How to Explain Santa Claus to Small Children Without Lying

 Santa Claus is considered a myth or fairy tale made up by adults to keep their children in line. The idea that Santa Claus can see them and know whether they are good or bad, help parents enforce good behavior especially around the Christmas season. Explaining Santa Claus to a child is easy if you know what to tell them.

Little schoolgirl signs the songs so her deaf parents can understand the lyrics

 Rania Chiourea

The cutest carol concert ever: Little schoolgirl SIGNS as kindergarten class sings so her deaf parents can enjoy the show too!

What an awesome message to send the world this Christmas! No matter what language we speak, it is possible to communicate with each other IF we listen closely enough and with an open heart.

Fathers and Children at Christmas

By Michael Ray King

 

Every year you hear it: Someone says "I can't believe they are putting up Christmas trees already." You look around and you know it's too early. But is it? What if you purchased your Christmas gifts BEFORE Halloween? What if you wrapped them, tucked them away in the closet, and focused yourself and your children on what Christmas is supposed to mean rather than all the greed-mongering that goes on these days? What an opportunity!

Bacterium Reverses Autism-Like Behavior in Mice

Findings support idea that gut micro biome has a role

By Sara Reardon and Nature magazine

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Doses of a human gut microbe helped to reverse behavioral problems in mice with autism-like symptoms, researchers report today in Cell. The treatment also reduced gastrointestinal problems in the animals that were similar to those that often accompany autism in humans.

The work builds on previous research by Paul Patterson, a neurobiologist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena. In 2012, he and his team created mice with autism-like symptoms by injecting a chemical that mimics viral infection into pregnant mice; those animals then bore offspring that were less sociable and more anxious than wild-type animals. The autistic mice also had 'leaky guts', in which the walls of the intestine break down and allow substances to leak through. Several studies have found that humans with autism are also more likely to have gastrointestinal disorders, suggesting that the two problems may be linked.

"DON'T LIMIT ME!"- Powerful message from Megan with Down Syndrome

All we can say is WOW!! You HAVE TO WATCH Megan Bomgaars, a Denver youth with Down Syndrome whose forceful message of "DON'T LIMIT ME!" is a rallying cry for EVERYONE!

Megan's message of "Don't Limit Me!" applies not only to those with Down's Syndrome, and not only to students with challenges, but to all kids and all adults.

About Children with Down Syndrome

 Kids with Down syndrome may look different, but they want to be treated the same way all kids want to be treated — with respect, fairness, and friendship.

How An Abusive Father Ruined His Son’s Life. And What His Daughter Did About It.

Quinten 7 years old

October 19, 2013

This is a heartbreaking story that shows the love of siblings for each other in spite of having the same abusive father. Their journey, what happened along the way, and the outcome are all unforgettable. This is worth the entire read.

This is the story in her words.

Nine years ago, I met my biological father, and I found out that I had two little brothers. Three days after meeting them, our father asked if they could come live with me, while he worked overseas. This was our first night together. They were 6 and 7 years old at the time. I was 19. Because of the fact that I only met them 3 days before, I became responsible for them- the love I have for them is less like a sister, and more like a parent.

Teaching Children Social Skills

There are certain kids that lack proper social skills due to certain learning disabilities. This can cause them to become frustrated very easily and act out. Special education teachers often have a difficult time communicating with them and teaching them new skills because of this. Children who lack these skills often have a difficult time making and keeping friends, following specific instructions, expressing their feelings through words, and controlling their anger. By teaching children social skills early on, these children can learn how to properly communicate with others.

Helpful tips to improve your kid’s memory

Memorizing is one of the hardest tasks of students. It’s very hard to memorize terms and their definitions. Remembering is a challenging part of studying and learning. It’s one way of enhancing the brain. If your child finds difficulty in remembering important data or information, your child needs your help. Improve your kid’s memory with the following tips.

How parents love

 By Jenny Voelker

My mom is turning 80 this year. And 40, years after she raised four children of her own, she is rethinking how to be a good parent.

“Most important thing is to love him,” she says. The “him” being my son, her youngest grandson. “Hug him a lot. Tell him he’s great. Never, ever compare him to his younger sister. Encourage him all the time.”

“But mom,” I say, hesitating slightly and then deciding to press on. “You’re telling me to do the opposite of what you did with me.”

“True,” she admits softly. I am surprised. Rarely if ever has mom admitted any kind of fault or change of heart. “But in thinking about it more, that is how you love a child.”

The Child Behavior Difficulties You Have to Know About

There are various types of child behavior issues that you may need to know about. These might cause a household plenty of difficulties unless they're addressed and understood by all family members. 

You'll first want to know the reasons why your child seems to have behaviour problems and what exactly the reasons for those issues are. 

This will help you have the ability to better determine how you can get these behaviour problems under control. You should also realise that you are not the only person going through this; many fathers and mothers have small children that have behaviour difficulties as well.

Autism Prevalence Is Now At 1 In 50 Children

 By Emily Willingham

  

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released new figures for autism prevalence in the United States. They now give a prevalence of 1 in 50, but this story, like most autism-related stories, goes deeper than the numbers.

First, this prevalence estimate doesn’t focus only on 8-year-olds, the population used for deriving the 1 in 88 number reported in 2012. Instead, it encompasses the number of diagnosed autistic people walking around in 2011 and 2012 who were ages 6 to 17. The 2007 percentage of the population fitting that description was 1.16%. These new numbers put that value for 2011-2012 at 2%.

Autisme and Food Issues

By Jennifer Lingle

Parents often tell me that their children with Autism have food issues. They say that their children are sensitive to certain foods, and can be very picky eaters. This article addresses three reasons why children with Autism can be picky eaters, followed by suggestions on how to help your child to eat better. Of course, some children with food issues may have sensory processing challenges, so please keep that in mind as you read on.

Changing Education Paradigms

Education is really important and should be prioritized. It will always lead every people for a better future. We need to totally rethink how we see learning.

It seems that the purpose of education in the modern social environment is not to "educate" people but instead to condition them to support and perpetuate the current system, that which is detrimental to the lives of all on the planet.

It seems also that the only way to change education drastically to encompase the methods discussed here would be to deal with the rout causes, the social system we currently live in. A myriad of influences can play a part in a student's attitude to learning not just teachers. Each country should have its own strategy of Education according to its own charactristics.

Teaching Children About Self-Esteem Using the Simile of a “Self-Esteem Bank Account”

Stephen R. Covey, author of the best-seller "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People", writes in his emotional bank account. The idea is that you have one emotional bank account with each other person with whom you have a relationship and the level of trust within a specific relationship depends on the balance of the bank account.

If you have made many withdrawals, for example, by making mean comments, ignoring the person or hurting the person in some other way, the balance of your account will be very low or even overdrawn. In such a case the level of trust in the relationship will be low or very low.

Tics and School Children

Occasional tics found in one quarter of school children are not linked with behavioural problems

 

  Background:

Tics are repeated involuntary muscular movements, affecting either limb muscles, facial muscles (e.g. grimacing or eyelid flicking) or vocal muscles (grunting or saying words). While the classic multiple tic disorder, Tourette syndrome, is not common, some suggest that between five and 20% of all schoolchildren will have a simple or complex tic at some time during childhood (although most disappear).

Teach children to have self-control

Discipline is a stern-sounding word; it smacks of the military, of the submission of one's will to that of another person. To parents of an earlier generation, the word was synonymous with punishment. These strict authoritarians, concerned with securing unquestioning obedience, felt they would spoil their children if they paid them too much attention or showed them excessive affection.

Today we know that warmth and love are necessary if children are to have full lives, and a better definition for discipline is learning how to behave. Our long-range aim is to teach our children to discipline themselves, to have self-control rather than to be blindly obedient to laws laid down by those who are bigger and stronger than they.

How to Discipline a Child - Learning how to behave

 By Michael Meyerhoff

  Discipline is a stern-sounding word; it smacks of the military, of the submission of one's will to that of another person. To parents of an earlier generation, the word was synonymous with punishment. These strict authoritarians, concerned with securing unquestioning obedience, felt they would spoil their children if they paid them too much attention or showed them excessive affection.

Today we know that warmth and love are necessary if children are to have full lives, and a better definition for discipline is learning how to behave. Our long-range aim is to teach our children to discipline themselves, to have self-control rather than to be blindly obedient to laws laid down by those who are bigger and stronger than they.

World Sight Day 10 October 2013

 by Dr Rania Chiourea

World Sight Day is celebrated annually on the second Thursday of the month of October, in a bid to focus global attention on blindness, vision impairment and rehabilitation of visually impaired people.  This year falls on 10 October 2013. The theme for World Sight Day 2013 is: "Universal Eye Health".

‘World Sight Day’ as the name suggests, is a day that is dedicated to:

• Awareness is created about blindness and vision impairment issues which are considered to be international public health concerns.
• To motivate health ministers and other government officials to understand the problems and take keen interest in listing viable solutions and allocating resources to fight for the cause.
• To raise awareness and educate people about issues related to vision impairment, the importance of a 2020 vision, the corrective steps to be taken in order to restore partially lost sight etc.

Figure drawings are assessed with regard to self-image

Definition 

Figure drawings are projective diagnostic techniques in which an individual is instructed to draw a person, an object, or a situation so that cognitive, interpersonal, or psychological functioning can be assessed.

Purpose 

A projective test is one in which a test taker responds to or provides ambiguous, abstract, or unstructured stimuli, often in the form of pictures or drawings. While other projective tests, such as the Rorschach Technique and Thematic Apperception Test, ask the test taker to interpret existing pictures, figure drawing tests require the test taker to create the pictures themselves. In most cases, figure drawing tests are given to children. This is because it is a simple, manageable task that children can relate to and enjoy.

Does My Child Have ADHD?

Does your child have trouble paying attention? Does he or she talk nonstop or have trouble staying still? Does your child have a hard time controlling his or her behavior?

For some children, these may be symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

When preschoolers have trouble staying still or paying attention, a combination of parent, teacher and clinician observations helps most in predicting the child's risk of having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at a later age.

More than two legal parents can a child have in California

 The bill — similar to one the governor vetoed last year — had been opposed as an attack on traditional family; proponents argued that the changing family structure needs to be addressed.

A new California law will allow family courts to find, on rare occasions, that a child has more than two legal parents.

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Friday that will allow children in California to have more than two legal parents, a measure opposed by some conservative groups as an attack on the traditional family.

Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) said he authored the measure to address the changes in family structure in California, including situations in which same-sex couples have a child with an opposite-sex biological parent.

The law will allow the courts to recognize three or more legal parents so that custody and financial responsibility can be shared by all those involved in raising a child, Leno said.

Appreciate your teachers' efforts on World Teachers' Day 2013!!!

 Teachers are the provider of education which is one of the basic rights of our children. And despite facing various obstacles that test their creativity and patience, they steadfastly stand by their commitment to give their mentoring best. 

October 5 is  World Teachers' Day, a special day for the appreciation of educators for their heroic role. Is a day to honor our teachers who play a critical role in guiding children and in providing them lifelong learning and hence help in building a better and developed society.

Five Tips For Encouraging Creativity In Children

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources".

Albert Einstein

It's a common dream, shared by parents across the globe: To watch their child become the next Mozart, Shakespeare, Da Vinci, Picasso, or Proust. But what exactly does it take to shape a child prodigy? And just as importantly: Is it even our job?

Both questions are worth exploring. In fact experts encourage all parents, wherever they stand on the matter, to take up similar questions — even revisiting them, frequently if need be, to address the evolving needs of their child's development.

Creativity in Young Children

"Creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea. Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone. Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting". Edward de Bono Creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea. Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone. Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting. Edward de Bono Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/creativity.html#CVWEpq4EGBJSuFYS.99 Creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea. Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone. Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting. Edward de Bono Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/creativity.html#CVWEpq4EGBJSuFYS.99 Creativity is a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing. Creativity gives hope that there can be a worthwhile idea. Creativity gives the possibility of some sort of achievement to everyone. Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting. Edward de Bono Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/creativity.html#CVWEpq4EGBJSuFYS.99  The precursors of adult creativity are clearly evident in young children. This digest explores factors that affect creativity in children and techniques for fostering this quality. The need to study creativity, and the definition of creativity within a developmental framework, are also discussed.

Blind students can be mobilized in time for school work and are able to perform at the level of their sighted peers

by Rania Chiourea, PhD

Teacher for the Blind

School Counselor/Inspector

The findings of a study change the regard for the blind, for the nature of their difficulties and for their learning possibilities. This study demonstrates that failure during basic learning at school results mainly from inadequate teaching methods, rather than the deficits of blind. It also shows that through appropriate teaching most blind students can be mobilized in time for school work and are able to perform at the level of their sighted peer.  

Vision problems: Causes, Care, Prevention

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Alternative Names

Vision impairment; Impaired vision; Blurred vision

 There are many types of eye problems and vision disturbances, such as:

• Halos
• Blurred vision (the loss of sharpness of vision and the inability to see fine details)
• Blind spots or scotomas (dark "holes" in the vision in which nothing can be seen)
• Vision loss and blindness are the most severe vision problems.

Using "Six Thinking Hats" in Classroom

You can use the Six Thinking Hats in almost any problem solving activity that you might encounter in the classroom (or in life in general!) Here is an example of a problem solving exercise that I went through with my students two years ago. It’s a problem that many teachers will be able to relate to. What I've written below actually came out of the Six Hats problem solving process.

• The Problem we examined was: 

Students Talking While Others Are Talking or Teaching

VIDEO: "Six Thinking Hats" Classroom Activity

This video shows an example of Edward deBono's technique of Six Thinking Hats  used in a classroom context with children in years 1 and 2.

This theory encourages creative, lateral thinking. 

The video provides an example of the theory in action and is intended for teachers with prior knowledge on the theory. ( Portions of the video could also be shown to students preparing to use the strategy.) ( 14:34)

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