Autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder Autism spectrum disorder Introduction Autism is an overall term which is used to describe a group of complicated brain developmental disorder which is also called pervasive developmental disorder. There are other pervasive developmental disorders which include pervasive developmental disorder which is not yet specified, Asperngers syndrome, Rett syndrome, and childhood disintegrative disorder. This group of disorders is collectively referred to as Autism spectrum disorders (Morgan, Jones Jordan, 2001). Prevalence rate The prevalence rate of the disorder is estimated to be about 0.7% among children making it more prevalent than child cancer, juvenile diabetes, and pediatric AIDS. It is reported that around 1.5 millions of persons living in the United States and other numerous millions of people around the world are suffering from autism. The United States government figures show that the prevalence of autism among its population has been rising every year. The reason for the increase has not been found, but improved diagnosis and environmental influence are considered to be the cause for the increased awareness. Male children have been reported to be more prone to the disorder as compared to the female children and are diagnosed with the condition quite frequently. In the United States it is estimated that around 1% of the boys are diagnosed with the disorder (Ehlers Gillberg, 1993) Symptoms Every individual who is diagnosed with autism has unique signs which cannot be compared to that observed in another individual. This is so because autism is a combination of disorders, one persons condition can be very severe with the other person having a slight one. The commonly observed signs in individuals with autism include seizure disorders, gastrointestinal problems, mental retardation and illness. Explanations for the existence of these problems in individuals having autism are not known. It is possible to state that these additional conditions observed is evidence of various forms of autism with each being caused by different factors (Haley, 2006). Although the conditions listed above are quite commonly observed in individuals having autism as compared to those people who do not have autism, they are not observed in everybody suffering from autism. The other symptoms observed include social and communication symptoms, sensory and motor symptoms, and personality differences (Rudy, 2009).Autistic spectrum disorders have a common social interactions, communication, and imagination which are linked to stiff, continual prototype of manners. It usually begins at birth or at the fist three years of life, but can also start later on during the childs life. The triad of symptoms can be noticed at all levels of intelligence and can be observed alone or accompanied with some other physical or even psychological disorder (Editorials. 2009) Causes The main cause of autism is not yet established with the researchers citing the main cause being idiopathic. Since the disorder has varying severity and the clinical signs associated with it, it is suggested that the condition has various causes (Novella, 2008). Researchers suspect a cocktail of factors which might be considered to cause autism and they include multiple genetic components which might cause autism alone or when combined with other environmental factors which are not yet determined (Wing Gould, 1979) The time at which the child might have got exposed to these factors is also significant, for example, before birth, during birth or even after the child is already born. Very few cases of autism can be associated with genetic disorders like Fragile X, Tuberous Sclerosis, and Angelmans syndrome. Exposure to environmental factors which are infectious like maternal rubella or cytomegalovirus, or chemicals like thalidomide or valporate at the time of pregnancy (Ehlers Gillberg, 1993) There is an increasing interest among researchers on the function of immune system in the control of autism. There have been suggestions that autism may involve inflammation in the central nervous tissues (Wing Potter, 2008). Animal studies have also produced evidence on how the immune system of the body can influence symptoms which are linked to autism. There have been organized autism talks which aim at increasing the level of awareness and also investigations of useful immunological facts to researchers who are not in that field and those within the field of autism at the community level (Haley, 2006). Previously, autism was believed to be caused by bad parenting as was proposed by Dr. Leo Kanner in 1943. Because the definitive causes of autism is not yet established, it has become clear that bad parenting is not one of the possible causes of the disorder. Dr. Bernard Rimland who founded the Autism Society of America and the Autism Research Institute enabled the medical community to appreciate that autism does not come about as a result of cold parents but from biological origin (Mauro, 2009) Reasons for the recent awareness According to the professionals in the field of child development in Britain, there has been increase in the number of children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorders. Dr. Kanner was the first person to characterize autism when he described it as a condition in a certain group of children with a strange pattern of behavior noticed after birth or before attaining the age of 30 months. He later referred to the condition as early infantile autism (Editorials. 2009) Many clinicians have a feeling that there has been an increase in the number cases of autism as compared to the past. Some current studies have showed high prevalence rates for autism. According to California health and human services agency report between the years 1987 to 1998, a period in which the research was done, there was rise in the number of individuals diagnosed with the disorder (Morgan, Jones Jordan 2001). Conclusion can therefore be made that the increase in the number of individuals reported with autistic spectrum disorders can be attributed to changes in referral patterns and in the methods of diagnosis, and the much knowledge of the different manifestations of the autistic conduct (Ownby, 2008).There might also be changes in the prevalence rates either locally and internationally with the cause not being known. Failure to carry out properly resourced prevalence studies, the condition of the disorder is likely to remain bleak (Mauro, 2009) Conclusion The evidence for the increase in the autistic spectrum is not yet clear because various researches has showed conflicting figures relating to the prevalence of the disorder. The condition still requires a lot of research work to shed light in its causes, prevalence rates and its management. References : Editorials (2009). Autistic spectrum disorders. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/312/7027/327 Ehlers, S. Gillberg, C. (1993). The epidemiology of Asperger syndrome: a total population Study,Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34 (8), pp. 1327-1350. Haley, B. (2006). Vaccines and the changing epidemiology of autism. Child Care Health Dev. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://www.whale.to/a/autism_diagnosis.html Mauro, T. (2009). Autism Spectrum Disorders. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://specialchildren.about.com/od/gettingadiagnosis/g/Autism.htm Morgan, H., Jones, H. Jordan R. (2001). A Guide to Services for Adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders for Commissioners and Providers. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://autism.bibliomaker.ch/BM_DIRECTORY/H/BM000001710/7723/JOR3.pdf` Novella, S. (2008). The Increase in Autism Diagnoses: Two Hypotheses. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from:http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=95 Rudy, L. J. (2009). A Definition of Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from:http://autism.about.com/od/autismterms/f/defautism.htm Ownby, M. H. (2008). Raising Autism Awareness. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://autismaspergerssyndrome.suite101.com/article.cfm/raising_autism_awareness Wing, L. Potter, D. (2008). Notes on the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders. Retrieved on 15th December, 2009 from: http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=364a=2618 Wing, L. Gould, J. (1979). Severe impairments of social interaction: and associated abnormalities in children: epidemiology and classification Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 9 (1), pp. 11-29.

Education system exists mainly

Using material from item A and elsewhere, asses the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles BY ant-Kuz Using material from item A and elsewhere, asses the view that the education system exists mainly to select and prepare young people for their future work roles One way to select and prepare young people for their future work roles is by selecting and allocating pupils of education a role in society, as is mentioned in item A: â€Å"it also selects and allocates them to their future work roles† which means social nequality is legitimised because of the hierarchy of society – someone has to be on top and someone has to be bottom, as is streaming encouraged in the same manner. This idea is said to be stemmed from having a meritocratic society where everyone has an equality of opportunity presented to them in education and then later on, the workplace. This is how education serves its purpose to select you ng people for their future work roles.Another way that young people are prepared and selected for their future work roles is by education giving them the â€Å"specialised knowledge and kills they will need when they Join the workforce†, as mentioned in item A. This is done by providing a trained and qualified workforce in education by the introduction of vocational courses like modern apprenticeships which combine training and part- time attendance at college, meaning that they learn on a Job as well as learning in an education environment. New Right are the sociologists which focused a lot on marketization of education which focused on encouraging competition between schools so that education would improve, providing a better work force for society and in turn, better preparing young people for their future work roles.However, one of the key functions of education is social solidarity which means individual members of society must feel like they are part of a single communi ty of people; Durkheim argues that without it social life and cooperation would not be possible as everyone would want to achieve their own selfish desires. He argues that this is taught when we learn about History and Citizenship, which give us the idea of a shared community; also it does this by passing on society's culture and continues the value consensus, which is an agreement among society members on what values are important. School acts as a ‘society in miniature' as it prepares its pupils for life in a wider society, which requires social solidarity, as we have to cooperate with people who aren't family or friends, Just like in the workplace. We have to act accordingly to a set of impersonal rules that apply to all.In item A, it is mentioned that â€Å"the family cannot equip individuals with everything they need to become fully functioning members of a large-scale society' and as family is only the start of social solidarity, the feeling of belonging in a family gro up, education is needed to push that in a ider scale (as a typical nuclear family will not be bigger than 6 or so people). This is one key tunction ot education, and it exists to encourage social solidarity as well as other factors. Marxists would argue that education has different roles in society; Althusser said that there are two ways in which the bourgeoisie keep their power, one of which is the ideological state apparatus. ISAs are the way that the bourgeoisie control people's ideas, values and beliefs, and include religion, mass media and the education system. He argues that the education system is an important ISA because t reproduces class inequality by passing it on generation to generation, therefore failing to overthrow the bourgeoisie consistently.Another reason why it's important is that it legitimises class inequality by producing ideologies that cover the true effect by making workers accept that inequality is inevitable and that they earned their place in society, th erefore if they accept these ideas, they are less likely to challenge capitalism and how it's run. This is one way that Marxists argue that young pupils get allocated roles for their future work roles, and education is there for them to accept heir role and not argue against it. Another Marxist view on education is the myth of meritocracy which is the legitimation of class inequality, which is what a capitalist society is based on so there is always a risk that those at the bottom will feel their inequality is undeserved and unfair and therefore will rebel against it.Bowles and Gintis argue that education is the reason that this does not happen, as it legitimising class inequality by producing ideologies that Justify why this inequality is fair and inevitable. Bowles and Gintis describe education ‘as a giant myth-making machine' ike the myth of meritocracy, which means that it is untrue that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve, that rewards are based on effort and so on. A reason for achieving high income is argued to be determined more from your family and class background rather than ability or educational achievement. This serves the higher classes as it makes it appear that they gained their roles in the workforce by an equal opportunity but in reality, that is not the case, they use this to trick working class pupils to accept inequality.This means that the education system exists not nly to allocate and train young people for their future work roles but also to accept the roles they are given and for the bourgeoisie to keep their power. In conclusion, the education system exists to provide all kinds of functions to society, as well as allocation roles for young people that they will continue to have in the workforce; they are also trained for that role so they have the skills necessary to do the Job. Also, according to Marxists, education also introduces certain values and beliefs into young peoples' minds so that they accept the inequalit y that happens in a capitalist society as an everyday inevitability.

Adulthood Paper: American Beauty Essay

According to Berk, 2012, â€Å"Middle adulthood, which begins around the age 40 and ends at about 65, is marked by narrowing life options and a shrinking future as children leave home and career paths become more determined. In other ways, middle age is hard to define because wide variations in attitudes and behaviors exist.† American Beauty is a movie created by director Sam Mendes in the late 1990s. The movie focuses on the character Lester Burnham, a man in his mid-40’s going through an intense midlife crisis; he’s grown cynical and is convinced that he has no reason to go on. Lester’s relationship with his wife Carolyn is quite dysfunctional, while Carolyn works hard to make it seem as if she has full control of her life, she is going through her own crisis as well; feeling empty and desperate (MSN Entertainment, 2013). Although American Beauty focuses on other characters as well, including Lester and Carolyn’s teenage daughter Jane, Jane’s shallow friend Angela, the next door neighbor Colonel Fitts, and his son Ricky; this paper is mainly going to focus on Lester Burnham, his adulthood, and life transition. The purpose is to discuss how the main character can be viewed from a biological, cognitive, and psychosocial perspective. The paper will also discuss how the main character copes with biological changes as a result of aging, what changes occur in the family composition and lifestyle of the character, how the character copes with the idea of death, dying, and any theories on â€Å"the afterlife†. Each character within the movie has their own idea of what path they need to take to achieve happiness and what choices will lead them there. Lester is quite impulsive and makes many choices that lead him down the path of destruction. The first event that leads Lester into a midst of horrible decisions is discovering that Angela (Jane’s friend) has been lusting over him. They begin an odd and secretive relationship revolved around sexual desires. In the midst of this Lester quits his job that he had been working at for nearly 14 years and finds a new career within a fast food restaurant. He begins smoking marijuana, working out, and buys a red Pontiac Firebird; showing desire to turn back the biological process to obtain his youth again. These actions and choices Lester has been making would lead anyone to suggest that he is going through a midlife crisis. According to Bestic, 2012, â€Å"A midlife crisis represents that state when the human mind gets in conflict with the inner self. It is a natural process that results from one or more transitions in life.† From the biological perspective Lester is going through this crisis because he is in conflict with himself. His marriage is not healthy, he does not like the physical changes brought on by adulthood, has an unsatisfactory job, and finds boredom in his lifestyle routine. From a cognitive perspective Lester shows that he is well aware of what is going on around him at all times. Because he is the one who is narrating the story he tells the audience what all the other characters are up to, mainly in concern to his daughter Jane and wife Carolyn. However, he is for some reason well aware and can process situations going on with the neighbors while the neighbors cannot even comprehend what is going on in their own lives. He is quick to figure things out, and has great concepts behind some of his erratic solutions to his life’s problems. While he may not necessarily understand why his and his family’s life is on the road to destruction, he knew that things were definitely changing. Because of Lester’s midlife crisis it could be assumed he was also going through depression and feelings of carelessness. His relationship with his daughter Jane is not very great; in fact Jane claims to hate Lester. It is also quite obvious that Lester and Carolyn’s marriage was deteriorating, and Lester seems to not care much about any of the relationships in his life. According to Cherry, 2013, â€Å"Erikson believed that a strong sense of personal identity was important for developing strong relationships. Those with a poor sense of self tend to have less committed relationships and are more likely to suffer emotional isolation, loneliness, and depression.† This clearly describes why Lester has faced the problems he has in his adulthood because of his lack of personal identity. Cherry, 2012 goes on to say, â€Å"During the generativity versus stagnation stage we continue to build our lives, focusing on our career and family. Those who fail to attain this skill will feel unproductive and uninvolved in the world.† Mostly, Lester acts as a child stuck in an adult life, getting more depressed as the show goes on that adult life is just not turning out to be fun. He loses his job, he has not had sexual relations with his wife in a very long time, his marriage was falling apart, and he just was not finding his life very fulfilling any longer. Because of Angela, who acts as a type of stimuli for Lester, makes him realize that aging should not be the end of his life. This is when he begins to show his wife who is boss, and that he is not going to let her nag at him any longer, begins working out, smoking marijuana, leaves his job for one that will provide less responsibility, and behaving in other matters such as an adolescent or young adult would. Before Lester’s midlife crisis one would think that the Burnham family was the typical happy suburbia family. The family composition drastically begins to change once Lester begins his midlife crisis journey in search of himself and happiness. Instead of taking the orders around the house, he begins giving them. Lester and Carolyn begin to go their opposite ways although still living together, and Jane continues to be a normal teenager (angry, insecure, and confused). It seems as though the family becomes more individualistic, everyone doing their own thing, rather than as a unit. Jane does not like her father, and Carolyn’s hate toward Lester continues to grow until the end of the movie. Lester makes a statement in the movie saying, â€Å"I could die in my sleep and I would not be the only one happy.† One could assume that Lester is welcoming of death because either he has just accepted that eventually he will die, or he just dislikes his life so much that death would be a better alternative. In conclusion, middle adulthood comes with its’ own trials and tribulations. Depending on how an individual has developed in previous stages of their life can determine how they will respond to the transition of adulthood. There are many perspectives including biological, cognitive, and psychosocial theories that conclude how individuals develop and adapt during these transitions. There are many changes that occur during adulthood that can affect the family composition, how the individual copes with biological changes as a result of aging, and how they perceive the idea of death and dying. Lester Burnham is simply a prime example of what it is like for a man in his mid 40’s to go through a midlife crisis during his middle adulthood transitions. References Bestic, V. (2012). What is a midlife crisis: Understand the urge to start again. Retrieved from http://psychologicaldisorderscenter.com/what-is-a-midlife-crisis/ Cherry, K. (2013). Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocialtheories MSN Entertainment. (2013). American beauty: Synopsis. Retrieved from http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-synopsis/american-beauty.3/

How to Find Old SAT Scores

If you took the SAT a million years ago, you may have thought that by walking away from the testing site, you were done with that phase of your life forever. On the contrary, if you try to continue your education or nab an entry-level job, your SAT scores could be a big boost in your resume if your job history isnt substantial.   What if you went right into a trade, bypassed college, and are now considering enrolling in an undergraduate program? Do you even remember which college admissions test you took? (The ACT is often confused for the SAT) Or what a good SAT score  even is? If any of this sounds like you, then you will need those SAT score reports, and heres how to go about getting them.   Settling an Old Score Finding your old SAT scores only takes a few steps. Remember which college admissions test you took: ACT or SAT.  ACT: Your ACT score will be a two digit number from 0 to 36.SAT: Your SAT score will be a three or four digit score between 600 and 2400. The current scale started in March 2016 for the Redesigned SAT, which uses a different scoring system, with a maximum of 1600. Since the SAT has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years, the score you may have received in the 80s or 90s would be scaled a bit differently now.Request a score report from the College Board.  By mail:  Download the  request form  and mail it to SAT Program / P.O. Box 7503 / London, KY 40742-7503. Youll need to know your personal information at the time of testing, like your street address, and will also need to choose recipients to whom youd like the SAT scores sent.  By phone:  For an additional fee of $10, you can call to order archived SAT score reports at  (866) 756-7346 (domestic), (212) 713-7789 (international), (888) 857-2477 (TTY in th e U.S.), or (609) 882-4118 (TTY international).Pay the fee for your old SAT score reportThe archive retrieval fee for old SAT reports is currently $31.  Each report will cost you $12, so that amount needs to be multiplied by the number of recipients youre sending the report to.Additional fees ($31) apply for rush delivery.Wait for your score reports to arrive! Within five weeks of receiving your information, the College Board will mail your score reports to you and to the score recipients youve listed on the form.   Tips to Speed Up the Process Get some information together before you get on the phone or fill out the score request sheet. Youll need details like your name and address at the time of SAT testing, your approximate test date, college, and scholarship program codes for recipients of your scores, and your credit card number.  Write legibly on all required forms, preferably in all caps. Youll delay the scores if you choose to write sloppily.  Remember that since your scores are older, the tests may have changed and the score reporting services will send a letter stating that fact to the institution in which youre interested. So, even though you may have earned top ranks for the year you tested, your score back then may not mean the same thing as the scores of today. Contact the College Board to explain if youre confused about the scoring scale and differences.Pay an additional (optional) $31 rush service fee.