Pros and Cons of ADHD Medication

Introduction
As a parent of a child who has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) you are faced with deciding how to manage your child's ADHD symptoms. One options for treating the symptoms of ADHD that is highly debated is medication; some people strongly believe it is the best options and other believe medication shouldn't be used on children. Determining the best option for your child is an important decision that shouldn't be made without sufficient information. Before you make this decision, you should know that there are pros and cons to ADHD medication and that medication may be right for one child but not another. This article may help you as a parent or caregiver decide if medication is the right treatment method for your child.

Cause of ADHD
When treating ADHD, it is important to look at the cause. "Scientists now believe that the impulsivity, short attention span and other symptoms associated with ADHD are caused by a specific dysfunction in the brain that is often inherited" (Wilens, 2004, p10). ADHD is a medical diagnosis with a medical cause, and many times medication offers a "straight forward solution" (Wilsen, 2004, p12). Members of the medical community often compare the treatment of ADHD with medication to that of seizures or other health problems with a medical cause and believe that these medical symptoms can be managed with medication.

Symptoms of ADHD
The cause of ADHD is a dysfunction in the brain (Wilens, 2004) but parents and caregivers seek treatment to manage the hyperactivity, impulsivity, short attention span and other behaviors associated with ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD are behavioral and many think they should be treated in the same manner as other behavior problems. Stephen Flora writes in his book Taking America Off Drugs " The best way to improve behavior is with behavior modification techniques" (Flora, 2007)

Overview of Treatment Options
As mentioned earlier, one treatment method for ADHD symptoms is medication; these medications are prescribed to "diminish the inattention, distractibility, over activity, and impulsivity" caused by ADHD. These medications ideally allow students to perform to their fullest potential such as focus on their homework and listen to directions. For individuals who do not have ADHD and can focus on their work these medications may seen like performance enhancing drugs that are not necessary. As you know ADHD is more than just a little distractibility.

            Along with medication, there are other ways to treat ADHD symptoms such as behavior therapy. Behavior therapy is a form of psychological treatment method that stems from behaviorism and focuses on observable and measurable behaviors. When applying behavior therapy to students who have ADHD the family works with the counselor to increase the occurrence of positive behaviors through routines and a better understanding of what the student needs. Some students can be treated with behavior therapy but for many children their symptoms are severe enough that behavior therapy isn't enough. Behavior therapy may not be enough because it treats the symptoms of ADHD not the cause of the problem. Students who have ADHD have aspects of their brains that are malfunctioning, these malfunctions cause the hyperactivity, inattention and other symptoms that behavior therapy attempts to control. For these students medication can help supplement the therapy or other forms of treatment being used.


Common Medications and Routines For Taking Medication

There are a wide variety of medications that are prescribed for the treatment of ADHD symptoms and you should discuss the specifics with your health care provider. Briefly, three of the top brands of medication are Ritalin, Concerta and Adderall.

Depending on the type of medication your child is taking they will have to take the medication anywhere from once a day to three or four times a day. Some medications are longer lasting and only need to be taken once a day while others are short term and must be taken more frequently. Both are safe and effective options.

Pros of Medication
The most important pro to ADHD medication is the reduction or elimination of the behavioral symptoms associated with ADHD.  By reducing students hyperactivity and giving them the ability to focus, medication gives many students the ability to perform better in school, make friends and participate in extra curricular activities.

Many parents worry that their children will become addicted to the ADHD medication. However, there is no physical way for children to become addicted to ADHD medication because addiction comes from a high or state of euphoria and the medications used to manage ADHD symptoms do not cause students to have a high.

There have been numerous studies indicating that psychotropic drugs are safe, tolerable and useful for children. As of 2004 there have been "over 250 scientifically controlled studies of the stimulant medications for ADHD" (Wilen, 2004, p 91) These studies suggest that if children take the prescribed dosage indicated by their doctor, then the medication is safe and that the majority of the side effects are mild.

Cons of Medication
Now that we have looked at some of the pros of ADHD medication lets examine some of the cons. One aspect of ADHD medication that should be of concern to parents is that there are very few studies done on the long-term affects of the medication. So, while we know that these medications are safe in the short term the prospect of giving students medication without knowing the long-term effects bring cause for hesitation.

There are also mild side effects associated with many of the medications including loss of appetite, difficulty falling asleep, dizziness, moodiness and growth problems. These side effects should be monitored but for the most part are easily managed. For specific side effects consult your health care provider.

And even though students cannot become physically addicted to these forms of medication, they can form a psychological dependency. This dependency can develop when students feel they need medication for everything or when they are afraid to go off their medication.

Decision Making
When deciding whether medication is right for your child there are 4 things to consider; side effects, the severity of your child's symptoms, if your child's symptoms are being managed with other forms of treatment how your child feel about medication. Before you make this decision talk, with your child's teacher, the school counselor or psychologist, your health care provider and most importantly your child. While this may seem overwhelming now, the more information you can gather the easier this decision will be.

Conclusion:


As you can see there are pros and cons to ADHD medication and what is right for one child and family will not necessarily be right for another. When choosing whether to try medication as a way to manage the symptoms of your child's ADHD make sure to consider the pros and cons along with your child's characteristics and the attitude of the school.

References:
Flora, Stephen Ray. Taking America Off Drugs (2007) State University of New York Press, Albany

Wilens, Timothy E. Straight Talk About Psychiatric Medication For Kids, (2004) TheGuilford Press, New York

Appendix

Resources For Parents To Get More Information

    Straight Talk About Psychiatric Medication For Kids- This book was written for parents who have questions about the affects and risks of psychiatric medication on children. It is a basic guide for what parents need to know about a wide variety of psychiatric medications including ADHD medications.
        Wilens, Timothy E. Straight Talk About Psychiatric Medication For Kids, (2004) TheGuilford Press, New York
    Taking America Off Drugs; Why Behavior Therapy is More Effeftive for Treating ADHD, OCD, Depression, And Other Psychological Problems- This books presents behavior therapy as an alternative treatment method for ADHD instead of medication. The book does a good job of showing the other side of treating psychological problems.
        Flora, Stephen Ray. Taking America Off Drugs (2007) State University of New York Press, Albany
    CHADD- this website is a support system for parents of children with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.

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Free Social Stories For Autistic Children - What Are Social Stories?

Social stories are one of the techniques the are used in children with Autism. Although such is completed in a structured way for children with Autism it is a technique that has been spent for centuries. Parents own constantly talked and illustrated imminent situations in an endeavor to ease the children's fears. Free Social Stories For Autistic Children

Many times social stories are written with the childs' name as the name of the person in the story. For some children this seems to be an easier way to talk about themselves. It is almost like talking about a child like they are someone else. On some level a child with Autism does seem to understand that the story is about them.

A social story to describe future behavior will help a child with Autism calm their fears as well. More importantly it can help shape their behavior. The story does not have to be long or complex but it does need to show the child what a parent expects to happen and what a parent expects the child to do. Free Social Stories For Autistic Children

Many non-verbal children like to listen to stories. One of the suggestions is to write the story. Try to keep it to one page. Read the story to your child and give a copy to them. It may well surprise a parent that the non-verbal child wants a copy.

Keep in mind that we do not always know how much non-verbal children understand. They may be able to read some or part of the story. The only caution in this process is to be careful with children who eat paper. Free Social Stories For Autistic Children

Social stories can also be used to go over past behavior. The twist with this type of social story is that you can change what your child did in the past in this new story. Of course in this way you can supply information about behavior in a way the child can 'get it'. Don't let your love ones suffer anymore! Lead them out through Free Social Stories For Autistic Children program now!

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More Than a Handful: Identifying Adhd Symptoms in Your Baby

Children would always behave like---well, children. Hence, instances whereby parents like you find yourselves struggling to cope with your child's innate rambunctiousness and inattention are nothing short of ordinary, explaining why such scenes have been woven into the daily tapestry comprising common family life.

Especially during the stages of infancy up to childhood, as a parent you are expected to be at your most patient, most tolerant, and most understanding self. What with an innocent baby waking the entire neighborhood in the middle of the night or tearing the house down as he begins to explore his new world, you are given no choice but to obtain the necessary strength and tolerance from your unconditional love for your baby. Despite the inevitable annoyance and chagrin brought about by episodes of hyperactivity and public tantrums, you could surely depend on your unfaltering attentiveness to your child's welfare to help tide you over until your child matures and outgrows such tendencies.

Facing the Probable Tendencies
However, during those times when your baby exhibits behavior beyond innocent rowdiness, losing your patience or becoming agitated is a typical response. Setting aside your learned personal expectation of how your child should behave, you must open your eyes and become observant of any excessive behavior he may be exhibiting. Although a tendency to be active and uncontrollable are typical among infants and toddlers, there are certain aspects whereby such behaviors are already considered too much, oftentimes leaving parents exhausted, lost, and powerless in the quandary.

And such behaviors could already be hinting at a possible emergence of ADHD in your child. As difficult as it is to accept, it is a must for parents such as you to be very observant of your child's behavior. Attention Deficiency Hyperactivity Disorder, more popularly known as ADHD, is a recognized psychological disorder commonly associated with children, which usually begins during the early years of their childhood and often continuing into adulthood. Being a medical condition, ADHD directly affects the ability of a person to stay focused on particular activities for any length of time.

Determining the Signs
As differentiated from other people, aspects of an ADHD individual's brain, especially those concerned with attention and the manner in which it can be controlled given certain activities, function in a unique way. Consequently, this would be reflected in his seemingly rambunctious behavior characterized by an incapacity to hold concentration for prolonged periods. If it is not addressed, ADHD can adversely affect great areas of a person's life, impacting psychological, emotional, and social aspects.

In order to help you assess your child's behavior, whether they are bordering on ADHD tendencies or not, here are typical traits identified among infants and toddlers that could be indicative of ADHD.

    Children with ADHD experience trouble sleeping. As such, they are likely to have trouble dozing off and staying asleep. As is often the case, they always awaken in a bad mood.

Infants tend to have colic and are either hard to nurse or is having trouble accepting infant formulas.

Babies are easily vexed and cry excessively.

Infants can manifest health troubles such as asthma, allergies, colds, or having ear fluids.

Babies tend to exhibit unusual infant behavior like frequently thumping his foot/feet, too much rocking, or even banging his head against his crib.

As toddlers, they are hyperactive, always up and about.

Toddlers are nonconformists and can be a real handful.

They are susceptible to reckless behaviors and are accident-prone because of their clumsiness borne of their hyperactive nature.

Toddlers fight physically by biting, pushing, or pinching when controlled or apprehended by caregivers or parents.

They are always breaking things either accidentally(due to recklessness and curiosity) or deliberately(due to hyperactivity level).

Toddlers have a hard time playing by themselves and may always insist to have their parents'/caregivers' attention.

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Medieval Education

Medieval education is about education that was conducted in the medieval period. Medieval education is seen as quite an unusual form of education. However, by the 15th century, there were options for a student to be educated further. Some schools even housed both genders, but this was during the day only. Children were taught their basics, such as how to read and write. This is because these were the basic requirements if they wanted to be accepted under apprenticeship in any guild.

Medieval education also consisted of peasant children going to school. However, they made up a very small number. They were taught how to read and write, and also studied basic math. This education for peasants was usually conducted at a monastery.

As part of medieval education, noble girls and even boys were sent to learn at nunneries. There, they would receive their basic education. The nuns taught these students how to read and write too. They would also teach them how to pray. Girls were additionally taught how to spin and do needlework amid other domestic skills.

If a child took his or her education seriously at a monastery, he or she would have a monastic life. However, this was quite rare for an average townsman or peasant. Also, these individuals would be carefully selected for these ranks. If they were deemed suitable according to their demeanour, they would be brought up by the monks.

Today, medieval education practices are still visible. The same monastery education students are given is a clear reflection of it. The education that children receive at missionary schools in various parts of the world also reflects similar forms of education. A major difference that is seen is the widespread existence of books. In medieval times, there were many schools that operated without the use of books. Students were taught by skilled masters, and were often educated for dubious benefits. The rich or others that did provide education in medieval times did so for their personal gain. There were very few that really wanted to educate people in the true spirit of enlightening more minds.

As time has passed by, some aspects of medieval education have faded while others have remained. It can be argued that the aspects of medieval education that were useful for the purpose of education have remained. Regardless of some characteristics remaining, the overall process has changed a great deal. This is because education could not have the same face as it did hundreds of years ago. Today's education is different from medieval education in so many ways. For example, you have the inclusion of group work and activity based learning. You also have the inclusion of computers for education in this modern age. No one in the medieval period would have ever contemplated the use of such items.

Another important development to mention, and one that is used almost throughout the world is the Montessori method. This is something that did not exist in the medieval period, and it took many years for it to be popularized since Maria Montessori first used it. Indeed, the Montessori Method cannot be likened to any medieval method of education. It was developed independently as an innovative teaching method. In addition to the Montessori Method, there are other teaching areas today that have been developed without any medieval education influence.

Though medieval education has provided the fundamentals for formal education, some people prefer to deny medieval education methods the credit it is given. They believe that the formal method of students being seated in classrooms would have developed later anyway, whether medieval education used this arrangement or not. This does make sense because it is unthinkable for any other arrangement to be used. It is further argued that it is more likely that this would have been the case in modern education because student interaction is encouraged. For better student interaction, a classroom of a suitable number of students would have been recommended. Regardless of these arguments, we still find many traces of medieval education in our modern setups today.

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What Makes a Good President?

Each election year, the people of the United States of America are faced with the difficult decision of choosing the next President. Sometimes the selection is obvious. Other times it seems like there's no good option, and it comes down to selecting the lesser of two or more evils. Whatever the case may be, Americans as a group who patriotically believes in the core principles and values, on which this nation was founded, generally look for particular core characteristics for what makes a good president. These characteristics are described here.

The Born Leader
Throughout society, there are people who fit into the role of leadership with ease. Whether it's a corporate executive, a university President, or a Wall Street financial expert, these leaders are recognized by their ability to jump to the occasion, their flexibility and adaptability to overcome any obstacle, and their ability to encourage others to follow them. Finally, a good leader has the courage to stand up and make decisions without flinching, and then lead the way in that direction without hesitation. These are the traits that make a person a born leader.

Responsible
Some people follow the rules because someone is watching. Other people follow the rules because it's the right thing to do. But a third class of people follow only the rules that are moral and just, and they work to change the rules that are not. This third group of people are the ones who stand above the majority of society with their ability to recognize injustice within communities and government that have become socially acceptable even though they are wrong. A person's ability to recognize injustice and immorality despite the general consensus of the day makes them truly responsible.

Courage
True courage is often difficult to spot. Most often it requires that a person is tested in battle. In those critical moments of life and death, this is when that trait either shines, or it becomes apparent that it never existed in the first place. Many soldiers will report that courage shows up in people who they never would have expected. While other people who they would have thought would be the most courageous, become whimpering fools under fire. It is for this reason that so many former military men became president in their later years. Once a person has been tested on the battlefield, there is no question whether or not they have the critical trait of courage that makes for such a great leader and President.

Merciful and Wise
While a good leader must be brave and courageous, a much more critical trait of a true leader is mercy and wisdom. This mercy should be reflected in an individual's ability to see the humanity in every human being, regardless of race, creed, or nationality. And the wisdom is reflected in understanding the deeper cause of hatred and fear, and knowing the course of action that serves the greater good, even if it is not the best solution in the short term. Ultimately, when a leader has this kind of wisdom, the outcome of his or her decisions are always for the best, and the nation with such a leader will greatly prosper.

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Excuse Letters for School

Today there is a new phenomenon that is going around and becoming quite popular with students and employees of businesses- the ability to download fake doctors notes. For example the excuses to miss school and excuse letters for school .

These excuse letters for school are being very commonly used today and these doctors notes printable allow people to get out of a variety of different events. However, if you decide to download fake doctors notes for excuse letters for school or work, it is important that you get a good one that won't get you in trouble. Many people are using these fake notes for a variety of reasons, including to get out of school and work, and many of them actually have legitimate reasons for using them. 

Get Out of Class With Excuse Letters For School For kids you are in college, actually paying to go to the doctor can be out of the question, since most college students are not loaded down with excess money. However, miss a class, and many teachers require that you have a note from a doctor in order to make up the work and get a decent grade. This is a difficult problem for college students to face. Many students are now deciding to download fake excuse letters for school in order to make up their work and get out of school when they are sick without actually having to go to the doctor. 

Take That Day Off Work With Doctors Notes Printable excuse letters for school excuse letters for school excuses to miss school excuse letters for school.

Of course it is not just students that are deciding to download fake doctors notes today. Many people who work are also finding that these notes are helpful as well. There are many people who work hard at their job, but when they get sick, they don't always have the money available to pay for that doctors' visit. You can get a very good excuse for missing school. So, they either have to lose pay at work, possibility get fired, or figure out a way to get an excuse from a doctor. 

It is easy to see why many of them are choosing to download fake doctors notes so that they can keep their job without having to spend a huge amount of money on a doctor or on a visit to the emergency room. Use Excuse Letters For School And Work Cautiously If you do decide to download fake doctors notes, there is something that you need to keep in mind. 

You really need to make sure that you use these notes cautiously. Of course you may get away with it a few times when you are trying to avoid going to a doctor, but you probably won't want to use them just to get a free day off work. So, make sure that you use these doctors notes printable with caution and try to use them when you really need them.

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Best Universities of France

An assessment carried out by AllAboutUni reveals that France has a relatively low density of the World's Top universities compared to other countries in the world. AllAboutUni is an independent, global and interactive websites where visitors can obtain information about universities (global rankings, student reviews, university news and campus pictures).

The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) is produced by the Institute of Higher Education at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Several indicators of academic or research performance are used to establish the ranking, these include highly cited researchers, articles indexed in major citation indices and staff winning Nobel Prizes.

The World’s Top-500 universities (2008) are mainly located in Europe (n=210; 40%), the Americas (n=190; 40%) and the Asian/Pacific region (n=100; 20%) There are 23 universities located in France, representing 11% of the European universities in the ARWU ranking.

France has a population of 64 million inhabitants and the eighth largest economy in the world and fourth third in Western Europe (in terms of Gross Domestic Product), after USA, China, Japan, India, Germany, United Kingdom and Russia.

Universities in France are predominantly public institutions. Interestingly, the best students attend the ‘Grandes Ecoles’ ['Grand Schools'] (a higher education establishment outside the mainstream framework of the public universities system). Whilst the universities are open to all students who finish their high school education (with a ‘Baccalauréat’), the ‘Grandes Ecoles’ require an additional entrance exam which is highly competitive.

In comparison to French universities, the ‘Grandes Ecoles’ are relatively small institutions. For example, the University of Paris 06 (ranked 42rd in the world) has 30,000 students and the Ecole Normale Superieure Paris (ranked 73rd in the world) has 2,000 students.

The Top-5 universities in France are: 1. University of Paris 06 (ranked 42nd in the world), 2. University of Paris 11 (49th), 3. Ecole Normale Superieure Paris (73rd), 4. University of Paris 07 (101-151) and University of Strasbourg (101-151). Overall, the ‘Grandes Ecoles’ only represent 5 of the top-23 universities in France and there is a very high representation of universities located in Paris (9 out of 23).

In order to make inter-country comparisons, AllAboutUni.com calculates the number of universities in the World’s Top-500 per million inhabitants. The overall number of universities per million inhabitants is 0.5 for industrialised countries. An earlier assessment found that small countries in Western Europe (Sweden (1.2), Finland (1.1) and Switzerland (1.0)) and New Zealand (1.2) have the highest number of universities per million inhabitants.

The number of universities in the World’s Top-500 universities that are located in France is 0.4 per million inhabitants. Other large industrialized countries have the following figures: Australia (0.7), the Netherlands (0.7), United Kingdom (0.7), Canada (0.6), United States (0.5), Germany (0.5), France (0.4), Italy (0.4), Japan (0.2), South Korea (0.2) and Spain (0.2). This means that France performance is relatively low compared to other industrialised countries.

At the top of the ARWU ranking, there are only three French universities in the World’s Top-100 universities. This compares to 54 for the US, 11 for the UK, 6 for Germany, 4 each for Canada, Japan and Sweden, and 3 for Australia and Switzerland. All other countries have fewer than 3 universities in the World’s Top-100 universities.

In conclusion, France performs poorly when its universities are compared to other industrialised countries in the world. Its best university is only ranked 42nd in the world and there are only three universities in the World’s Top-100 universities. Looking at the density of top universities per million inhabitants also reveals a poor performance compared to other industrialised countries.

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10 Things to Include in your Personal Statement - Undergraduate, Graduate & Beyond

Whether you are applying to enter undergraduate school, graduate school, or applying for a job, you may be asked to include a personal statement with your application. A personal statement is a supplement to your application that allows you to elaborate on your skills, experience, etc. Some personal statements ask you to respond to a very specific question, while other personal statements may ask a general question, which gives you a little more leeway on what should be included.

Writing your personal statement is your opportunity to shine. It is your opportunity to describe yourself, list the reasons you are interested in becoming part of the institution you are applying for, and the goals that you have set for yourself to achieve. The personal statement is also your platform for elaborating on the abilities that you possess that are not reflected in the standard form questions that you complete on an application. Finally, by completing your personal statement, you are showing the review board that you have the ability to organize your thoughts and that you can write clearly and effectively.

10 Things you should include in a personal statement:

1. List and thoroughly explain your personal experiences and qualifications. Be as specific as possible. Your experiences may be related to school, extracurricular activities, community service, or work experience.

2. Explain what makes you special, unique or impressive. Set yourself apart from your competition. Explain why you should be chosen over the other applicants that are volleying for your position in the institution.

3. List and fully explain the specific reasons that you are interested in attending this institution. It may be that they offer a course of study that no other institution does. It may be that they have the top medical school in the country and you want to me the top brain surgeon in the country. Also include how you came to know of the institution and/or field of study that you are interested in pursuing.

4. Explain and describe any work experience that you may have as it applies to your interest in your course of study. Relevant work experience may be what sparked your interest in pursuing this line of study or the line of work that you would eventually like to take on as a career. For example, maybe you volunteered in a battered women's shelter and this has sparked your interest in becoming a social worker. You feel that studying social work will prepare you for a career in social work, which will allow you to help try and change or better certain aspects of society.

5. Describe your career goals. Be as specific as possible. For example, don't just say that you want to be a doctor, when what you really want to be is a pediatric researcher. Explain the rationale behind you choosing to set these career goals for yourself. Maybe what sparked your goal was that your baby cousin died of a rare disease and you want to be able to conduct medical research, specifically for children, to try and find new and innovative cures for certain diseases that affect kids.

6. List the skills and achievements that you have accomplished. Provide supporting evidence as to how you accomplished the achievements or why you received the awards that you have listed.

7. Describe your most prominent characteristics and attributes. Again, provide supporting evidence to show how these attributes are beneficial to your growth and to their organization.

8. Fully describe some responsibilities that have you taken on and what you learned from them.

9. Describe some difficulties in life that you managed to overcome. Describe how you were able to overcome these difficulties and what you learned from these difficult times or incidents.

10. Make sure that you have written a complete personal statement that includes a strong and attention grabbing opening paragraph. This should be followed by the main section of your personal statement, spelling out all of the details that are listed above. Finally, you should have a strong conclusion which ties the entire essay together. Also be sure to reiterate your interest on becoming part of their institution.

Remember that having to write a personal statement is your opportunity to shine like the sun. Be sure to include these 10 items to ensure that you submit a complete personal statement. And most importantly, be sure to put a positive spin on everything that is on your list to include. You are painting a picture of yourself with words and you need them to impress the reader enough to see you in the positive light that you are standing in!

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How to Write the Perfect Personal Statement for your University of Choice

"This is your chance to tell the universities and colleges you have chosen why you are applying, and why they should want you as a student." This is what the official UCAS website says about a personal statement. It also promises "In many cases, applicants are not interviewed, so this may be your only chance to make the case for your admission." The last academic year has seen a record rise in applications, despite a fee hike of £3,000. Given the emphasis laid by UCAS on the personal statement and the pivotal role it plays in granting admissions, thousands of students would be scouring the internet in search of a perfect personal statement once again as their sixth form exams get over. Many of them will not pay attention to the fact that this ‘perfect' and tailor-made statement does not exist, despite what the sites may say to lure them in. The very purpose of the personal statement is to grant a voice to the individual, and it fails if it is reduced to a matter of copy and paste.

The Ingredients
What should go into a personal statement to make it sound, sincere and set it apart from a false one? The first factor is, of course, originality. If the admission officer recognises a set pattern or can see evidence of copy-paste, the application would be rejected. So if you really want to get in there, you will have to say so, and sound like yourself. As a UCAS spokesman pointed out recently, while speaking on this issue, they are not on the look-out for brilliant students, but rather those who seem to have a genuine passion for their subject matter. This is something that varies from person to person because all of us have different ways of expressing ourselves.

The next requirement is clarity. UCAS officers are not on the look-out for Shakespeare. But they would appreciate it if the statement is purposeful, direct and written in simple, crisp English. To achieve this, the purpose should first be clear in the mind of the applicant himself, and then communication will not be a bar anymore.


There is also the matter of grammar. A student about to enter higher education is really not expected to make the kind of mistakes that a school kid would. Grammatical, syntactical and spelling errors are not digested well by admission officers anywhere.

The fourth important factor is that elusive thing known as a personal touch. It is a better idea to illustrate the statement with incidents from your life than Sir Isaac Newton's, even if you are deeply interested in studying about gravity. This is where the personal statement begins to stand out, and an honestly interested student stands apart from the rest.

After all these, comes the style. It is a fact that the officer has to read a lot of entries and probably gets bored by his job. A statement with an eye-catching style would almost unfailingly work. Short, idiomatic sentences with a bit of humour are usually a good combination. Too many quotes are not welcomed; the university prefers to hear you rather than the most famous novelist of your time or the greatest scientist.

One can read up samples from the net, and it is actually suggested, but please do not copy these - you are calling in more trouble in the hope of saving yourself the trouble of writing the statement. Anything that does not play on these lines is a bad statement and will not work out.

Specificity
Just like each person needs a separate statement, so does each subject. And in the case of certain universities, the same customisation is needed. Oxford, East England, and Glasgow are very different as universities. They have different foci, and their policies aren't the same either. It is best to design separate approaches for the top Oxbridge group, since each university has made the effort to stand apart and create its own identity.
As for subjects, needless to say, a chemistry student and a fine arts student cannot possibly sound the same. Within a specialisation, a veterinary surgeon and a student of medicine would also have separate statements. Even if you do share your friend's interests, hobbies and inspirations, it is best not to share the personal statement. A specific approach towards a subject, with a justifiable interest in specialisation, but the ability and openness to change one's decision as part of the learning process – this is a summary of what an admission officer is looking for. This part of the statement is tricky and has to be handled with a sense of balance.

A Warning
UCAS had commissioned CFL Software Development to do a survey of personal statements before the 15th October deadline in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science applications for Oxbridge universities. The findings – one-twentieth had copied from a free website and the same sample statement. Since they had blithely used the same sentences, they were easily caught. As the deadline drew nearer, the number of these copied applications increased. Most of it came as a conclusion to the statement or in the section where the candidate needs to state the reasons for taking up the subject. The warning – UCAS has decided to double the size of its fraudulent applications verification unit.

So, if you are on the look-out for that perfect personal statement, search your own mind first.

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Australia University Ranking- Comparing Top 10 Australian Universities

What are the top ten Australian Universities? There is no official government ranking of universities in Australia. However there is a number of university league tables produced every year by relevant bodies such as the Melbourne Institute, The Australian Newspaper, The Good Universities Guide, THES and Shanghai Jiao Tong University's academic ranking of world universities.

The Melbourne Institute (operated by the University of Melbourne) has produced its own ranking of the international standing of Australian universities. This ranking is based on a number of performance indicators such as international standing of staff, views of Deans and CEOs, resources, undergraduate programs, undergraduate intake and graduate programs.

According to Melbourne Institute 2007 the top ten Australian Universities (in order of ranking) are: Australian National University (ANU), University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, University of Queensland, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Monash University, University of Western Australia (UWA), University of Adelaide, Macquarie University and Queensland University of Technology. From this ranking ANU was the number one Australian university in terms of international standing and reputation, followed by Melbourne and Sydney. Is this result representative? Here we will analyze and compare it with the other two famous international league tables - THES and Academic ranking of world universities (ARWU).


Ranking Comaprison:

•-         The list of  top four universities produced by the Melbourne Institute are the same in ranking order as THES and ARWU 2007. We are confident to say that they are the Best Four - ANU, Melbourne, Sydney and Queensland.

•-         Group of Eight (Go8) Universities are among the top 8 universities as ranked by the three different league tables. These include the Best Four and the rest of the group - UNSW, Monash, UWA and Adelaide.

•-         Macquarie and QUT are among the top ten list (after Go8) in the Melbourne Institute and THES league tables.

Please visit the relevant guides for more information on the latest Australia university rankings and the world top ranking universities.

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Causes of Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution became a real break in the development of science. It influenced the development of philosophical and religious thought being the major contradiction and innovation in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and had a great influence on the life of educated people of the Western World. This article is devoted to the scientific revolution in the Western Civilization. In the paper special attention is paid to philosophical and religious thoughts in the connection to scientific thought.

The expansion of trade. Merchants undertook sea voyages and had navigational problems. These problems had to be solved and, as a result, there appeared scientific thought and research for finding possible solutions.

Medieval Universities. The philosophical talks and ancient philosophers' studies, such as Aristotle and William Ockham, aroused interest and caused the thought.

The Renaissance was a period of great cultural development in Western Europe. It started in the 14th century. Leonardo da Vinci and Plato were interested in Mathematics. Thus, people became interested in this discipline too, because of the influence of great masters.

In general, the scientific revolution had several main aspects. They are the following:
• experimental method development;
• Mathematics and nature connection;
• scientific knowledge in practice;
• scientific institutions; development.

Scientific revolution did not appear at once. It developed for some period of time. Even though scientific revolution lasted for too long, it revolutionary changed the way people were thinking. The most significant changes occurred in biology (blood circulation study), astronomy (invention of a new universe model), chemistry (discovery elements of nature) and physics (invention of laws of gravitation and motion).

Thus, occurring in the period of the religious thought and power, scientific revolution brought significant changes to Europe and the whole world. The achievement and discoveries of that period of time formed the basis for the present world and all its innovations. However, the religious thoughts did not lost its importance and influence on people remaining a necessary force in the lives of European people. The article briefly analyzes scientific revolution in the Western Civilization and its causes. Besides, the paper examines philosophical and religious thoughts in the connection to scientific thought.

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Best Medical Schools in World

Going to medical school is not an easy job. On your behalf, it requires a serious commitment and an involvement on all levels of the person, intellectual,financial and emotional. What is cost of medical education, the cost of obtaining a medical degree can be $300,000 at the most including living expenses. In fact, the average medical graduate accumulates as much as $100,000 in debt.

Medical school ranking is very important aspect for medical and health related students. In World, there are lot of medical schools which are known for world-class facilities, top-notch faculty and numerous research publications. However, there is no medical school, famous or not, who has a monopoly on providing an unbeatable medical education. Basically medical school ranking is separated into two lists.

1- best medical schools in terms of research
2-best medical school in terms of primary care

In Research category we have schools which show capacity to invest in and produce medical knowledge while primary care refers to the training of medical students regarding precisely that treating and caring of patient and primary care.

Before actually sharing the list of medical schools here it is important to mention that it is possible that some excellent medical schools may be missing in this list. You should keep in mind that it's a matter of ranking and what characteristics are used to make it. It does not mean that if a school is ranked low in this medical schools list, the doctors coming from these schools are not good and qualified.

Here are the lists of best medical schools in World and United States, for research and primary care separately.

Best 10 medical schools (primary care)
1. University of Washington
2. Oregon Health & Science University
3. University of California San Francisco
4. Mich. State U. Coll. of Osteopathic Medicine
5. University of Minnesota Duluth
6. University of California San Diego
7. University of New Mexico
8. University of Wisconsin Madison
9. University of Iowa (Roy J. & Lucille A. Carver)
10.University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Best 10 medical schools (research)
1. Harvard University
2. Johns Hopkins University
3. Washington University in St. Louis
4. Duke University
5. University of Pennsylvania
6. University of California San Francisco
7. Columbia U. College of Physicians and Surgeons
8. Stanford University
9 University of Michigan Ann Arbor
10. Yale University

The most prestigious medical school in the United States is probably the Harvard Medical School.It was founded in the eighteenth century. This school has produced Nobel Prize winners, spearheaded the development of the most modern technologies and pioneered breakthroughs in almost every aspect of medicine health and science. It is said that their acceptance rate is very low (round about 5%) and students need an average MCAT score of 11.7.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is another excellent research medical school. It was founded in 1893, it also boasts of the same honors and qualifications like Harvard medical school. Another top medical schools are Duke Medical School and Stanford University.

You can find out more about the Best Medical Schools as well as much more information on everything to do with online medical health schools and programs at http://www.healthonlinedegree.com

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Class Notes - Human Resource Management

It is the discovering of potential of applicants for actual or anticipated organizational vacancies. It actually links together those with jobs and those seeking jobs.

Flippo's definition: "It is a process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating and encouraging them to apply for jobs in an organization."

Thus the purpose of recruitment is to locate sources of manpower to meet job requirements and job specifications.

Factors affecting Recruitment:
1. The size of the organization.

2. The employment conditions in the community where the organization is located.

3. The effects of past recruiting efforts which show the organization's ability to locate and retain the good performing people.

4. Working conditions, salary and benefit packages offered by the organization.

5. Rate of growth of the organization.

6. The future expansion and production programs.

7. Cultural, economic and legal factors.

However these factors may be divided specifically as Internal and External factors.

Internal Factors:
1. Recruitment policy of the organization

2. Human resource planning strategy of the company

3. Size of the organization and number of people employed

4. Cost involved in recruiting employees

5. Growth and expansion plans of the organization

External Factors:
1. Supply and demand of specific skills in the labour market.

2. Political and legal factors like reservations of jobs for specific sections of society etc

3. The job seekers image perception of the company.

Steps of a Recruitment Process:
Personnel recruitment process involves five elements:

1. A recruitment policy

2. A recruitment organization

3. A forecast of manpower

4. The development of sources of recruitment

5. Different techniques used for utilizing these sources & a method of assessing the recruitment program

These five elements are further elaborated below:


1. Recruitment Policy: It defines the objective of the recruitment and also provides a framework for the implementation of the recruitment program. The policy should be based upon corporate goals and needs. The criteria for selection and preferences should include merit and suitability.

2. Recruitment organization: It is necessary to centralize the recruitment and selection function in a single office. This will bring about maximum efficiency and success in hiring. This centralized office is known as the Employee Office or the Recruitment Section.

3. Forecast of Manpower: This usually specifies:


a. Jobs or Operations for which the person should be available.

b. Duration of their employment.

c. Salary to be offered & terms of the employment

d. Necessary qualification and experience

4. Sources of Recruitment: There can be two kinds of sources for recruitment:


a. Internal – This includes personnel already on the payroll of an organization. Whenever there is a vacancy, somebody within the organization fills in or is upgraded.

b. External – These sources lie outside the organization.

5. Methods of Recruitment: The possible recruiting methods can be divided into three categories:

a. Direct – In this method, recruiters visit colleges and technical schools, e.g. Infosys, the Tata Group, Accenture, IBM, Siemens and several other companies maintain continuous relationship with institutions to hire students for responsible positions.

b. Indirect – This involves advertising in newspaper, radio, T.V., journals etc. Advertising can be very effective if its media is properly chosen.

c. Third Party methods – This include use of commercial or private employment agencies, placement officials of schools, recruitment firms etc. Friends and relatives of present employees are also a good source from which employees may be drawn as part of the "Buddy Referral" programs.

Thus broadly the Personnel Recruitment Process can be mapped in a Flowchart as below:
Personnel/Human Resource Planning -> Locating needed Personnel -> Selecting Qualified Personnel -> Placing New Employees on the Job

Selection Procedure
The Main Objective of a selection procedure is to determine whether an applicant meets the qualification for a specific job, and then to choose the applicant who is most likely to perform well in that job.

The entire process of selection begins with an initial screening interview and concludes with a final employment decision. When a selection policy is formulated, organizational requirement like technical and professional dimensions are kept in mind.

Steps in selection procedure:
1. Reception of applications or preliminary screening
2. Application bank that gives a detail about the applicant's background and life history
3. A well conducted interview to explore the applicant's background
4. The physical examination
5. Psychological testing that gives an objective look at a candidates suitability for that job
6. A reference check
7. Final Selection approved by the manager
8. Communication of the decision to the candidate.

Therefore the Selection Process can be pictorially represented in a flowchart as below:

Establishing Selection Process -> Identifying & choosing selection criteria -> Gathering information about potential employees -> Evaluating information for assessing applicant -> Making decision to select or reject -> Communicating decision

Thus the selection process should be planned such that human resource is efficiently used. The right person for the right job and inducting her/him into the organization or department successfully is the basic criteria of the entire process.

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Obama Offers Scholarships And Grants For Mothers To Go Back To School

Money seems to be the main reason that mothers can't return back to school. If you are in that situation, rest assured that you are not alone. Many moms today find themselves in those same circumstances today.

However, it doesn't have to be an impossible dream. In fact, under the changes made through the Obama administration, there are better grants and scholarships available for moms. Returning to school can be a very realistic goal for mothers.

Mothers of all types - single moms, working moms, handicapped moms, online moms, busy moms - can take advantage of these new opportunities. The United States government is doing everything it can right now to help these moms return to school and get the college degree they want and need.

There are many things to consider about going back to school. First of all, a scholarships and grants do not need to be repaid. This is money that is given to you specifically for your education. Also, this money does not just have to go for tuition. It can be used for other expenses related to your education. The Pell grant amount has also been increased to $5,500 which gives moms even more money for their educational needs. Also, this can all be done through online classes, allowing moms to stay home, take care of their children and get their degrees!

The Obama plan makes everyone a winner by giving moms the opportunity to get more education, thus get better jobs, which will enable them to pay their bills and also have the self-esteem to pursue the career choices they have always wanted.

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College Admission Essay Format

College admission essay format is a design to make your essay appear impressive and professional. There are some guidelines that have been set by academic authorities to make your essay have an ideal presentation. These guidelines must be followed because they will be evaluated as part of the paper.

Formatting an admission paper begins with a good header. Your admission paper will require a title page. The titled page should contain on separated lines, centered and double spaced, the title of the paper and the writer's name. The instructor's name and the course name are left out since this is not a work for class presentation. Most admission papers are not necessary to be started using outlines. But if you use an outline to commence the paper, the outline should be typed on the centre of the page one inch from the top and double-space the outline to fit the first line of the text. Take note that the outline should appear in short sentence form rather than in the shorter topic form. It is a skeleton of the admission paper.

Number all pages of your paper. If you use the MLA format, number all pages after the title page in the upper right hand corner, half an inch from the top. The outline pages should be number with small Roman numerals. Number the text pages with Arabic in the upper right hand corner. Begin the text one inch from the top and leave one inch margin at the bottom and sides of the paper.

You will normally be given word or page limits. Respect these limits even if you think you have something very important to write about. If you go beyond these limits, the rest of the work will be discarded.

If you are not given a particular font style, use the clear formatting. This will require a twelve point font size using times new roman.

The paper must have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. There will be so many admission essays to be viewed by instructors and if your paper fails to meet these standards, they will be nervous and may end up giving poor grades or even shoving your paper aside. Nothing should be taken with delight because there is no room for making corrections. The only available correction is that you will not be admitted into that particular college.

The requirement of typing out your paper should not be repeated. Almost all admission essays are typed out. This will allow for an easy reading of your essay. Most teachers are so obsessed about the handwritings of students. Anything boring or not visible will receive little or no attention. Take note that at times, you may even find it difficult to read what you have written.

College admission essay format has a lot of ins and outs to cater for. In researching and writing this paper, you will not only draw inspirations from library research techniques, but also ask from your teachers or get help from parents. There are different styles such as the MLA, APA, and CBE etc. It is of the student's interest to have an insight into all these styles of writing and know what path his or her curriculum takes.

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Creating a Multicultural Classroom Environment

Culture refers to the "traditions, rituals, beliefs, and values that are shared amongst a group of people."  Each person is a part of at least one culture.  Some families participate in several cultures.


Multiculturalism refers to the "sharing of many cultures."


The first goal of a multicultural program is to assist children with recognizing differences, as well as similarities, among all people.  Allowing children to explore varying cultures creates opportunities for them to see that even when people have different customs and traditions, they often share some common traits, too.


Children learn that people can be different and unique, yet still have much in common.  Such realizations help young children learn to accept differences and aid in eliminating prejudice and racism.  These realizations assist children with accepting and respecting people from all cultures and backgrounds.


The second goal of a multicultural program is to encourage cooperative social skills.  As children learn to accept differences and similarities among people, they can work and get along with others better.  They begin to see other's viewpoints and individuality. The multicultural classroom assists children from minority cultures in developing cooperation and social skills in a setting that may be unfamiliar to them.  Their self-esteem is boosted as they are recognized and accepted for their individuality. They feel good about themselves as other children recognize the worth of their traditions and customs.  The early childhood program that is culturally sensitive will build the self-confidence of its children by integrating the cultures of all the children into learning experiences.


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The first ingredient for a successful multicultural program is the classroom teacher's knowledge of diverse cultures.  Take time to learn the backgrounds of your students, as well as the populations represented in your geographic area. Educate yourself on their beliefs, values, foods, and customs.  Share those with children as you incorporate them into learning experiences. Encourage children to ask questions that help them understand more about others who have a different background from their own.


Learn the traditions of each child in your classroom.  What holidays do they celebrate?  How do they celebrate birthdays?  How are they parented?  What are their favorite foods and family traditions?


The second ingredient a preschool teacher must have to successfully implement a culturally diverse classroom environment is an attitude of acceptance and respect for other cultures.  It requires an open mind that accepts and respects differences.  Children model what they see, so the teacher's inclusion and acceptance of different ideas, customs, and traditions helps them learn to accept and respect.


Helping children to compare, contrast, and learn about other cultures without making judgments about them requires this attitude of acceptance and respect. As teachers lead children to respect others who are different, they will begin to appreciate individuality.  As children grow and mature with these attitudes, they will have social skills that not only accept, but also applaud individuality.


The third critical ingredient for a teacher's success in implementing a culturally diverse classroom is the ability to add a multicultural perspective into curriculum planning and classroom management skills.  This requires careful consideration of children's cultures and traditions, and
necessitates planning to help other children experience them in learning centers and activities.


How does your program "measure up" as a multicultural environment?  Do you have multicultural materials?  Is diversity accepted and applauded?  Is the community well represented? Having children of differing cultures in the class can offer firsthand experiences and insight.  The customs and traditions of their cultures should definitely be represented in the learning environment.


Remember that providing the children with a multicultural program helps boost self-esteem and teaches them about acceptance and diversity.  A multicultural program will help children understand and work well with others as they grow and mature.


Learn more about creating a multicultural classroom. Visit ChildCare Education Institute to discover over 100 online child care training courses that meet the continuing education requirements of the child care industry.  Register for a sample course and try online learning today!

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What is the Importance of Essay in the Educational Life?

Students are required to write essay on any subject by their schools and colleges. Talking about the significance of essay we can say that it is a device for the assessment of student’s research and writing skills, his/her critical approach along with word limit management.


Essay is said to be very important in a student’s educational life because essay is the first and the foremost kind of writing that students are needed to write by their schools. Or we can say that essay is the first step to enter into the world of writing. This is the reason why essay has a central and the loftiest position which no body can deny. Though essay writing is not very easy and simple; it needs practice and the students have to learn essay writing rules and about the collection of material. A student must have a critical and analytical mind that is keen to research on any specified essay topic.


Schooling is the first step of a person’s educational life; similarly essay help is the key to open the ways of success in educational career. essays are needed by the teachers to test student’s writing and searching skills which reflects their critical and analytical thinking. There are so many types of essay; it can be admission essay, an argumentative essay, critical essay and so on. Pre-schools essays are not very demanding but secondary school students must learn about the format of essay and how to comment on or evaluate any specific topic. The essay is not only judged apparently on its structure but it is evaluated throughout its language, writing style and compliance to the topic.


What is the importance of custom essay in the educational life?
Custom Essay is a written piece of work which talks about any specific topic. Irrespective of word limit an essay can be written on any topic whether it is related to science, arts or any other subject. Students are required to write essay on any subject by their schools and colleges. Talking about the significance of essay we can say that it is a device for the assessment of student’s research and writing skills, his/her critical approach along with word limit management.


Essay is said to be very important in a student’s educational life because essay is the first and the foremost kind of writing that students are needed to write by their schools. Or we can say that essay is the first step to enter into the world of writing. This is the reason why essay has a central and the loftiest position which no body can deny. Though essay writing is not very easy and simple; it needs practice and the students have to learn essay writing rules and about the collection of material. A student must have a critical and analytical mind that is keen to research on any specified essay topic.


Schooling is the first step of a person’s educational life; similarly essay is the key to open the ways of success in educational career. essrays are needed by the teachers to test student’s writing and searching skills which reflects their critical and analytical thinking. There are so many types of essay; it can be admission essay, an argumentative essay, critical essay and so on. Pre-schools essays are not very demanding but secondary school students must learn about the format of essay and how to comment on or evaluate any specific topic. The essay is not only judged apparently on its structure but it is evaluated throughout its language, writing style and compliance to the topic.

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Handwriting Practice and Pencil Grips

A Good pencil grip is one of the first steps to developing good handwriting skills. As a parent you can help you child to develop good pencil grip. Correct pencil grip will allow your child to write quickly and smoothly, while a tight or incorrect grip can hinder writing.


The Tripod Pencil Grasp: This pencil grip is the one that is most recommended by schools. The pencil should be positioned so that there is equal pressure between the thumb, the side of the middle finger and the tip of the index finger. All fingers are bent slightly.When a pencil is held correctly, the thumb and forefinger form an oval when a child holds the pencil. Tension in the hand or fingers indicates weak fine motor skills. 


You can improve your child's fine motor skills through various writing activities or through other fun activities which involve movement of fingers (like playing with play dough).


"We all know alphabets, so why not we just write the alphabets on a sheet of paper and get our children to practice their handwriting?"




 If you are thinking like that then you are not alone. However I am sorry to say that it is the wrong approach. We need to practice the alphabets as per the method approved by the education board. 


Good handwriting worksheets have numbers and arrows on each alphabet. Good handwriting worksheets have to take a step by step approach. ‘1? is where you start from - so the child starts at ‘1? and goes along the direction of the arrow. And then the child goes to ‘2? and moves along the direction of the arrow next to ‘2?. And then finally the child goes to ‘3? and moves along the direction of the arrow next to ‘3?


One of the other benefits of getting children to practice their handwriting on formal handwriting sheets is that the letters are in between the lines. This way you are teaching them about proportion of the lines. Practice is the best way to improve a child's writing.


Fine Motor Skills is the ability to control small precise movements with the fingers, wrists and hands. Its important to practice the fine motor skills for young children. These skills play an important role in a child's handwriting.


Good posture is important and plays a key role in handwriting skills. Bad posture creates stress on young spines. A lowered chin means your neck muscles are carrying the weight and the strain will flow right down the neck and down the back. So don't let your kids slouch.


We have all heard ‘handwriting analysis' before. ‘Graphology' is the analysis of handwriting particularly in relation human mind. People who have the skills to analyze handwriting determine a person's character by analyzing their handwriting. 


Don't underestimate the importance of good handwriting skills. The best age to teach good handwriting skills to your children is between 3 and 10. However don't make it a boring ritual. Practicing handwriting is hard work and can be quite boring for kids. Try to make it a fun exercise. Don't be too hard on them and go slow.

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Your Baby Can Read Reviews: Is It Effective?

I had looked at a lot of reading programs before I came across another Your Baby Can Read review and after using the product for about a year now I thought I would write my own personal experiences with it.


My wife and I have 3 children and we really emphasize the importance of a good education.  That's why when the kids were still very young we began to work with them so they would be very well prepared for school when it came time.  A lot of people do not realize that the early years of a baby are so impressionable and that the mind can soak up all kinds of information if we just chanel that energy in the right direction.


We already knew we wanted to teach out kids to read when they were young, but we needed a program that would be best suited for out situation.  My wife is astay-at-home-mom so she would have plenty of time to work with the 3 kidos.  After seeing a TV commerical for Hooked on Phonics we gave it a try.  It was a lot of fun for us, but the kids got really bored because those sounds didn't mean anything.  They could say "d-d dog" all they wanted, but it seemed to confuse them a little.  I know some schools use this approach in kindergarden and 1st grade, but even when children are 2 and 3 you can teach them in much more effective ways.


Then we came across Your Baby Can Read and really knew it was different.  The promises they made seemed totally off the wall though.  Teach your kid to read when they are still 5 months old?  That's just crazy.  What I did not realize is that although they can't read a Charles Dickens novel at that age, they COULD learn the concepts of reading and learn to recognize words and what they mean as well.


Along with the program came some books, cue cards, DVD videos and CDs and everything was really well put together.  Then as we started using Your Baby Can Read we saw the reason this system was going to be so effective.  It was using the childs senses as a tool and making it fun for them as well.  Besides seeing the word, and hearing the word, they are able to see the word in action.  All of these factors help to solidify that word in the child's mind and help them gain confidence to read.


Right now Your Baby Can Read is offering a 30 day trial with 3 free gifts as well.  This system may not be for you, but it's worth taking a look if you are interested.  Be sure to check out my wife's review of Your Baby Can Read here.

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Preschool Learning Activities: Emotional Development & Fine Motor Skills Development in Preschoolers

Preschool learning activities vary in many different forms. If you use alittle creativity, you can come up with great preschool activities and learning activities for preschoolers and children.


Emotional Development activities for kids as well as Fine Motor Skills Development are very important areas to develop in your child. 


 Having your child cut out various shapes and objects is a great way to help develop fine motor skills.


Of course if you are going to allow your children or preschoolers to do this activity you need to ensure they are using the proper ‘child safe' scissors when doing ANY cutting in any material.  


Here is a fun preschool learning activity that you can use with your child to help develop them in these specific areas of growth. 


Keep a collection of old magazines, newspapers or flyers that are full of images of people with different expressions etc. 


Instruct the children to pick a magazine or newspaper etc. to look through and find images of people's faces showing different expressions. 


They may find pictures of happy faces, sad faces, surprised faces, angry faces, scared faces and many more. 


The child can then ‘cut out' all the faces they find using ‘child safe' scissors of course, and they can discuss each different image with the parent or teacher and discuss what they see in the person's expression. 


Another Preschool Activity Option:
You could even just have children find and cut out  a certain expression, or what ‘they' see as a certain expression.


For example, you could tell them to find any pictures of ‘happy faces' and see what they come up with, you may be surprised what they find! 


It is good to keep these images and glue them to a piece of Bristol Board or construction paper, and then to laminate it. You can then cut them all out and save them in a box or envelope!


This will make the images last for years so they may be used again and again in many different ways to teach children.  


You could even use these different faces and expressions and have children ‘GROUP' all similar expressions together in a pile.


 Another Great activity for children becoming familiar with spelling and simple reading or word recognition would be to have a few different images (4-6) out.


You could then have the names of the expressions written on a piece of paper or a label (example) Happy, Sad, Angry etc. 


You could have the child(ren) match the image to the word. This is excellent for simple reading and recognition of every day words that express emotion. 

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