I thank you for your support! This was just a school project from 3 years ago! Haha anyway please do share some enthusiasm on my other blog:

http://elementswithin.wordpress.com

I just wanted to post a very big THANK YOU! to the kind comments I get on this blog

I never look at this blog anymore, because it was just for school, and I am amazed at the audience! Plus the reason I’m posting a thank you is because I just accidentally deleted 30 comments.. which were not spam.. but were in the spam folder. Sorry about that!

Anyway, thank you again! <3

I wanted to reenforce that this blog is a MYP Project Year 4- COMPUTER APPLICATIONS.  So this is for educational purposes, and is my public service announcement. This is not meant to be that public, because it`s for school.  its not meant to offend anyone, please remember that.

Thank You for your attention.  again, its for SCHOOL!

Bhavya

Meet Jane.  She’s a great artist, and can always think outside the box, but one thing that haunts her is her reading and writing. She gets frustrated and angry at herself. Her parents call her lazy, and stupid. She tries her best at reading, but whenever her eyes reach the words, they’re all jumbled and seem like some foreign language. When the teacher gets her reports and simple assignments, they look like this:

The reason why Jane has so much trouble with reading and writing, is because she’s dyslexic.

Well, what is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is a type of learning disabilty. Dyslexics have trouble processing/understanding words and numbers. They may right a bit funny, e.g. a n backwords. *The word comes from two Greek words: dys, which means abnormal or impaired, and lexis, which refers to language or words.

Dyslexia is caused by the way the brain processes information. So when you think of a ball, in your mind you picture a ball. But dyslexics uses different parts of the brain, different to what non dyslexics have and can’t see a ball. So they get confused, so when they read they can’t understand and it makes reading slow and tedious.

The main problem in dyslexia is trouble recognizing phonemes ,which are the basic sounds of speech (the “b” sound in “bat” is a phoneme, for example). Therefore, it’s a struggle to make the connection between the sound and the letter symbol for that sound, and to blend sounds into words.

It harder to recognize short, familiar words or to sound out longer words. It takes a lot of time for a person with dyslexia to sound out a word. The meaning of the word is often lost, because of the way the brain processes the meaning, and reading comprehension is poor. It is not surprising that people with dyslexia have trouble spelling. They may also have trouble expressing themselves in writing and even speaking. Dyslexia is a language processing disorder, so it can affect all forms of language, either spoken or written.

Some common mistakes of dyslexics are:

mirror-opposites: s/he might see

·     p instead of q,

·     d instead of b,

·     127 instead of 721

·     saw instead of was

·     lion instead of loin

guessing: s/he might read

·     officer as official.

·     approximate as appropriate.

·     fingers as fringe.

omitting short words:
s/he might omit function words (opposed to content words) e.g.:

·     articles

·     participles

·     conjunctions

·     prepositions

long words: s/he might

·     abbreviate, e.g. walk for walking

Some people have milder forms of dyslexia, so they may have less trouble in these other areas of spoken and written language. Some people work around their dyslexia, but it takes a lot of effort and extra work. Dyslexia isn’t something that goes away on its own or that a person outgrows, dyslexics work hard to overcome it.

What’s It Like to Have Dyslexia?

If you have dyslexia, you might have trouble reading even simple words you’ve seen many times. You probably will read slowly and feel that you have to work extra-hard when reading. You might mix up the letters in a word, for example, reading the word “now” as “won” or “left” as “felt.” Words may blend together and spaces are lost. Phrases might appear like this:

You might have trouble remembering what you’ve read. You may remember more easily when the same information is read to you or heard on tape. Word problems in math may be especially hard, even if you’ve mastered the basics of arithmetic. If you’re doing a presentation in front of the class, you might have trouble finding the right words or names for various objects. Spelling and writing usually are very hard for people with dyslexia.

Dyslexics often feel frustrated, that they can’t understand or do simple things like other kids can. They have to work hard to overcome if they know. A lot of times when they don’t know, they get low self-esteem, because their parents and the teachers a lot of times give up on the student. The student gets taunted and feels bad.

People with dyslexia shouldn’t feel limited in their academic or career choices. Most colleges make special accommodations for students with dyslexia, offering them trained tutors, learning aids, computer software, reading assignments on tape, and special arrangements for exams. People with dyslexia can become doctors, politicians, corporate executives, actors, artists, teachers, or whatever else they choose.

People with dyslexia frequently find ways to work around their disability, so no one will know they’re having trouble. This may save some embarrassment, but getting help could make school and reading easier. Most people are diagnosed as children, but it’s not unusual for people to be diagnosed as teens or even adults.

A teen’s parents or teachers might suspect dyslexia if they notice these problems:

• poor reading skills, despite having normal intelligence
• poor spelling and writing skills
• difficulty finishing assignments and tests within time limits
• difficulty remembering the right names for things
• difficulty memorizing written lists and phone numbers
• difficulty with directions (telling right from left or up from down) or reading maps

If someone has one of these problems it doesn’t mean he or she has dyslexia, but someone who shows several of these signs should be tested for the condition.

A physical exam should be done to rule out any medical problems, including hearing and vision tests. Then a school psychologist or learning specialist should give several standardized tests to measure language, reading, spelling, and writing abilities. Sometimes a test of thinking ability (IQ test) is given. Some people with dyslexia have trouble in other school skills, like handwriting and math, or they may have trouble paying attention or remembering things. If this is the case, more testing will be done.

Think about this

Your gonna know how a dyslexic feels..

A person hand you a box and its in a foreign language that you don’t know, e.g. Japanese.

p=person, y=you

p-”Read it.”

You look at the box confused

y-’but how can i, its in japanese”

p-”you’re not trying your best your being naughty!”

Do u get the feeling know, having people say that to you all the time. and feeling frustrated, that you can’t read it but everybody else can?

Well that’s the end.

It helps to know what intelligence is first. Intelligence is a way of describing someone’s ability to think, learn and solve problems. Mental retardation is when someone has lower than average intelligence.

A person with mental retardation may have trouble learning, and may take longer to learn or have social skills. As in interacting with society,  making friends, etc.  People with mental retardation, at times, some cases, cannot take care of themselves and need some help.

Sometimes kids who have mental retardation get teased or bullied. This is wrong, because, nobody likes feeling isolated and unloved. A person with intellectual disabilities is still a person , and they should be treated kindly like everyone else is.  They like to have, like other kids, adult and teens.

Having mental retardation, requires help at school, to learn and behave. Some people take life skills. Which is skills that they can use when they are older, so for example taking the bus or getting to work.  With all this help and kindness, more and more people with mental retardation are able to support themselves and live on their own.

What Causes Mental Retardation?

Mental Retardation is caused when some damage/injury to the brain or problem prevents, or does not let the brain from growing or developing normally. Mental retardation is not a disease. Many times we don’t know why a person has mental retardation. These problems can happen while the baby is growing inside his or her mom, during the baby’s birth, or after the baby is born.

While a Baby Is Growing

If a pregnant mom gets sick , it can cause problems with the baby, such as mental retardation. Some medicines, which are OK to take when a woman is not pregnant, can cause serious problems if a woman takes them when she is going to have a baby. A woman also can put her baby at risk of mental retardation if she drinks or does drugs during here pregnancy.

Mental retardation is a genetic problem, so they can receive it, if someone from their family has it. Like their grandparents,  parents or great grandparents and so on.. So it could be genetics.

During the Birth

If there is a problem during childbirth so that the baby’s brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen it can cause mental retardation.

After the Baby Is Born

Sometimes the baby is born without any problems, but he or she gets a serious infection as a young baby. An infection on how the brain develops. If a serious head injury occurs then it can also cause mental retardation to a baby or older kid.

How Do Doctors Know If Someone Has Mental Retardation?

Doctors figure out that a person has mental retardation by testing how well the person thinks and solves problems, a kind of IQ test. If a baby or kid is positive mental retardation, doctors and other professionals come together with the family to find out what is help is needed. Just like your parents, taking you for tutoring if you’re doing badly in a subject, like math or english.

Can Mental Retardation Be Prevented?

Sometimes mental retardation can be prevented but not always. There are a few tests that can be done if someone is having the risk of having a child with medical conditions, including mental retardation as a condition.  When a woman is pregnant, it’s important that she eats healthy foods and avoids alcohol and drugs. And after a baby is born, blood tests are done to check for certain problems. Some of these problems can cause mental retardation, but if they are treated right away, mental retardation can be prevented. There is a higher risk for medical problems, such as mental retardation, if a pregnant woman drinks or takes drugs, smokes or does all the options I listed.

It’s also important for kids to care that they don’t hurt they’re head.  Kids should be safe so that they don’t injure their heads with things like seat belts on. The same goes for older kids, seat belts in the car and helmets in sports if required.

What’s It Like to Have Mental Retardation?

‘Just like all kids, those with mental retardation want to develop their skills to the best of their abilities. They need to go to school, play, and feel support from loving families and good friends. What can you do? If you know someone who has mental retardation, be a friend!” KidsHealth.org

I am gonna write about Down Syndrome, what it is, how its caused, who discovered it etc…

Down Syndrome is a genetic disease also known as Trisnomy 21.  Where the 21st pair of chromosomes has 3 chromosomes. Medically Down syndrome is known as Trisomy 21 because it’s the 21st chromosome that is affected; it’s also the most common type of trisomy. Below is a karyotype of a person with Down Syndrome:

The physical and mental well being with Down Syndrome, can vary from child to child. Though kids with Down syndrome tend to share certain physical features such as a flat facial profile, an upward slant to the eyes, small ears, a single crease across the center of the palms, and an enlarged tongue. A doctor can usually tell if a newborn has the condition through a physical exam.

Down syndrome was originally described in 1866 by John Langdon Down. It wasn’t until 1959 that a French doctor, named Jerome Lejeune, discovered it was caused by the inheritance of an extra chromosome 21. It’s found on the APP( or known as a amyloid precursor protein gene. It kills cells by interrupting signaling between cells which is needed to keep the cells healthy.

People with Down Syndrome also have chances of having other medical conditions. The conditions vary from serious to minor.  Some medical conditions are: “being born with heart, though you can correct it with surgery.  Some babies also may have problems in their stomachs or a blockage in their intestines that prevents them from digesting food properly. Kids with Down syndrome are more likely to get infections that affect their lungs and breathing. When they do get infections, they often last longer. They may have eye or ear problems or digestion problems like constipation. Some may develop leukemia, a type of cancer. Each person with Down syndrome is different and may have one, several, or all of these problems.” KidsHealth.org

To check if your baby has DS then there are screening & diagnostic tests.

Screening tests include:

• Nuchal translucency testing,
• The triple screen,
• detailed ultrasound

Diagnostic tests include:

• Chorionic villus sampling (CVS),
• Percutaneous umbilical blood sampling (PUBS).
• Amniocentesis,

Some other facts

• Down syndrome is not related to race, nationality, religion or socio-economic status.
• Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent decades – from 25 in 1983 to 56 today.

Despite them having a few medical problem. DS are fully capable of anything, they can develop their skills throughout life. Down syndrome affects kids’ ability to learn in different ways, but most have mild to moderate intellectual impairment. DS are capable of earning a living, sometimes they might not have a great job, or they might, they can  accomplish it well. They simply reach goals at a different pace — which is why it’s important not to compare a child with DS against typically developing siblings or even other children with the condition.

What is life like for people with DS?

Well, people with DS go to regular and also o r may attend special classes to improve any trouble they have in their learning. Parents, teachers and others come up with different way of  teaching their pupils. Just like if you can learn better with videos, so your teacher makes videos or something.

Kids with DS are kids, and kids love their playtime.  Kids with DS do other stuff like other kids, e.g. sports, music lessons, dance.

kIDS WITH DOWNS SYNDROME ARE ALSO HUMAN! Don’t tease a kid with DS or anyone because of their looks. That is mean and they have feelings, which would get hurt like you if you go teased or bullied becuase you were yourself.  They like every other kid, wants friends and to be accepted. If you know someone with DS or meet someone with DS, DON’T TEASE THEM! Instead be a good person and help them.

Life after school

Just like everybody else people with DS often also go to work. You may or may not have seen a person with DS on the job in the supermarket, helping in a store or office,  In fact, they are known for their enthusiasm, reliability, and dedication. For all their hard work, they can feel a sense of accomplishment — and enjoy spending their paychecks!

Ok..Well, that’s the end of the post.

Thank you for reading! Please comment on what improvement I need to make if I need any.

Bhavya