Archive for November, 2011

Understanding Licensed Practical Nurse Training

November 23rd, 2011

If you are interested in carving out a career that is meaningful and can affect other people’s lives then licensed practical nurse training is the path to take. This position is essential in the medical field and there is daily contact with those who are in need of nursing care. This is a profession that not only affects others but yourself as well. The satisfaction of knowing that you are appreciated, in all that you do, brings a satisfaction that is difficult to obtain in other positions.

Other advantage to this kind of a career is knowing that no matter where you go, in the world, you are recognized as a professional person who is in great demand. People with these credentials are having different titles but perform the same work. They are LVN (Licensed Vocational Nurse) in some states, RPNs (Registered Practical Nurse) in Canada and SENS (State Enrolled Nurses) in the United Kingdom. Regardless of the name, the educational requirements are the same.

In order to enroll in a practical nurse training program you will need to have a high school diploma or a GED. The majority of programs also require an entrance exam and a background check. You can expect to complete approximately 70 hours of textbook and clinical work.

Education for this position is offered in Junior/Community Colleges, Colleges and Universities, and Special Technical Schools. Many of these schools have online classes, which makes it an excellent way for a person to study for this special career while engaged in other employment, not able to travel or not be located near the school classrooms. When considering such a school it is always important to be sure they are accredited, which can be checked at the State’s Department of Health online.

Textbook classes will include such things as pharmacology, anatomy, practical nursing skills, obstetrics and others related to the work you will be doing. The on-hands clinical training, for online classes, is usually arranged with a nearby facility so there is not a long distance to travel for this part of the training. This is all explained at the time of enrollment.

Since the work involves patients and other members of the medical staff it is essential that you are able to work with others as a team. Dealing with patients who are upset at being ill or others who might not be in a good mood is to be expected from time to time. By retaining a professional, compassionate attitude, at all times, this will be easy to handle.

Upon graduation from the program, it will be necessary to complete an NCLEX-PN examination in order to be licensed. This examination will test your knowledge in all areas of nursing care. There is a great demand for those who have completed licensed practical nurse training and the demand is expected to increase as the population ages.

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Early Recognition of Learning Difficulties – The Key Component

November 22nd, 2011

Babies grow at an incredible rate. Parents watch in amazement as their beautiful infant baby suddenly becomes a toddler, then a pre-schooler, and so on. Suddenly the one little develops from the point of needing consistent attention for satisfaction of their needs to the self-sufficient child who wants to do everything for him/herself. Babies and young children are different and develop their skills at varying rates. However through the study of child growth and development, there are established times in which one expects certain physical, cognitive, and behavioral developments to occur. Early identification of developmental delays is critical to the remediation of any affected area of delay.

One area of need in early identification of problem is that of literacy – the skills of reading and writing. Children begin acquiring the skills for literacy very young, well before any parent even thinks about a potential problem in their child’s ability to read and write. Emergent literacy actually begins at birth and continues through the years prior to beginning school! It is during the years of speech and language development that young brains are networking the understanding and expression of their language systems – the systems of organizing and relating ideas, thoughts, and communication needs into a multi-sensory environment. One may be surprised that the foundations of reading and writing begin so early, however the truth is that children begin making impressions of written information very young as they watch and monitor their environment.

According to the regulations for Public Law (P.L.) 101-476 which is entitled The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the definition of Learning Disability is “a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or written language, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical calculations.” The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 4.6 million people in the United States have some type of learning disability. A learning disability may manifest itself with one or more of the following diagnoses: Dyslexia, Auditory Processing Disorder, Visual Processing Disorder, Dysgraphia, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Deficit (ADHD), Reading Comprehension Disorder, Alexia, or Sensory Integration Disorder (SID).

It is important to know that learning with disabilities is possible. Critical to this is identification of potential learning difficulties at an early stage in the development process. Attacking deficits early can aid significantly to the child’s ability to establish the foundations needed for reading and writing. If a child begins school without these baseline functions, the abilities to keep with the learning requirements over time will be difficult for the child. Some of the early warning signs of possible learning problems recorded in the literature are as follows:

- Late talkers based on developmental scales and limited vocabulary knowledge and expression.
- Delayed in motor developments such as walking, standing, pulling up, or holding/manipulating objects.
- Lack of interest in books and in nursery rhymes or understanding rhyming words.
- Difficulty in remembering names of letters and relating them to their sounds.
- Problems in saying the alphabet or counting.
- Inability to understand simple directions and remember routines.
- Difficulty in paying attention and being easily distracted.
- Comprehension problems for basic language information.

Learning is like constructing a building: in order for the building to have strength and stability, a firm foundation must first be laid. Without this foundation, the building will not support continued upward growth. As a Speech/Language Pathologist of many years and one who specializes in processing and learning disorders, I understand the frustrations parents have when their children are identified with learning disabilities or problems after attending school for two, three, or more years. Every school grade is a building process of learning and without a firm foundation, children cannot comprehend and learn more advanced material content. For children identified late, filling in the gap becomes extremely difficult or sometimes impossible. The answer to this problem is helping the child before they even begin pre-K for the developmental foundations that are necessary to learn basic academic skills. Simple learning activities and learning strategies can be incorporated into a child’s normal, exploratory day to encourage development of neural networking patterns necessary for learning success.

In summary, success can most effectively be gained for children at risk for learning problems and disabilities by early identification of delay. Developmental and incremental physical, cognitive, and language acquisitions are foundational for learning. It is essential that the underlying root cause of a problem be uncovered and remedied for the building blocks of learning to successfully take place. With early and correct diagnosis, children dealing with the affects of learning disorders can achieve more productively and effectively in their pursuit of personal life goals and ambitions.

Lucy Gross-Barlow: As a Speech/Language Pathologist of over 26 years and having practiced in a wide variety of therapeutic settings, Lucy brings to her clients a diversity of patient care knowledge. For the past 12 years, she has specialized her practice in the area of processing disorders and remediation of learning impairments, and she has a passion in seeing her clients succeed in their communicative and learning skills. Lucy now desires to extend the knowledge she has gained in processing and learning remediation to as many children as possible to enable them to reach their full learning and communicative potential in life.

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Five Top Questions Parents Ask in Regard to Their Learning Disabled Child

November 20th, 2011

When a parent has a child who is diagnosed as learning disabled, many issues must be addressed. There are the emotional issues of how to discuss this with the child, issues regarding the child’s learning skill deficiencies, and what parents as well as their teachers can do to help the child.

One of the issues that parents must address is how to talk to their child about the subject of their learning disability. Should they use the term “disability” when talking to their child, and if so, how do they explain it to their child without demoralizing him or her. What is the best approach to take? What words should be used?

A learning disabled child is a child who innately has an average to superior IQ but with serious learning skill deficiencies. Generally he is working two to two and half years below grade level. A learning disabled child is not a child who is mentally retarded but rather one who is learning deficient. These learning deficiencies can be taught. With the right kind of instruction, a learning disabled child can improve dramatically.

Parents should understand that there are four main categories of learning skills. They are visual perception, visual memory, auditory perception and auditory memory. Once a learning disabled child develops his learning skills along with his basic reading and mathematics skills, he will be able to work well in school at his true intellectual level.

Parents should explain to the child that he has certain learning and basic skills that are not well developed. He should also be told that there are many other children who have the same problem that he has, but with the proper help, he will be able to overcome these weaknesses and develop these skills. He should be told that this problem does not mean that he is not intelligent, and that his innate ability is good. It is important for parents to encourage their child to work hard, but at the same to understand that once he has developed his skills, he will be able to learn much more easily. The child needs to understand that this will not happen overnight, that it will take time. However, he also needs to understand that with the right kind of help and his hard work, once he has developed these skills, he will be able to learn just like any other child.

Consistent reinforcement of the basic and learning skills, and consistent encouragement, are a major part of what goes into helping children to completely overcome their disability.

A second issue concerning learning disabled children is how to help a child who has a serious visual perception problem; that is, one who frequently reverses the order of letters or substitutes letters when reading or writing. In particular, these children do not notice differences in similar words. For example, a child with a serious visual perception problem may read this as that, was as saw, went as want, small as smile, stood as stoop, kitchen as kitten, and campers as capture. This weakness can seriously affect the child’s comprehension of the material he is reading or make his writing incomprehensible. While it is not uncommon for beginning readers to confuse and reverse letters or words that are similar, if the child continues for months to reverse or substitute letters while reading or writing, it is a sign that the child needs special concentrated work to help him or her overcome this deficiency.

Parents can jot down the words that their child confuses when he is reading orally, point out the differences and then have their child read each word. Parents can then print the words on a flashcard with both words on each side of the card so that the child can compare the difference between the two words. For example, on one side of the card it might say “small smile” and on the other side “smile small.” They should then have their child read the cards and review them the next day, continually working on the flashcards until they are mastered.

If a child continuously confuses two particular words, parents can try another teaching technique. They can print each word on a piece of paper and then have their child trace each word saying each letter as he traces the word, then read the word. The child should trace the word over and over again until he feels that he truly knows it. The child should then do the same with the word that is similar but not the same.

Lastly, there are workbooks designed to help students develop visual perception. These workbooks can be very helpful if they are used consistently for ten to fifteen minutes two to three times a week. Workbooks that focus on the most frequently misperceived words are most helpful because they pinpoint the problem areas.

A third question that parents ask in relation to their learning disabled children is how to help their child when he has been diagnosed with a serious auditory memory problem which basically involves attention, listening and recall.

Most learning disabled children and, in particular, those who have been diagnosed with ADD (Attention, Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention, Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder) have serious auditory memory weaknesses. This learning skill weakness often interferes tremendously with their ability to grasp information that is presented to them orally in school, attend to what has been taught to them orally, form images in their minds of that information and recall what they have heard. Because they often pick up only bits and pieces of what is being said, they find it very hard to comprehend and recall what they have been taught orally.

Many children simply do not develop the skill of listening automatically when they are young, not because they are not trying to listen but purely because they have not developed the skills involved with listening. Often these children think that they are listening well but when they are tested it is evident that they are processing and recalling very little of what is being said.

Parents who have a child with auditory memory problems need to make their child aware of the fact that he needs help to become a good listener, and that he can overcome this weakness. This should be done in a positive encouraging way. Scolding a child for not being a good listener and demanding that he “listen” only makes the child nervous and apprehensive, causing him to feel badly about himself and therefore producing little or no improvement. The most important approach to use is one of encouragement coupled with concentrated remediation, one that stresses the fact that the child can overcome his deficiency with help.

One way that parents can help their child to become a better listener is to read a short paragraph to their child. After the paragraph has been read, the child should be asked to recite the main ideas and supporting details of the passage. If the child cannot state what he has heard, the paragraph should be read again orally to the child. Then he should be asked once again to recite what he has heard.

If after two tries the child still cannot state what he has heard, the parent should break the paragraph down into sentences. First, the parent should read just one sentence at a time asking the child to recite what he has heard. If this is easy for him, then the parent should try reading two sentences, gradually increasing the amount of sentences read until the child can attend, listen and recall an entire paragraph.

Parents should continue to practice this skill with their child until the parent can read longer and longer paragraphs and the child can recall the main idea and supporting details. This is an excellent technique to use with history and science as well as literature.

A fourth commonly asked question is one related to mathematics. Children with learning disabilities who are affected in the area of mathematics often have a difficult time memorizing number facts and understanding, for instance, that subtraction is the opposite of addition, and that division is the opposite of multiplication. There is much that parents can do to help their child to understand basic concepts of numbers, memorize facts, and learn essential skills for computation.

If, for example a child has problems understanding the concept of division, the parent might set up a pretend birthday party, asking their child to divide the prizes or food equally. Example: Pretend that there are three people at the birthday party and that you have six cupcakes. (Parents can cut paper in circles to represent the cupcakes.) Put objects such as stuffed animals at the table to represent each person. Ask your child to count all of the cupcakes that you have. Then have him take the paper cupcakes one by one to see how many each person would get if they are divided equally. Then say to him,”Six cupcakes divided by three people would give each person two cupcakes.” Write the fact for him to see. 6 ÷ 3 = 2. Parents can do this kind of exercise with other items until their child gets the concept of division. Put the facts on flashcards with the problem on one side and the problem with the answer on one side. Example: 6 ÷ 3 = on one side, and 6 ÷ 3= 2 on the other. Parents should have their child study the facts and then go through them with the child the next day giving him rewards for every one that he memorizes and can remember the next day. It is important to continue to review the old facts as you add new ones. (Rewards for fact memorize can be stars or stickers on a chart.)

A second technique that helps children understand the relationship between multiplication and division is to teach your child “number families.” The first two are “mother” and “father” and they are the multiplication facts. The next two are “sister” and brother” and they are the division facts. Three numbers go together to make up a number family.

Example:
This is the number family of 3, 2, and 6.

Multiplication:
mother 3 x 2 = 6 (either the 3 or the 2 can come first but father is the opposite)
father 2 x 3 = 6

Division:
sister 6 ÷ 3 = 2
brother 6 ÷ 2 = 3

Parents can use this technique with all other number families. Eventually the child will begin to understand that three numbers that stay together make up the number family, and that once he memorizes the “mother” fact, he already knows the others. Parents can also point out to the child that in multiplication, the largest number comes at the end while in division, the largest number is at the beginning. This technique works well for addition and subtraction as well as multiplication and division.

The final question that is most frequently asked by parents of children with learning problems involves reading comprehension. Once a learning disabled child begins to read words and sentences, he often finds it difficult to process what he is reading and make sense out of it. It can be that he reads very slowly word for word and is so concerned about reading each word that he is not able to concentrate on the message of the sentence or paragraph. This can create a situation whereby the child ends up having to read a passage two or three times before he can grasp the meaning. This can be very frustrating for the child as well as the teacher and parent.

First, it is essential for the parent to work with the child to help him develop a good sight vocabulary so that he does not need to sound out multiple words in a sentence. Parents can do this by making flashcards of words that their child has to sound out and working with the child on a few at a time, until gradually their child begins to increase his sight vocabulary. This will in turn help him to read faster and more fluently, and, as a result, concentrate more on what he is reading instead of the mechanics of reading word by word.

Secondly, the parent can help their child, once he reads more fluently, to try to focus on reading for meaning by stopping the child after he reads just one sentence and asking him to tell them what he has read. It is best not to ask specific questions but rather allow the child time to learn how to concentrate on grasping the main idea and supporting details, the meaning as a whole. If the child can tell the parent what he has read after reading one sentence, the parent can have him read two sentences at a time. Once he gets so that he can focus on reading two sentences at a time, the parent can have the child progress to three sentences. Gradually, the number of sentences that he reads can be increased until he is reading an entire paragraph with good comprehension.

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Understanding ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

November 19th, 2011

Here are some statistics and general information on ADD from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of 2007, 5.4 million children between the ages of 4 and 17 had been diagnosed with ADHD.

ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but hyperactivity is not always a problem. Some children and adults with the disorder are actually lethargic and quickly become tired when mentally challenged.

The CDC says that about 10% have been diagnosed, but surveys indicate that over 30% of parents believe their children are affected. The parents chose not to have a medical evaluation to confirm their suspicions. In some cases, they are managing their child’s problems without medication.

There is an advantage of having an official diagnosis if the child attends public school in the US. Every child in the US is by law entitled to a free and appropriate education.

Children with ADHD are eligible for an individualized education program (IEP) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The school may be required to provide private tutoring or make special arrangements for testing. After graduation, the IEP can help a student succeed in college.

According to the CDC’s information on ADD, about 66% of children currently diagnosed with the disorder are taking some type of prescription medication. Children between the ages of 11 and 17 were more likely to take medication than those between 4 and 10.

There is some geographical variability in the occurrence of the disorders. No one understands why, but less than 6% of children in Nevada have been diagnosed with ADHD while almost 16% of those in North Carolina have been diagnosed.

The CDC notes that insurance coverage may be one of the reasons for the differences in diagnosis. As they gathered information on ADD, CDC scientists noticed that the highest rates of the disorder were among children covered by Medicaid.

The medications can be expensive, as are the doctor’s visits. Children who are not covered by medical insurance may simply be undiagnosed.

Worldwide, the incidence of the disorder is higher in the US and the UK than elsewhere in the world. The incidence is the lowest in Egypt and Africa.

Critics of the pharmaceutical industry in both the US and the UK believe that pharmaceutical company advertising may be responsible for the higher incidence. The pharmaceutical companies say that they have done a good thing by providing information on ADD to the general public. The critics say that children are being drugged unnecessarily.

Prescription drugs are not the only treatment for attention deficit disorders. Research has shown that the symptoms typically improve with age, regardless of whether prescription medications are used or not.

Comparative studies have shown that drugs are no more effective than other treatments, such as counseling, nutritional therapy, dietary changes, regular physical activity and IEPs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act even allows for private school if the public school system cannot meet the needs of the child, although parents usually have to get a lawyer in order to get the tuition reimbursement.

A great deal of information on ADD is available from reliable sources. If you believe your child has a problem, you might want to take the time to learn more about treatment options before you visit the pediatrician.

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Understanding Childhood Developmental Milestones

November 16th, 2011

Part of growing up is meeting developmental milestones. Every one of these developmental milestones is important and special. Sure babies have a lot of developmental milestones they meet and it is excited. These physical, emotional, social and mental developmental continue as a child gets older. It may not be a quickly as for an infant, but it does happen and is special for each child.

Developmental milestones are when a child accomplishes something new. It could be rolling over or holding a bottle for the first time to catching a baseball or reading. There is an age range when any developmental change usually occurs. There is a characteristic scale for developmental milestones. One such example is walking.

Most of the children start walking by the age of 1 year while a little late bloomers may take over another 3-4 months. But if a child is already 2 or 2.5 years and still not walking steady, it is a cause of concern. This holds true for talking too. A child should be able to speak clearly in short sentences by 2 years, so if a child is not hitting that milestone or speaks in monosyllables, a visit to the doctor is required.

Nevertheless, each child is different and develops milestones on their own schedule. If you are worried that your child has a delay in developmental milestones then talk to your child’s physician. It could be nothing and the child only needs more time. It could instead be a sign of something that needs to be tested or observed.

An example is when an infant will start walking. Often children start walking around age one. Still there are children that walk before their first birthday, even several months before while others might not start walking until several months after their first birthday. All of these children could be fine. They are just hitting their developmental milestones on their own schedule. Remember not to put another child’s development against your own child’s. First, of all when a child is young just being a day older makes a major difference. An example is when an older child deals with school. They learn how to learn, which includes paying attention. Another part of developmental milestones for school age children is making friends. They will be learning and understanding a variety of concepts. This is also a part of learning to deal with freedom and independence.

If a parent ever feels their child is not hitting developmental milestones properly, they should consult their family physician or the pediatrician. Just in case, their physician finds that there could be an issue, it is good to be recommended to a specialist. This is when the child will be tested and treated if it found to be necessary, depending on the issue they will be treated accordingly. If it is a physical issue there might be exercises that can be done to help their muscles develop. If it is a mental issue they might be able to get the required attention and instruction.

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Growth Hormone Uncomfortable Side Effects

November 15th, 2011

Human growth hormone (Human growth hormone) treatment methods are heralded by some because the elixir of youth mankind continues to be having a eons – unfortunately, you’ll find hgh growth hormone adverse reactions. Originally utilised as replacement treatments for lacking people today, Hgh growth hormone is it being utilized more and more frequently by athletes, elderly people as we age related health problems, and getting older middle-agers hoping to have to wait the problems of energy. Because of persons, adverse reactions with the therapy could be important.
The recognized unwanted effects of hgh are predominantly measure primarily based – that is, the greater the serving of Hgh supplement, the more likely it is actually that any given unwanted effect will appear. It is very important, then, to be aware of precisely what is suitable by In .ordinary degrees.In When analysts test out Human growth hormone stages inside of a large group of healthful volunteers, the effects make a selection of ideals which might be thought to be usual. Any test effect outside that range will be considered lacking or too much. Today decided that individual Hgh supplement quantities alter on the life time – right after complete development is achieved, the kind sets out to decline. So, in finding human growth hormones uncomfortable side effects, you have to find the standard Hgh supplement degree for age of the affected person.
For children and adults which have been inferior in Hgh supplement, replacing therapies tries helping put their bloodstream amounts back into the normal assortment. Because of these clients, process takes away lots of the well being influences of insufficiency, and uncomfortable side effects of hgh are comparatively exceptional. For athletes and seniors who have already regular levels, on the other hand, treatment method with HGH essentially strives to boost blood vessels levels over the ordinary range, synthetically creating a condition of Hgh supplement unwanted. It is actually these individuals who are at greatest likelihood of human growth hormone supplement side effects.
The problem affecting grown ups whoever pituitary glands deliver an excessive amount Human growth hormone supplement known as acromegaly, and the indications of acromegaly overlap with those observed in people who encounter negative effects of human growth hormones cure. The face bone tissues mature bigger and more heavy, modifying the feel of the facial skin. Muscular a weakness may well that is set in, as well as problems of the peripheral nervous feelings. Heart related illnesses, having diabetes, and hypertension seemed to be revealed. As already stated, potential risk of these human growth hormone supplement adverse reactions develops considering the variety of Hgh growth hormone granted, but eventually, damages is usually significant and irrevocable.
Even people who don’t suffer the entire symptoms of acromegaly regularly experience uncomfortable side effects of human growth hormones supplements. Typical signs or symptoms include edema (infection or puffiness) caused by bloating, carpal tunnel symptoms (nerve injury influencing hands and wrists, wrists and hands), and mutual or muscle tissue ache. Usually where these indicators are reasonably slight and of limited length, fine-tuning the measure or discontinuing therapy gives rid of the human growth hormone adverse reactions.
Hgh treatments is attempted for really not well medical center patients hoping it would velocity healing. These reports failed to render the estimated outcomes – preferably, analysts known enhanced fatality and extended hospital remains in patients obtaining HGH substantial doses of Human growth hormone supplement. Offered these potentially serious, even terminal negative effects of hgh growth hormone, the security of Hgh growth hormone treatments in wholesome those that have standard our blood Human growth hormone supplement degrees need to be Ambien critically questioned.

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Inclusion for Children With Disabilities, Are There Other Options?

November 14th, 2011

Are you the parent of a child with autism or another disability, that thinks your child should be in another placement, other than a regular classroom. Have you been told by special education personnel, that they only offer inclusion for children, and you feel that your child needs more intense special education services? This article will explain continuum of placement options, which is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). By knowing the law, you will be able to more effectively advocate for your child’s education.

Continuum of placement option is in IDEA at 300.115 This section “Requires each public agency to ensure that a continuum of alternative placements (including instruction in regular classes, special classes, special schools, home instruction, and instruction in hospitals and institutions), is available to meet the needs of children with disabilities for special education and related services.”

This means that school districts can not only offer inclusion, to children with disabilities. If your child needs more intense educational services, they must offer those also. The continuum could mean more “supplementary aids and services in the regular education environment,” more resource help, special education classroom, special education school etc.

Some school districts use a cooperative type system, where several school districts go together to provide special education services. The bottom line is, that special education personnel are responsible for giving your child a free appropriate public education (FAPE).

If your school district is not giving, your child FAPE, there is a provision in IDEA to place your child in a private school, and seek reimbursement. IDEA requirements are very strict in this area, if you do not follow them, you may lose reimbursement. Make sure you understand what the law says, before you remove your child and place them in private school. The school district will probably file for a due process hearing, to prove to a hearing officer that they are giving your child FAPE. If you are able to prove your case, the hearing officer will require the school district to reimburse you for the private school costs.

School districts are required to give children with disabilities a continuum of placement options to meet their unique educational needs. By understanding this concept you can fight for the education that your child needs, and deserves.

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