Archive for July, 2010
You can take just about any college course online nowadays. This is good for people who already have jobs but would like to be able to go back to school to get a degree in something they love. One thing that a lot of people like to go back to school for is to get a degree in early childhood education. The only problem is that it can be hard to locate the best online schools to go to. There are so many online schools out there, how do you know which one offers the best early childhood education online courses? Well, this is something that we are going to talk about today. When you get done reading this, you would be able to locate a great online college that offers a great early childhood education program. You will soon find out that it is not as hard to located these schools as you may think.
First of all, the great thing about early childhood education online courses is the fact that you can take them no matter where they are located. Unlike traditional schools, where you can only attend classes that are located around you, the internet allows you to attend schools that are states away. Now, when looking online for these courses, the first thing that you are going to have to do is do an online search. This is going to come up with tons of schools that offer these classes. After it brings up a few different schools, you are going to want to look and see which schools are accredited. You can do this by opening up a few different school websites and looking for information about the school. Getting online degrees is only good if you get them from accredited online schools. Otherwise, getting a degree is going to do you no good.
Now, after you locate some accredited schools, it is time to start narrowing down the field. You are going to do this by simply looking at the different features that each school has to offer. You are also going to want to look at online reviews for each online school. See if you can find any user reviews from students that have used that online college. Find out if their early childhood education online courses were worth taking. Also find out if the students had any problems with the school overall. You can usually find this kind of information on online forums as well.
Overall, it is very easy to see why so many people are choosing to go with online colleges. Just before you choose to join an online college, it is very important that you do a little research about the school. You need to make sure that the school is accredited, and that students like using the online campus. After all, you do not want to sign up with a school that is not good or a pain to attend. That would just be a waste of money, and if you are looking for online colleges, you more than likely do not have any kind of money that you want to waste.
The National Institute of Health estimates that about one in five people have a learning disability severe enough to interfere significantly with academic accomplishments. Yet, other research estimates that only about one in four of these individuals with a learning disability receive proper treatment. Since we know that learning disabilities are usually genetic, parents may fail to seek help for the very condition that impacted them. Unfortunately, adolescents who are unaware of their learning disabilities are more likely to become involved in substance abuse, which only exacerbates their problems in school. There is a higher incidence of substance abuse in the learning disabled population than there is in the general population. No one is exactly sure of the nature of the relationship between the two, but there are logical hypotheses that are being researched.
Do drugs cause school failure or does school failure cause drug use? It would be an interesting debate, but the bottom line is the two are in some way very much connected. Yet, not everyone with learning disabilities is involved with drugs. There has to be a reason. For those who do fall victim to substance abuse, proper treatment is an important element of recovery. Durazzo et al, 2008;43(6):683-691, 2008
Oxford University Press, discovered that alcohol abusers with processing deficits were 14.2 times more likely to relapse with alcohol than alcoholics with normal processing. This presents a very compelling reason to test for such learning disabilities.
For any substance abuse program or treatment center to be truly effective the underlying issues of substance abuse must be clearly identified and re-mediated. Dual diagnosis should not only include substance abuse and psychological problems but, given the high incidence of substance abuse with learning disabilities, should also include learning problems. This, in essence, creates a triple diagnosis program. Sobriety always comes first since, as those in the addiction field often tout, “You can’t do therapy on a drug.” The cloud and fog need to go away before any serious work can be done.
As children and adolescents we spend almost half of each weekday in school and doing homework. When there are learning disabilities, including processing problems, school becomes a battleground of failure. Failure breeds low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and, often, normal peer rejection. Pain is a great motivator. Make no mistake about it. While creating other problems, drugs DO numb the pain. This is called self-medication. Then, the person has a built-in peer group with which to socialize … other drug users.
Again, while not every person with learning disabilities turns to drug use, there is enough evidence to suggest those with learning disabilities who go untreated are much more likely to become involved with substance abuse than those who are treated.
Children and adolescents with untreated learning disabilities and substance abuse issues grow up to be adults with learning disabilities and substance abuse issues. While the physiological effects of drugs on the developing body and brain are more severe, the life effects on an adult can often be much worse.
With proper standard psycho-educational assessments and such modern technologies as the DESA (Digital EEG Spectral Analysis), fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging), and SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) scans, the learning disabilities and processing problems can be clearly identified. Once identified, the individual’s treatment regimen must include the remediation of the problems if it is to have any chances of sustained success. Substance abuse and learning disabilities create psychological problems. It is a three-headed monster. When only two of the three are slain, it is still very much alive and capable of inflicting great harm. Certainly, identifying the problems early in childhood and adolescence is the ideal, but it is never too late. Adults with learning disabilities can benefit from proper diagnosis as well.
When students are getting ready to graduate from high school, they have a big decision to make about what the next step in their lives is going to be. For many people, this step involves going to a college or a university. The process of choosing the right school to fit the student’s needs and desires can often be overwhelming. This is something the schools need to keep in mind when trying to recruit these students. A great way to catch students’ attention is to give them some complimentary promotional products with the school’s logo on them. These promotional items can vary from pencils to t-shirts.
Giving prospective students free goodies is just one of the ways to persuade them to enroll in a certain college. Another way to do this is to appeal to their individual needs and desires. For example, find out what it is they are interested in now or what they want to do in the future. If they are interested in biology, give them a tour of the science labs. If they want to play tennis but do not want to be on the school team, show them the courts and maybe introduce them to other students on the intramural team.
While it is important to show potential students that the school is able to accommodate their interests, it is also important for students to see what else is available to them outside of the campus. A good way to do this would be to set them up with a current student who can act as a guide to show them where the good places to eat, shop, and just hang out are near the school. This will help prospective students to see that the college has more to offer than just its academics or athletics.
A third way to encourage students to attend a school is to show them how people have succeeded after attending their university. It can be very beneficial to have guest speakers at orientation sessions who are alumni of the school. They can speak about how their experiences at the university helped them to get where they are now. If possible, it would be even better to have prospective students meet with these alumni individually to have a chance to ask questions and gain more insight into their college experiences. This one-on-one interaction can make the student feel as if the school truly cares about them and their success and can have a huge influence on their decision to attend that school.
In conclusion, there are many different things that a university can do to recruit students to their school. Giving them low-cost university branded school supplies and apparel is a good initial move to get students interested. However, most prospective students are interested in the bigger picture and how enrolling in this college will make a difference in their future. For this reason, getting the students to see how they fit in both academically and socially into campus life is the key to persuading them to choose a school.
Now that the public is more aware of the serious side effects of Ritalin and other prescription medications for ADHD, many natural alternatives to stimulant drugs are available to ADHD sufferers. One of the most widely used natural remedies for ADHD is L-Theanine, an amino acid and analog of glutamate/glutamine that is naturally found in green tea, oolong tea, and black tea. Studies show that drinking tea with L-Theanine on a regular basis can improve attention and concentration, boost the immune system, lower blood pressure, and induce a calming effect without making you feel sluggish or drowsy.
How does L-Theanine work? Within thirty minutes of entering the digestive system, L-Theanine uses its molecular resemblance to glutamine to ride on the body’s amino-acid transporter, which carries it across the intestine and the blood-brain barrier. As soon as L-Theanine enters the central nervous system, it uses its glutamate functions to bind itself to different glutamate receptors on nerve cells. When this happens, the cell gets excited into greater activity, which increases the production of neurotransmitters and makes the brain more alert and functional. At the same time, it prevents the brain from getting too overworked, which makes it an excellent natural treatment for ADHD. L-Theanine triggers the release of gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter that counterbalances the hyperactive effects of glutamate. Its ability to release GABA is also related to the increase of norepinephrine and dopamine production in the brain, which is why L-Theanine has the potential to replace Ritalin and ADHD medications.
Additionally, L-Theanine regulates the production of serotonin and dopamine. Most children who suffer from depression have low levels of serotonin, whereas children with anxiety have high levels of serotonin. L-Theanine’s ability to balance out these neurotransmitters stimulates the production of alpha waves, which induces a state of mental alertness and deep relaxation similar to what is experienced during meditation.
Although green tea and oolong tea are natural sources of L-Theanine, the substance only constitutes 1-2% of the tea leaves’ dry weight. In order to receive the benefits of L-Theanine, you’d have to drink around fifty cups of tea! Fortunately, advances in technology have paved the way for an affordable means to produce L-Theanine. The best way to obtain L-Theanine is through capsules or powdered food supplements. The recommended daily dosage for children is 50 mg, while adults can take as much as 100 mg but not more than 1,200 mg. Since L-Theanine has a very mild taste, capsules can be broken and mixed with a glass of water or juice.
Most of the information we know about L-Theanine comes from Japan, where green tea is a staple drink and L-Theanine is considered to be a fifth flavor. Although experts still need to explore the effects of L-Theanine on children with ADHD, the evidence so far looks promising, especially when L-Theanine is used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Consult a doctor, chiropractor, or naturopath before giving L-Theanine to your child, and ask about other natural treatments for ADHD.