Impact of Changes in Mental Health Nursing Practice on Younger

Question: Discuss about the Impact of Changes in Mental Health Nursing Practice on Younger People. Answer: Introduction: Mental health nursing practice is a significant component of health care system which helps to provide comprehensive and holistic mental health care to patients with physiological disorders (Rickwood et al., 2014). It is not just restricted to the management of mental disorders but also includes mental health promotion, prevention of mental illness, planning an early intervention to reduce the risk of mental illness, promote the well-being of an individual, rehabilitation and health restoration. The World Health Organisation has stated that nearly 25 % of global population is affected by mental illness every year and it causes nearly 14 % of global burden of disease (Bor, Dean, Najman, Hayatbakhsh, 2014). The Australian Bureau of Statistics has suggested that one in five people in Australia have a mental disorder. Approximately 14 % of Australian teenagers and children have a mental disorder or behavioural problem. It is found that the risk of mental illness and behavioural problems is more in boys when compared to girls of same age group (McCloughen, Foster, Huws?Thomas, Delgado, 2012). The mental health problems increase the risk of other health behaviours such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and illicit drug use. Poor mental health in young children increases the risk of learning difficulties, bullying at school, physical or sexual abuse. It is often associated with low-family income, poor family relationships, parental illness, substance abuse, and poor conduct (Lawrence, et al., 2015). Over the past two decades, different types of political, social and economic trends brought changes in mental health service provision. These changes have a positive impact on the holistic development of young people with mental disorders. In the past, the treatment and care focused on addressing the deficit criteria such as lack of sense of achievement, alcohol abuse and low-income family situations. The individuals who are not capable of achieving optimal psychosocial well-being are believed to experience adverse health effects. But, recently with the changes in mental health practice, the medical professionals and mental health nurses are focusing on the optimism. They are encouraging the children and young patients to improve their condition irrespective of their adverse circumstances (McCloughen, Foster, Huws?Thomas, Delgado, 2012). Nowadays, the mental health care professionals are focusing on the strengths of the children and young people such as social functioning, emotional competency as these are the essential components for improving the mental well-being of an individual (Long, 2016). The concept of positive psychology helps the young people to develop resilience, confidence, and self-efficacy. To practice positive psychology, the health care professionals should actively listen to the patients, understand their needs and identify their strengths and beliefs (Mills, Fleck, Kozikowski, 2013). The evidence based nursing practice gained importance in the mid-1990s, since then several studies and documents related to psychiatric nursing have been published which provides the provision of evidence-based nursing practice. Evidence based practice is implemented by most of the professionals as it helps them to make best clinical decisions which improve the patient outcomes provides the scope of professional development (Wong, et al., 2015). The evidence based practice suggests that cognitive behavioural therapy is highly beneficial for the treatment of anxiety and depression. However, the CBT should be provided flexibly to the children and adolescents as the thinking transforms from concrete to abstract in most of the children at 10 to 12 years. Children above 12 years have sophisticated thinking, social awareness and complex sense of morality. Therefore, the mental health nurses should be able to differentiate the abilities of younger and older children before delivering CBT (Sturmey, Hersen, 2012). Social Effectiveness Therapy is another novel treatment method which is used to decrease the social anxiety in children and adolescents (Long, 2016). It helps to increase interpersonal skills by involving them in some social activities. This program is appropriate for children of age group 7 to 17 years. It combines the group therapy which provides social skill training and personalized behavioural treatment to decrease social anxiety (James, et al., 2013). Parent child interaction therapy which was developed by Dr. Sheila Eyberg is used to treat disruptive behaviours in the children aged 2 to 7 years. It is a kind of positive psychology in which child learns specific positive attention skills. This therapy helps to increase positive parenting and parent-child interaction (Pearl, et al., 2012). Multidimensional family therapy, functional family therapy, and strength oriented family therapy are useful for young people who use illicit drugs or substance abuse. The interventions in these programs involve treatment, family involvement, and retention protocol and development appropriate interventions. They focus on broad outcomes such as decreased substance use, improved family functioning, peer relations, school attendance, and reduced antisocial behavior(Celinska, Furrer, Cheng, 2013; Gehart, 2012; Rigter et al., 2013). In conclusion, the changes in the mental health nursing practice have enabled the nurses to implement holistic interventions which focus on the biological, psychological and social determinants of the young people. Family based interventions help the children and their parents to know each other and facilitates the development of effective child-parent relationship which promotes well-being of the children and young people (Rickwood et al., 2014). Understanding the child development is a key factor in mental health nursing as it helps to set realistic goals while caring for children or young people at different ages. It is also important to understand the social functioning and peer-relationship while caring for young people (Long, 2016). Further, evidence based practice helps to make individualised care plans which help to focus on the mental health needs of the young people and provide competent care. References: Bor, W., Dean, A. J., Najman, J., Hayatbakhsh, R. (2014). Are child and adolescent mental health problems increasing in the 21st century? A systematic review.Australian New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry,48(7), 606-616. Doi: 10.1177/0004867414533834 Celinska, K., Furrer, S., Cheng, C. C. (2013). An outcome-based evaluation of functional family therapy for youth with behavioral problems.Journal of Juvenile Justice,2(2), 23. Retrieved on 25 July, 2017 from https://search.proquest.com/openview/29e1253f5f65e3ab0f77db9f80604b80/1?pq-origsite=gscholarcbl=2031010 Gehart, D. R. (2012). The mental health recovery movement and family therapy, part II: a collaborative, appreciative approach for supporting mental health recovery.Journal of marital and family therapy,38(3), 443-457. Doi: 10.1111/j.1752-0606.2011.00229 James, A. C., James, G., Cowdrey, F. A., Soler, A., Choke, A. (2013). Cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety disorders in children and adolescents.Cochrane Database Syst Rev,6. Doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD004690 Lawrence, D., Johnson, S., Hafekost, J., Boterhoven de Haan, K., Sawyer, M., Ainley, J., Zubrick, S. R. (2015). The mental health of children and adolescents: Report on the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. Retrieved on 25 July, 2017 from https://research.acer.edu.au/well_being/1/ Long, R., 2016. The social psychology of risk, safety and leadership maturity. AusIMM Bulletin, (Apr 2016), p.26. McCloughen, A., Foster, K., Huws?Thomas, M., Delgado, C. (2012). Physical health and wellbeing of emerging and young adults with mental illness: An integrative review of international literature. International journal of mental health nursing, 21(3), 274-288. Doi: 10.1111/j.1447-0349.2011.00796.x Mills, M., R. Fleck, C., Kozikowski, A. (2013). Positive psychology at work: A conceptual review, state-of-practice assessment, and a look ahead.The Journal of Positive Psychology,8(2), 153-164. Doi: 10.1080/17439760.2013.776622 Pearl, E., Thieken, L., Olafson, E., Boat, B., Connelly, L., Barnes, J., Putnam, F. (2012). Effectiveness of community dissemination of parentchild interaction therapy.Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy,4(2), 204. Retrieved on 25 July, 2017 from https://my.apa.org/apa/idm/login.seam?ERIGHTS_TARGET=http%3A%2F%2Fpsycnet.apa.org%2Frecord%2F2011-06109-001 Rickwood, D. J., Telford, N. R., Parker, A. G., Tanti, C. J., McGorry, P. D. (2014). headspaceAustralias innovation in youth mental health: who are the clients and why are they presenting?. The Medical Journal of Australia, 200(2), 108-111. Rigter, H., Henderson, C. E., Pelc, I., Tossmann, P., Phan, O., Hendriks, V., ... Rowe, C. L. (2013). Multidimensional family therapy lowers the rate of cannabis dependence in adolescents: A randomised controlled trial in Western European outpatient settings.Drug and alcohol dependence,130(1), 85-93. Doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.10.013 Sturmey, P., Hersen, M. (Eds.). (2012).Handbook of evidence-based practice in clinical psychology, child and adolescent disorders(Vol. 1). John Wiley Sons. Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. A., Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., ... Schultz, T. R. (2015). Evidence-based practices for children, youth, and young adults with autism spectrum disorder: A comprehensive review.Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,45(7), 1951-1966. Doi: 10.1007/s10803-014-2351-z

Heritage Language Maintenance free essay sample

Teachers of English and teachers in bilingual programs should become familiar with what affects student’s language maintenance and the factors that contribute to the maintenance of that heritage language. Minority-language parents will also find this article interesting, especially if they desire for their children to retain their home language. In this paper I will define heritage language, discuss trends and parental opinions pertaining to heritage language, and conclude with the importance of heritage language maintenance and the factors that affect its preservation. Defining Heritage Language and Maintenance Heritage Language Heritage language is the language used by parents or the language that was used in the past by one’s ancestors. This language (also called home language) usually has a strong personal connection or is spoken at home (Valdes, 2001; Anderson-Mejias, 2002; Urzua amp; Gomez, 2008). A heritage language helps students connect to their culture, even while they live in a different, more dominant culture (Anderson-Mejias; Guardado, 2002; Urzua amp; Gomez). We will write a custom essay sample on Heritage Language Maintenance or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For example, although Spanish is widely spoken around the world, it is a heritage language in the United States because it is a non-English language (Suarez, 2002; Valdes). However, students do not have to speak the familial language for it to be considered a heritage language. Valdes mentions that even monolingual English speakers can have a heritage language if some important personal connection is noted. For example, Norwegian would be a heritage language to an English monolingual with grandparents that immigrated to the United States from Norway. These monolinguals, too, could become heritage language learning candidates. Heritage Language Learner The term heritage language learner refers to individuals that have been exposed to a language other than the one used in the dominant society where they live (Valdes, 2001; Suarez, 2002). Language Maintenance Language maintenance is a process that occurs after a language has been transmitted or passed on to a child by their family. It deals with the continued development of the language that has been transmitted (Nesteruk, 2010). Unfortunately, current research shows that there is an overall decline in heritage language maintenance. Heritage Language Retention Trends In the year 2000, approximately 9. % of students in kindergarten to twelfth grade were limited English proficient (LEP); a number that has increased each year (Suarez, 2002). Current research shows that the majority of students who live in the United States become English-dominant or English monolingual by the time they reach adolescence (Nesteruk, 2010; Seong amp; Sarkar, 2007). A language tren d seems to occur the longer a family unit lives in the United States. First generation immigrants tend to speak some English, but prefer to use their heritage language in the home. Second generation immigrants are inclined to use English in school and with their friends.

What to Do If Your College Roommate Uses Your Stuff

What to Do If Your College Roommate Uses Your Stuff In college, roommates have a lot to deal with: in addition to the stress of being in school, youre squished into a space that would be incredibly tiny for one person - not to mention two (or three or four). Just because youre sharing a space, however, doesnt necessarily mean that youre sharing all of your stuff, too. As the lines begin to blur between where one persons space ends and the others begins, its not uncommon for roommates to begin sharing things. Why have two microwaves, for example, when you really need just one? While some things make sense to share, others can create conflict. If your roommate has started using your stuff in a way that you dont like, hasnt been talked about, or was previously talked about but is now being disrespected, a simple act can quickly turn into something much bigger. If your roommate is borrowing (or just plain taking!) your stuff without checking with you first, there are some questions you can ask yourself when trying to figure out what to do about the situation: How Big of an Issue Is This for You? Maybe you talked about sharing items and your roommate has disregarded the agreement you made together. How much does that bother, annoy, or anger you? Or does it make sense that he or she used your things without asking? Is it a big deal or not? Try not to think about how you think you should feel; think about how you do feel. True, some people may not care if a roommate borrows their iron, but if it bothers you, then be honest with yourself about that. Conversely, if your friends seem outraged that your roommate borrowed your clothes but you dont really mind, then know thats okay, too. Pattern or Exception Your roommate might be absolutely great and she took a little of your cereal and milk just once because she was super, super hungry late one night. Or she may take your cereal and milk two times a week and now youre just sick of it. Consider whether this is a small incident that likely wont happen again or a larger pattern that you would like stopped. Its okay to be bothered by either one, and its especially important to address any bigger issues (e.g., the pattern) if and when you confront your roommate about his or her behavior. Is It a Personal Item or Something General? Your roommate may not know that, for example, the jacket he borrowed was your grandfathers. Consequently, he may not understand why youre so upset that he borrowed it one night when it was unseasonably cold. While all of the things you brought to college matter to you, your roommate doesnt know the values you assign to everything. So, be clear on what was borrowed and why its not okay (or totally fine) for your roommate to borrow it again. What Bugs You About the Situation? You may be bothered that your roommate took something that you told him not to; you may be bothered that he did it without asking; you may be bothered that he didnt replace it; you may be bothered that he takes a lot of your stuff without checking with you first. If you can figure out what bugs you the most about your roommates use of your stuff, you can better address the real issue at hand. So sure, your roommate may have a reason for taking your last energy drink, but its harder to explain why he is constantly helping himself to the last of your things. What Resolution Do You Want? You might just want an apology or an acknowledgment that your roommate took something he or she wasnt entitled to take. Or you may want something larger, like a conversation or even a formal roommate contract about what its okay and not okay to share. Think about what you need to feel better about the situation. That way, when you do talk to your roommate (or RA), you can be focused on a larger goal instead of just feeling frustrated and like you dont have any options. How to Best Come to a Resolution Once you figure out what kind of resolution you want, its important to also figure out how you can get there. If you want an apology, youll need to talk to your roommate; if you want clearer rules in place, youll need to think about what those rules might be before starting a conversation. If you can take the time and mental energy to focus on the causes of and solutions to the problem, your roommates use of your stuff doesnt have to be anything more than a minor issue you thought about, addressed, and resolved during your time as roommates. After all, you both have much bigger things to worry about.

The Film GasLand Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Film GasLand - Movie Review Example This thesis intends to focus on the perspective presented through the film, â€Å"GasLand† and makes an attempt to build a different bent of mind and school of thought regarding the prevailing system of hydraulic fracturing and the aversive effects it brings on the ecology, environment, and society in the United States. GASLAND AND PERSPECTIVE Fox draws out effectively, the adverse effects that the natural gas drilling boom has brought into the environment, ecology, and lives of the people associated with the event since a decade. The chained effects of the hydraulic fracturing into the environment have been clearly stated, where the preys to the over and exhaustive engineering methodology have been exquisitely pointed out. The film definitely changed the perspective towards the prevailing hydraulic fracturing system in the United States, wherein according to Robert Kohler of Variety, the film depicted and brought changes in the perceptions regarding dangers pertaining to the event of natural gas drilling, very much similar to what the film â€Å"Silent Spring† did to DDT. Bio-centric and eco-centric ethics should influence the environment going forward and establish the interaction with it accordingly. The film at times depicted too much of inclination towards the communities affected by the natural oil and gas drilling. The fact that the boom in the industry has actually brought the adverse ecological and environmental adversities has been neglected at some point of time within the documentary.

The strategic analysis of Oil and Gas Company named as British Essay

The strategic analysis of Oil and Gas Company named as British Petroleum (BP) - Essay Example This report provides insights about the present and future marketing strategies that are designed by the company as a result of pressure from several environmental forces. In this regard, the paper is primarily divided into different sections. In each section, strategic performance of BP has been measured through general analytical techniques which include PESTEL, SWOT, BCG Matrix and Ansoff Grid. At the end, recommendation, suggestion and future strategic option for BP are mentioned with respect to the analysis discussed above. Strategic Analysis of British Petroleum Introduction British Petroleum is considered as one of the largest international oil and gas companies. It serves its customers by providing them energy for light and heat, fuel for transportation purpose, petrochemical products and retail services for day to day use. In business realm, BP is widely known for its active participation through the approach of vertical integration in all the areas of fuel industry except extraction and excavation of oil and refining distribution power. Lately, BP has participated in increasing options for renewable energy resources. The reasons is the wide spread phenomenon which says that at the end of this century, all the fuel reserves and deposits will be wiped out (Britsh Petroleum, n.d.). Operations of BP are spread in 80 different countries. Around 4 million barrels of crude oil are produced each year which make BP the market leader of its industry. Possessing the largest market share, BP is the first company which released the information that within the next twenty years, the future demands of energy is most likely to be increased by 50%. BP has also stated that 80% of this demand is expected to be met by fossil fuels (Britsh Petroleum, n.d.). The business model of BP is to create value across the entire value chain. The value chain starts from the process of exploration and ends at supplying fuel and energy related products to customers for everyday use. The objective of the company is to create value for supplies of energy and to shareholders in a responsible and safe way. They aim of the company is to be a safety leader, responsible corporate entity, world class operator and an excellent employer (BP Annual Report , 2011). The company operates two major busines s segments which include Refining and Marketing, and Production and Exploration. Through these business segments, company strives to focus on developing and producing required sources of energy and transforming these sources into products that can be useful to fulfill the needs of people. Projects of BP help in generating employment, tax revenues and investment in countries all over the world. The company is committed for demonstrating responsible behavior, building lasting relationship and meeting obligations. The head quarter of the company is located in London, U.K whereas the operations of BP are spread across US, Europe, Russia, Canada, Australasia, Asia, some parts of Africa and South America . Core Brands of BP The most renowned brands of BP include: Source: (BP Annual Report , 2011) Values of BP Values of BP are segmented into three broad categories: What BP does? Delivers energy and fuel to the world What BP stands for? BP states that the company is deeply concerned about h ow the energy and fuel are delivered to the world. What BP values? Safety Excellence Respect Teamwork Courage Mission Statement of BP The mission statement of BP states that: â€Å"Our function is to provide safe, efficient and environmentally responsible marine and shipping solutions for the BP group† The mission statement of BP signifies that the core functions of the organization are to provide efficient, safe

Identifying Non-traditional Gifted Students

Identifying Non-traditional Gifted Students Gifted students are defined as those who excel in academic subjects such as reading, science, or math. Some students do exceptionally well in visual art or playing musical instruments, while others exhibit strong leadership qualities. All of these are defined in the Americas School Act of 1994. The term gifted and talented when used in respect to students, children or youth means students, children or youth who give evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities (Ryser, McConnell, 2004). Gifted children are sometimes called asynchronous due to their physical/emotional growth not corresponding to their intellectual growth. Traditionally, gifted students have been under-served or go unidentified due to schools being unable to provide advanced placement or the lack of curriculum for these students. If a student shows signs of boredom, lack of interest or diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, the score of such student may not have reflected their true potential. Times have not changed in regard to this type of students. Many of these students are still in regular classrooms without the opportunity of advanced placement, specific gifted classrooms or additional discovery classes to service their needs. The Federal No Child Left Behind Act has left little room for helping these students attain their full academic and/or talent goals. Combining these factors with the gifted children who are not identified due to not being able to perform well on standardized tests, or a low socioeconomic culture and those with learning disabilities that accompany their giftedness presents a dilemma for most school districts (Lardner, 2004). However, the first step for developing curriculum for schools is the identification process. 1. Problem statement This paper is meant to examine the problems and research that has been done in the area of identifying the students that may show extreme giftedness in one subject and perform low in another, those who may be overlooked due to cultural, linguistic or ethically diverse backgrounds and those students who may not score well on standardized tests; to include twice exceptional students. Identification and low representation of culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse (CLED) students have been a concern with researchers and educators in our country: (Lohman, 2005), (Pierce et al., 2007). Considering the changing demographics within schools and pressure from the government and funding issues, educators must examine how to change identification procedures and services to adequately recognize and develop these students talents (Briggs, 2008). Even though cultural diversity has become more prominent in in education, CLED students are more identified in the remedial classes and underrepresented in gifted and talented programs (Briggs, 2008). National surveys show that only 10% of those students performing at their highest level are CLED students even though they represent 33% of the school population (Gallagher, 2002). The issues of identifying and assessing such students are highly important due to various reasons, but first of all because the absence of proper educational approach and environment hinder the development and future success of a great number of people, which undermines the very mission of education. Researching methods and approaching for identification and assessment of nontraditional gifted students will help to address this deficiency of our educational system. 2. Literature review on identification and assessment of nontraditional gifted students Assessing the nontraditional gifted student has become a growing problem in school districts across America. While doing a review of existing literature on the problem of identification of gifted students, one can outline 3 major types of nontraditional gifted students. Each type of such students, its identification and relevant research will be described below. 2.1. Gifted students missed by testing Various identification methods are used to identify gifted learners. There are those who still believe that IQ tests can be the way to measure intelligence; Schroth and Helfer (2008) refer to Gottfredson who states that proponents of traditional instruments for measuring IQ believe that such tests are not biased against blacks, other ethnic minority groups who are English speaking, or other native born people in the United States predicting well for all subgroups. Schroth and Helfer (2008) reference Ford (2003) who believes that the same groups along with low-SES students are discriminated against by standard tests because such tests are biased against process that is color blind or culture blind, Eurocentric, monolithic and narrow (Schroth Helfer, 2008). The authors go on to support the models referenced in Renzulli Reis (2007), and Sternberg (2002,2003), regarding those who believe in utilizing multiple measures for identifying gifted students. Such measures include portfolios, observations, teacher, parent or peer nominations and test scores and may be used to identify gifted students as well as to identify those students who may be missed using only traditional tools (Schroth Helfer, 2008). There are many factors that influence identification and availability of gifted programming to CLED students. The assessment tools that are used, educator bias, the perception of cultural behaviors, quantity and quality of teacher preparation for working with CLED students, and degree of variety of instruction strategies influence the identification and services provided for CLED students (Briggs, 2008). Language barriers, non-stimulating environments, fear of not teaching to the test and the belief that few gifted students can be found in CLED students also influence under-identification of these groups (Briggs, 2008). Unfortunately, tests play a major role in identification, referral, and placement of gifted students. Due to students not scoring well on standardized tests, teachers need to create and use tests and assessments that are culturally responsive (Ford, 2010). 2.2. Gifted students with a learning disability Other learners that are not identified or serviced properly nationwide are gifted learners with a learning disability. Gifted/learning disabled students are students with high intellect (superior intellectual ability) who have low performance in a specific academic area such as math, reading or written expression. This is not due to the absence of educational opportunity or a health problem (McCoach, 2001). McCoach describes three types of gifted/learning disabled students. The first student does well in elementary school when the learning disabilities are less distinct and they still participate in gifted programs. As the work progresses within that students disability, he/she may begin to experience learning difficulties which leads to underachievement. These students are not normally identified as learning disabled due to the high achievement in elementary school. The second type is described as learning disabled but also gifted. Since such students have severe learning disabilities, they are seldom identified as gifted. The third type is the student that is not identified as either gifted or disabled. This students disabilities hide their gifts and the gifts conceal their disability, creating a smokescreen which is referred to as masking within the definition of gifted/learning disabled students (McCoach, 2001). Masking refers to the principle that many gifted students with learning disabilities have patterns of strengths and weaknesses that make them appear to have average abilities and achievement (McCoach,2001). So therefore, these students do not get identified as gifted or learning disabled. Some advocates believe that intelligence scores will be lower for these students, thereby hindering their identification as either gifted or learning disabled (McCoach, 2001). McCoach goes on to quote Waldren and Saphire (1990): the primary problem with the use of intelligence test to identify gifted students with LD is that the disability may lower their IQ score so dramatically that the students do not qualify for inclusion in the school districts criteria for gifted, even though they demonstrate strong abilities in some areas. 2.3. Twice-exceptional students The term twice-exceptional is used to describe students who are gifted and identified with a disability (Baum Owen, 2003). There has been extensive research identifying twice exceptional students. Identification is a problem due to a misdiagnosis of the student (Webb, et al., 2005). The challenge is still the under representation of students with disabilities in gifted programs. The question is not whether these students exist but how to serve them when they need two sets of services (Rizza Morrison, 2007). There is evidence to show that there is a large amount of students who are gifted with behavioral disabilities (Baum Olenchak, 2002, Neihart, 2000). One example of twice exceptional would be a student identified as gifted with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This particular disorder when combined with giftedness is difficult to diagnose due to the many similarities between ADHD and gifted characteristics. The difficulty differentiating between characteristics of giftedness and those of ADHD, and recognizing when they coexist, can easily lead to inaccurate identification. Gifted and ADHD children often exhibit similar behaviors: hyperactivity, disruptive behavior, challenges to authority, and social/emotional development (Leroux Levitt-Perlman, 2000). Leroux Levitt-Perlman referenced Clark (1992) regarding hyperactivity, which can occur in both gifted children and children with ADHD and is often the first characteristic a diagnostician will see. However, hyperactiv ity may manifest itself in different ways. The gifted child may show focused energy, whereas the child with ADHD is largely unfocused (Leroux Levitt-Perlman, 2000). In addition, both gifted children and children with ADHD may challenge authority. The challenging authority characteristic in gifted children compared to children with ADHD may be exhibited differently. According to Clark, gifted children are curious and want to ask questions, this is part of their nature. The challenge from ADHD children has been observed to be more hostile and aggressive in manner. Even though both types of children can disrupt the daily school environment, the causes are different (Clark, 2008). The disruptive behavior is presented in both gifted and ADHD children. For the gifted child, disruptive behavior is associated with boredom in response to unchallenging activities, curriculum, and learning style . Disruptive behavior in the ADHD child is the result of any or all of the ADHD core symptoms: inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity (Clark, 2008). The ADHD child can easily become distracted by outside environment and/or stimuli, or even by own thoughts. ADHD students have weak organizational skills which makes staying on task a challenge. Too strict of an environment can lead to a disruption in the classroom as well. In the gifted/ADHD child the frustrations of impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity, combined with under stimulation can lead to oppositional behaviors (Leroux Levitt-Perlman, 2000). When the social/emotional development aspects are considered, there are similarities for both gifted and ADHD children as well. The gifted student might interact maturely with adults but be less competent with his peers, unable to read the social cues that tell him his behavior is not within social norms for children his age. The gifted childs intellectual and/or creative ability is more advanced than the emotional level, along with the sense of self (being different than other students), which can cause social isolation. The ADHD child shows immaturity and does not pick up on social clues, leading to rejection from peers. Both of these can cause emotional outbursts and inappropriate behaviors (Leroux Levitt-Perlman, 2000). Clark references Mendaglio when stating that when the two of these are combined in one child, there is a heightened sense of of alienation, sensitivity, and overreaction ( Clark, 2008). 3. Synthesis of relevant research and findings There are important issues that need to be considered when developing a method for identifying gifted or talented students: gifted students will exhibit their talents not only in a certain domain but also within a specific area of interest. A student may perform well on classroom activities but with independent study, may show a deeper level of theoretical understanding within the same subject. Giftedness is a dynamic concept. A test score may not represent how a childs gifts may be developed into talents, especially for students who do not have the opportunity for out-of-school activities. Talents are shown by students who have disabilities, or who come from different ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds and finally, early identification has proven important in developing gifts into talents (Johnsen 2009). In order to avoid the scantiness of test assessments, Ford suggests that assessment should include answers to the following questions (Ford, 2010): Are the measures valid and reliable for the specific culturally different students and group? How can educators remove the bias in the measurements they use or must adopt for evaluation and gifted education decisions? Have the students had the opportunity to be assessed in ways that are compatible with how they learn and communicate? Finally, do the students have the opportunity to be evaluated via more authentic assessments; skits, presentations, speeches, research, and other models of their learning? . Moreover, concerning broadening the spectrum oh approaches to students, Ford (2010) suggests in her article, Culturally Responsive Classrooms: Affirming Culturally Different Gifted Students the use of the culturally responsive classroom which is characterized by five components. The five components include; teachers philosophy, learning environment, curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Ford believes that when teachers become more self-reflective, are able to recognize cultural differences amongst students and themselves, and create classrooms that are more culturally responsive, they can decrease cultural misunderstandings and miscommunication with CLED students (Ford, 2010). For gifted students with learning disabilities, the masking concept creates problems for school psychologists, they can not possibly test all students who are performing at an average level to look for disguised learning disabilities. Until these students exhibit underachievement, there are not clear suggestions or empirical research to help identify these students. Teachers and specialists focus on the students disabilities, so therefore the strengths and talents of the student go ignored. The teachers and/or specialists attention is focused on the disability so little or no attention is given to the students gifts or talents (Baum, 2001). The techniques that are used for the disability may very well lack the characteristics gifted students require for successful learning and thus inhibit the attempt of that technique. Baum suggests that using instructional strategies that provide balance between the strengths and weaknesses of the gifted/learning disabled will contribute to an auth entic, challenging curriculum (Baum, 2001). The pragmatic problem concerning twice-exceptional learners is identifying these children like those that are gifted/ LD. This agrees with the case that many children who are gifted go unidentified by the use of standard IQ tests, and currently, many of the current diagnostic measures are less than perfect form many ADHD children (Leroux Levitt-Perlman, 2000). Leroux Levitt-Perlman (2000) promote that the skills and talents within individuals must be expanded to include and acknowledge the strengths of the gifted/ADHD child and go on to comment on Maker, Neilson, and Rogers (1994) approach that combines Gardners theory of multiple intelligences and a matrix of problem types to design ways to identify and serve the diversity and skills in students (Leroux Levitt-Perlman, 2000). They surmise that students who were identified through this method made equal or greater gains in enrichment programs as those identified by traditional methods (Leroux Levitt-Perlman, 2000). McCoach suggests that identification of students with learning disabilities should parallel the identification of all other students with learning disabilities (McCoach, 2001). According to McCoach, the process must comply with both federal and state special education regulations while utilizing both ability and achievement testing. McCoach (2001) suggests that authentic assessment (portfolio with works of the student, written works, informal reading inventories) should be used in correlation with standardized methods of achievement. Conclusion The problem of identification and assessment of nontraditional gifted student is one of the important educational issues. Review and analysis of relevant research have shown that the so-called nontraditional gifted students may be divided into three groups: gifted students missed due to imperfection and limited nature of current testing system, gifted learners with learning disabilities and twice-exceptional learners. Methods of identification and assessment for the three groups differ from each other. Major finding and suggestions for the problem are: developing authentic assessments aimed at addressing various types of skills and eligible for discovering different talents, creating a culturally responsive classroom and providing necessary background to the teachers, using instructional strategies in order to provide balance between the strengths and weaknesses of the gifted and learning disabled learners and addressing multiple types of intelligence via creating different problem t ypes to design ways to identify and serve the diversity and skills in students. Sources Baum, Susan. (2001). Dual Differentiation: An Approach for Meeting the Curricular Needs of Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities. Psychology in the Schools, 38(5), 477-490. Baum, S., Olenchak, F. (2002). The alphabet children: GT, ADHD and more. ! Exceptionality, 10, 77-91. Baum, S., Owen, S. (2003). To be gifted and learning disabled: Strategies for helping bright students with LD, ADHD, and more. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press. Clark, Barbara. (2008). Growing up gifted: developing the potential of children at home and at school. Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall. Briggs, Christine. (2008). A National View of Promising Programs and Practices for Culturally, Linguistically, and Ethnically Diverse Gifted and Talented Students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 52 (2), 131-145. Flint, Lori J. (2001). Challenges of Identifying and Serving Gifted Children with ADHD. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33 (4), 62-69. Ford, Donna Y. (2010). Culturally Responsive Classrooms: Affirming Culturally Different Gifted Students. Gifted Child Today, 33 (1), 50-53. Gallagher, J.J. (2002). Societys Role in Educating Gifted Students: The Role of Public Policy. Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Johnsen, Susan K. (2009). Practices for Identifying Gifted Students. Principal, 88 (5), 8-14 Lardner, Cynthia M. M. (2004). Helping Gifted Children Reach Their Potential. Michigan Bar Journal, 18-20. Leroux, Janice A. Levitt-Perlman, Marla. (2000). The Gifted Child with Attention Deficit Disorder: An Identification and Intervention Challenge. Roeper Review, 22(3), 171-177 Lohman, David F. (2005). Identifying Academically Gifted Students: An Aptitude Perspective. Gifted Child Quarterly, 49 (2), 111-138 McCoach, Betsy D. Kehle, Thomas J. Bray, Melissa A. et al. (2001). Best Practices in the Identification of Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities. Psychology in the Schools, 38 (5), 403-411. Pierce, R. L. et al. (2007) Development of an Identification Procedure for a Large Urban School Corporation: Identifying Culturally Diverse and Academically Gifted Elementary Students. Roeper Review, 29 (2), 113-118. Pfeiffer, Stephen I. (2003). Challenges and Opportunities for Students Who Are Gifted: What the Experts Say. Gifted Child Quarterly, 47 (2), 161-169. Renzulli, Joseph S. Reis, Sally M. (2007). A Technology Based Resource for Challenging Gifted and Talented Students. Gifted Education Press Quarterly, 21(4), 2-3 Rizza, Mary J. Morrison, William F. (2007). Identifying Twice Exceptional Children: A Toolkit for Success. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus, 3(3) Article 3. Retrieved 6 April 2010 from http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol3/iss3/art3. Ryser, G.R. McConnell, K. (2004). Scales for Identifying Gifted Students. Waco TX: Proofrock Press. Smith-Collins, Searetha. (2007). The Unserved, Under-Served, and Inappropriately Served: Educating Gifted and Talented Minority Students. Gifted Education Press Quarterly, 21(4), 4-9 Sternberg, R.J. (2002). A Reflective Conversation with Robert J. Sternberg about Giftedness, Gifted Education, and Intelligence. Gifted Education International, 16 (3), 201-207 Schrorth, Stephen Helfer, Jason A. (2008). Identifying Gifted Students: Educator Beliefs Regarding Various Policies, Processes, and Procedures. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 32 (2). 155-179. Van Tassel-Baska, Joyce Brown, Elissa F. (2007). An Analysis of the Efficacy of Curriculum Models in Gifted Education. Gifted Child Quarterly, 51(4), 342-358. Webb, J. T. Amend, E. R. Webb, N. E. Goerrs, J. Beljan, P., Olenchak, F. R. (2005). Misdiagnosis and dual diagnosis of gifted children and adults. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.

Concord University Department of Education :: Colleges Education Teaching Essays

Concord University Department of Education Philosophy Statement Forest Witcraft once said, "One hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the size of my house, or what kind of car I drove. But the world may be a little better, because I was important in the life of a child." Teachers are not just educators; they are parents, social workers, nurses, and even friends. I believe that a good teacher can play all of those roles and more at the same time, without wavering. Children are not only our future, but they are our present. Without children, there is no hope, no love, or no potential. If our children cannot look to us, educators, as role models, who will they look too? I feel that the only way to become a good role model is to be an effective teacher. By using an open mind and an open heart, I plan to touch the life of a child in a positive, educational manner. For if one life can be forever changed, so will mine. The definition of education is â€Å"the action or process of educating or of being educated, knowledge and development resulting from an educational process† (Webster Online Dictionary, 2004). We are not just talking about teaching, we are talking about effective teaching; Bringing a child from dark to light when it comes to learning. But how do we teach effectively? I believe motivation is the best key. If you cannot motivate your student’s to their best, then you’re not being an effective teacher. For this motive, teachers should make the learning process fun. If learning is fun and entertaining, students learn and don’t even realize it. Also, to be an effective teacher we must have high standards and high expectations. High standards and expectations make the students expand their minds and they are forced to excel in their work. But can you force students to excel? Yes, with the proper incentive. This then brings us back to motivation. As teacher, we should not strive to be good, but strive to be the best. For if we as instructors reach for the best, so will our students. Our attitudes are greatly reflected onto our children. I remember so many times having teachers who were just at school for the pay check and how it greatly showed in their work. I also remember teachers who were genuinely excited about teaching.