The Colic Baby
June 22, 2007
When a baby has colic, the family environment is stressful and many family members may become upset or on edge. This is most often seen in new parents. Some symptoms of colic may be that the baby cries loudly for three hours, the baby has bowel pains or the baby pulls their feet up under themselves and clenches their fists. New parents become alarmed and upset that their new baby may cry for hours, even though they have tried just about everything to comfort the the baby.
Causes of Colic
There is no known one cause of colic. Doctors have several theories of what causes infant colic. The most popular theory is that the child had ingested air along with either the mother’s milk or bottled milk. Drinking too fast or in gulps causes air to enter the baby’s stomach which leads to gastrointestinal pain, thus the baby becomes colic. Another theory some believe is that if the baby is breast fed and the mother is eating a lot of gas producing foods such as orange juice, vegetables, like onions and cabbage, apples, plums, spicy food and caffeinated products such as cola, chocolate and tea, the baby will receive the same result through breast milk. A third theory is that infants have an immature nervous system that is unable to cope with all the intense new stimulations of new life events. As the day progresses, the stress overcomes them and they cry for hours.
The Real Problem With Todays Teenagers (And Why Most Parents Just Dont Get It!)
June 21, 2007
An address given by Rev. David B. Smith (aka. ‘Fighting’ Father Dave)at the Sydney Town Hall, February 21st 2003. Dave was addressing students, parents & teachers at the Fort Street High School speech day.
“The inspiration of a noble cause involving human interests wide and far, enables men to do things they did not dream themselves capable of before, and which they were not capable of alone. The consciousness of belonging, vitally, to something beyond individuality; of being part of a personality that reaches we know not where, in space and time, greatens the heart to the limit of the soul’s ideal, and builds out the supreme of character.”(Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, October 3, 1889)Who was Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain I might ask. No, not the one-time British Prime Minister. That was a different Chamberlain. J.L. Chamberlain was a general in the American Civil War, who fought for the North. Why mention him today? It will remain a secret at this stage.
My name is Dave. I generally function under the persona of ‘Father Dave’. That’s because I am a priest -an Anglican priest. Apart from being a priest I am also a boxer and all-round martial arts master. I am also a ‘youth worker’ of sorts.
The Forgotten Secret of the Ancient Greeks that Shows Us How to Keep Our Teenagers Out of Trouble
June 20, 2007
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up (Ecclesiastes 3:1-3)
Four of the boys at training tonight are preparing themselves for their first fight at our forthcoming Christians vs. Lions promotion, scheduled for only three weeks hence. All of these lads are boxers.
Three of those four ? Joel, Daniel and young Dave ? are friends, finishing their last year of school together. They are a great example of how guys from different ethnic backgrounds (Australian, Latin American, and Lebanese respectively) can still be the best of mates. The fourth guy, Louis, is an enormous Islander man. I’m not sure whether he’s Tongan or from the Cook Islands, but he’s a gentle giant really. He reminds me of Mahendar ? a regular here at the Youth Centre. They’re both big, black and burly, but with gentle hearts. Louis has a few years on the other boys who were there tonight. He’s a natural in the ring, and plays the role of the older brother very well indeed.
Alias: Aptitude
June 19, 2007
Be aware. You may become totally overwhelmed when you get the results of the special education testing on your child. There is a lot of “stuff” on that report! And much of it sounds like a foreign language to many people.
You get one piece the results from the Intelligence part of the test. This is extremely important information, but know that it will most likely come in disguise.
One of its disguises, or aliases, might be “Broad Cognitive Ability”. Another may be “Aptitude.” But, basically, they are measures of the same thing - your child’s ability to process and learn information. So, for the sake of keeping things simple, let’s just call it “aptitude.”
As I’ve stated many times, in order for a child to be considered learning disabled, he has to show an average “aptitude” for learning. He must have the same ability to learn as well as any other child of his age or grade. An average aptitude score would be about 100, with anything between 85 and 115 being in the average range.
Diagnosis of a Level of Simple Mental Computational Skills
June 19, 2007
Diagnosis of a Level of Simple Mental Computational Skills
by: Victor Guskov
If you are worried about the future of the school mathematical education or about concrete pupil’s lack of success in math, then do not hasten to think that the problem of elementary mental computational skills is insignificant or trivial. The level of progress in simple mental computations defines the first threshold of school math’s learning ability. To put it mildly, it is a little bit higher than the level of standard requirements. The pupils who have not crossed this threshold are doomed to poor progress.
Many children in secondary school have bad results in mathematics. My experience show that problems start in primary school - the root is in bad practical skills in count and simple mental computations. All kids who have problems with addition and subtraction within the limits of 20, multiplication and division within the limits of 100 can not master many basic topics of school math successfully. They have difficulties with common fractions, simple algebraic transformations, simple equations and so on.
Understanding The Report
June 18, 2007
“No thank you. Don’t bother to send me the report about the testing results. I won’t understand it anyway. I’ll just listen at the meeting.”
Those were the words of more than one parent I spoke with whose children had been tested to see if they needed special education services. I could always hear the discouragement in their voices as they spoke.
I heard the same tone of voice in a person a little closer to home just recently. A relative of mine has a son who has just been evaluated, and the parents had been given a copy of the report. He and his wife both have college educations, and they still had difficulty understanding what was being said. He looked totally helpless as he showed me the paperwork.
It’s important to realize that every occupation in life has it’s own terms, and special education is no different. Unless you work in that occupation on a daily basis, you can’t be expected to know what those terms mean - not much consolation when it’s your child’s education and success that are at stake.
The good news is that there is help out there.
How To Develop Your Child’s Interest In Reading
June 17, 2007
How To Develop Your Child’s Interest In Reading
by: Sadie Chenton
Reading is the most important skill a child will ever learn. By developing an interest in reading, and thereby developing the desire to learn to read, you will be giving your child the gift to all knowledge. A child who loves to read and reads well can learn ANYTHING!
The interest in reading is developed at a young age. Make time to read bedtime stores. Make time at other time of the day, if possible, to sit and read to your child. Simple, easy to understand children’s books with colorful pictures as best for the youngest children.
Not only can you point to the words you are reading as you read, but you can help the child learn recognition of objects and colors by interacting during the reading of the book. Point to the picture of a duck and tell the child, “This is a duck. The duck is yellow”. After a few times of doing this, point to the duck and ask the child what that picture is and what color the animal is. Every soon, after grasping language skills, the child will not wait for questions, but tell you “that duck is yellow!”
So, My Child Has Been Recommended for Testing - What Do I Do Now?
June 16, 2007
You’ve just received a call from your child’s teacher. As your blood pounds in your ears, you hear her explain how she has noticed your child having difficulty with some academic subject in school. Your child is not understanding math or reading the way the other children do. So she would like your permission to proceed with testing to find out what exactly is causing the problem.
So what do you do next?
Popular Baby Names
June 15, 2007
Are you looking for cute baby names? This article explains the meaning and history of the 50 most popular baby names in the United States this year.
25 Most Popular Names for BOYS
1 (most popular). Jacob is a biblical name, which has its origins in the Hebrew language.
Jacob means ’supplanter’ or ‘one who grasps the heel;’ this is because the biblical Jacob was born holding his twin brother’s heel.
2. Michael is a biblical name, which means ‘who is like God.’ The bearer of this name in the bible is the leader of heaven’s armies, and so is considered the patron saint of soldiers.
3. Joshua is from the Hebrew language, and means ’savior.’ In the bible Joshua was chosen to lead the Isrealites as the successor to Moses.
4. Matthew is a biblical name, meaning ‘given,’ or ‘reward.’ Matthew was one of the 12 apostles, and wrote the first Gospel in the New Testament regarding the life of Jesus.
5. Andrew is a biblical name which means ‘manly’ and ‘brave.’ In the bible Andrew was the first apostle, and is the patron saint of Scotland and of Russia.
Strengths and Weaknesses
June 14, 2007
All too often, children with learning disabilities are seen through their weaknesses.
Like anyone else, however, they have many strengths. It is of the greatest importance to focus on the strengths that your child has and show them to other people. It will not only to help others who are involved in her life understand her better, but it will help the child herself know that she is loved and valued for who she is.
I always found that one of my biggest questions was, “How do I see all of my daughter’s strengths, in addition to her weaknesses, so I can get a picture of her as a total person?" The answer lies in what is called ‘quality time.’”
Here are some important way is to spend quality time with your child.
1) Do things with her. What activities do you both like? Do things with her that she likes to do, and ask her to do things that you like to do.
2) Go places with her. You don’t have to travel far. Just go outside, or downtown, or to the mall, or to a movie.
3) Sit quietly with her. Silence says a lot.
