social space for workmates , colleagues, then public space for strangers. People from certain countries, such as parts of Latin America or the Middle East often feel comfortable standing closer to each other, while persons of Northern European descent tend to prefer a relatively greater distance. Ruch (1989) writes, â€Å"Typical Arab conversations are at close range. † He goes on further to say that;† closeness cannot be avoided†. Although is it is so with the Arab, they have exceptions when to comes to conversing between a man and a woman as Samovar et al (2009) state that, In Arab cultures a man is not allowed to stand close to a woman not even his wife where as in western countries a husband and wife signal their relationship by walking side by side. This means that depending on one’s culture, distance at times is not necessarily determined by the relationship but rather by the gender of the people involved. This explains why in some people would move away or step back in a bus queue when they feel one is standing too close for comfort thus invading their private space. The use of hands to communicate can assist comprehension or deter it, depending on the situation. Some hand gestures that are popular in one culture have no meaning or an entirely different meaning in another culture. A good example is the thumbs up gesture or the OK sign. These have vulgar meanings in Iran and Latin America, respectively, yet in other countries the â€Å"OK sign means just â€Å"zero†, which is not offensive. In the Unites States it is used as a sign for approval and success, whereas the thumbs down convey the opposite. In Europe the thumbs up is also a signal for good bye, or a greeting in passing, especially among young people. Touch is also another aspect of non verbal communication that is culturally determined and thus can also be misunderstood and misinterpreted. Depending on the context or scenario that led to the touch, it sends across different messages. Different cultures have different beliefs on what parts of the body can be and can not be touched. In Asians cultures, the head is said to house the soul so most Asians do not touch the head and do not want their heads touched. Some Americans are annoyed if touched on the head as they feel belittled. Touch is used as a sign of comfort, to arouse, to show affection, to greet, to protect, to congratulate on a job well done and even to provoke. Although a handshake is common as a means of greeting in most cultures, according to Jones (n. d. ), ‘Never assume that someone from another culture wants to shake hands at all. †This greeting is peculiar to some cultures as such one should not assume that it is a universal gesture of greeting. She further advices males never to attempt shaking hands with a woman from another culture unless she extends her hand first. † This is attributed to that contact between people of the opposite sexes is restricted in the Asian and Arab cultures which are mostly Muslim states so hand shakes are not recommended unless otherwise indicated. Kim (1992) also observes that Asians do not touch ordinarily during a conversation especially between people of the opposite sexes because many Asians cultures do not believe in public display of affection and intimacy.