posted April 18, 2010 01:39 PM         

1.Trait As It Appears In the Disorder View
2. How It Appears In The Hunter View
3. Opposite Farmer Trait (referring to "normal" people)

1. Distractible
2.Constantly monitoring their environment
3. Not easily distracted from the task at hand

1. Attention span is short,but can become intensely focused for long periods of time
2. Able to throw themselves into the chase on a moment's notice
3. Able to sustain a steady, dependable effort

1. Poor planner: disorganized and impulsive (makes snap decisions)
2. Flexible;ready to change strategy quickly.
3. Organized,purposeful. They have a long-term strategy and they stick to it.

1. Distorted sense of time: unaware of how long it will take to do something
2. Tireless: capable of sustained drives,but only when hot on the trail of some goal.
3. Conscious of time and timing. They get things done in time,pace themselves,have good staying power.

1. Impatient
2. Results oriented. Acutely aware of whether the goal is getting closer now.
3. Patient. Aware that good things take time; willing to wait.

1. Doesn't convert words into concepts adeptly, and vice versa. May or may not have a reading disability.
2. Visual/concrete thinker, clearly seeing a tangible goal even if there are no words for it.
3. Much better able to seek goals that aren't easy to see at the moment.

1. Has difficulty following directions.
2. Independent.
3. Team player.

1. Daydreamer.
2. Bored by mundane tasks; enjoys new ideas, excitement, the hunt, being hot on the trail.
3. Focused. Good at follow-through, tending to details,taking care of business.

1. Acts without considering the consequences.
2. Willing and able to take risks and face danger.
3. Careful, look before you leap.

1. Lacking in the social graces.
2. No time for niceties when there are decisions to be made!
3. Nurturing; creates and supports community values; attuned to whetheer something will last.

Thom Hartmann's views have been confirmed by the discovery of the DRD4 7R Gene too. It is a novelty seeking gene connected approximately half of ADD cases. It is an advantageous gene dated back between 10,000 to 40,000 years ago that helped humans thrive and survive.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/01/020109074512.htm
http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/005263.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080609195604.htm
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/020819/archive_022328.htm

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

posted April 18, 2010 01:46 PM         

Thomas Jefferson was arguably one of the most well-educated Americans of his time. He was well-read, thoughtful, knowledgeable in a wide variety of topics from the arts to the sciences,and the founder of the University of Virginia. The same could probably be said of Ben Franklin, or James and Dolly Madison. On the larger world stage, we could credibly make such claims for Rene Descartes, William Shakespeare, Galileo, Michelangelo, and Plato.

But there is this one thing unique about the education of all these people, which is different from that of you, me, and our children: none ever were given grades. All attended schools or had teachers who worked entirely on a pass/fail system.

The model of education from its earliest times was one of mentorship, starting with hunter-gatherers taking children out on the hunt 100,000 years ago, all the way up to the teaching methods employed at the university founded by Thomas Jefferson. The teacher and the students got know one another. They interacted constantly throughout the day. The teacher knew each child, had a clear vision of each child's understanding of the coursework, and worked with each child (or encouraged them to work with each other) until the teacher was satisfied each child understood the material...or was hopelessly incapable of being educated. Because this latter was virtually an admission of failure on the part of the teacher, it happened rarely.

When a student graduated, the most impressive thing she or he could share with prospective employer was not a Grade Point Average (GPA) or even the name of the institution attended: it was the name of the teacher. Students of the great teachers of history often became famous themselves because of thoroughness with which their mentors had inculcated knowledge, understanding, skill, and talen in them.

This is how things went from 98,000 BC to roughly 1800 AD. Then name William Farish.

Around the turn of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution was going full-bore. Piece-work payments were becoming increasingly popular, and many schools were beginning to pay teachers based on the number of students they had, as opposed to a flat salary.

William Farish

William Farish was a tutor at Cambridge University in England in 1792, and, other than his single contribution to the subsequent devastation of generations of schoolchildren, is otherwise undistinguished and unknown by most people.

Getting to know his students, one may suppose, was too much trouble for Parish. It meant work, interacting and participating daily with each child. It meant paying attention to their needs, to their understanding, to their styles of learning. It mean there was a limit on the number of students he could thus get to know, and therefore a limit on how much money he could earn.

So Farish came up with a method of teaching which would allow him to process more students in a shorter period of time. He invented grades. (The grading system had originated earlier in the factories, as a way of determining if the shoes, for example, made on the assembly line were "up to grade." It was used as a benchmark to determine if the workers should be paid, and if the shoes could be sold.)

Grades did not make students smarter. In fact, they had the opposite effect: they made it harder for those children to succeed who style of learning didn't match the didactic, auditory form of lecture-teaching Farish used.

Grades didn't give students deeper insights into their topics of study. Instead, grades forced children to memorize by rote only those details necessary to pass the tests, without regard to true comprehension of the subject matter.

Grades didn't encourage critical thinking or insight skills, didn't promote questioning minds. Such behaviors are useless in the graded classroom, and within a few generations were considered so irrelevant that today they're no longer listed among the goals of public education.

Grades didn't stimulate the students, or share with them a contagious love for the subject being studied. The opposite happened, in fact, as the normative effect of grades acted as a muffling blanket to any eruptions of enthusiasm, any attempts to dig deeper into a topic, any discussions into larger significance or practical application of content.

What grades did do, however, was increase the salary of William Farish, while, at the same time, lowering his workload and reducing the hours he needed to burrow into his students' minds to know if they understood a topic: his grading system would do it for him. And it would do it just as efficiently for twenty children as it would for two hundred.

Farish brought grades to the classroom, and the transformation was both sudden and startling: a revolution as rapid and overwhelming as the Industrial Revolution from which it had sprung. Within a generation, the lecture-hall/classroom shifted from a place where one heard the occasional speech by a famous thinker to the place of ordinary daily instruction.

While grades didn't help students a bit--and, in fact, had the now well-known effect of "dumbing down" entire nations--they vastly simplified the work of teachers and schools. So they spread across Europe and to America with startling speed, arriving here in early 1800s.

Without grades, the assembly-line-classroom would not be possible. With grades, whole categories of children were discovered who didn't fit onto the conveyor belt, providing an entire new realm of employment for adults who would diagnose, treat, and remediate these newly-discovered "learning disabled" children.

Responsibility for the success of learning shifted from teachers to students: when kids failed, it was their own fault, because they obviously had a defect or disorder of some sort.

A process of sorting and discarding the misfits began (just like in the shoe factory) which, to this day, rewards the "standard" and wounds the "different."

William Farish gained, but something precious was lost to generations of students thereafter: the mentored learning experience.

Research by Child Development Theorist Linda Kreger Silverman suggests that less than 30% of the population strongly uses visual/spatial thinking, another 45% uses both visual/spatial thinking and thinking in the form of words, and 25% thinks exclusively in words. According to Kreger Silverman, of the 30% of the general population who use visual/spatial thinking, only a small percentage would use this style over and above all other forms of thinking, and can be said to be 'true' "picture thinkers"

According to L.K. Silverman's research for over two decades, there is a high confidence (over 80%) that:

* At least one-third are strongly visual-spatial.
* One-fifth are strongly auditory-sequential.
* The remainder are a balance of both learning styles.

Of that remainder (who are not strongly visual-spatial nor strongly auditory-sequential):

* Another 30% show a slight preference for visual-spatial learning style.
* Another 15% show a slight preference for auditory-sequential learning style.

This means that more than 60% of the students in a regular classroom learn best with visual-spatial presentations and the rest learn best with auditory-sequential methods. http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Visual_thinking

To sum is up, schools use to be all about mentoring, one-on-on interaction between the student and teaching,adapting to the student's learning style. There were no grades which were based on factory systems. They were pass/fail. Mainstream schools involve auditory lecturing teaching, but it is only suitable for less than 40 percent of students in the regular classroom. If schools were like the schools before the 1800, the diagnoses of learning disabled,ADHD as well as the dropout rate would be considerably smaller. To address the students that are truly learning disabled (or should I say learning differenced),there are special education therapies that can address those things like auditory therapy,speech therapy,motor skills therapy. That's what special education programs are for. They are not just for children that are mentally retarded.

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

posted April 18, 2010 04:00 PM         

I think my son and maybe my daughter fits this.

Especially my son, last year they insisted he be tested for ADHD. He is extremely hyper. Only I refused. I believed he was acting out bc his father was taken away... I sent him to live with his dad for 6 months and now he's "better"

He is having a hard time with reading, he's really behind in it. He's the lowest in his class. I try to help him, but my patience is thin and I dont know HOW to teach him....

Any Advice???????

posted April 18, 2010 04:15 PM         

Yeah...it is. Neurodivergent conditions are known to runs in families. Like I said before, neurodivergent traits run strong in my family. Both my parents were neurodivergents.

That's my nonprofit organization is Developmental Neurodiversity Association with DNA as its acronym. It's suggesting genetic.

I believe that there is a difference between genetic neurodivergence and acquired neurodivergence.

I don't know. Only you know yourself. What you described and what the stuff that in your chart seems to fit.

"I think my son and maybe my daughter fits this.

Especially my son, last year they insisted he be tested for ADHD. He is extremely hyper. Only I refused. I believed he was acting out bc his father was taken away... I sent him to live with his dad for 6 months and now he's "better"

ADHD is just a social construct label for people with novelty seeking traits. That's why DRD4 7R gene is strongly connected to both novelty seeking and ADHD. That gene is a spontaneous genetic mutation that appeared between 10,000 and 40,000 years ago.

Another thing to beware of is that there are many things that mimic ADHD. http://www.incrediblehorizons.com/mimic-adhd.htm

"He is having a hard time with reading, he's really behind in it. He's the lowest in his class. I try to help him, but my patience is thin and I dont know HOW to teach him....

Any Advice???????:

What's the problem with his reading. Was he taught to read with a multisensory approach?
Most teachers teach reading with the whole language approach.

Most people that have reading problems have problems with phonemic awareness,auditory processing. Phonemes are the smallest sound units in spoken language.

":Also do you know what Astrology software I can use to teach myself. bc yes that would be the best route for me.."

I use Solar Fire since 1999.

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

posted April 18, 2010 04:19 PM         

Genetic Neurodivergence or Acquired Neurodivergence

I am a member of Dyspraxia group on yahoo.
One of the members had disagreed that Dyspraxia can be a gift. He just sees it as a disability and hindrance. He thought of himself as being dumber than most. I tried to explain to him that many neurodivergents are very intelligent but tend to have feelings of intellectual inadequacy because they process information differently from most and are being compared to normal people. Then he told me that his was caused by brain damage connected to accident. He told me that somehow the umbilical cord got around his neck which resulted in severe oxygen deprivation.
I couldn't relate to that at all. I don't have brain damage. Neurologists examined me when I was in preschool because of my problems with coordination and balance, and they ruled out brain damage. In 2006, Veteran Affairs neurologists ruled out brain damage when I got examined by them. They also confirmed my Dyslexia and Dyspraxia and ruled that it was genetic and not acquired because my symptoms weren't progressive. They even said that they couldn't do anything for me. After all, I had already had auditory therapy,speech therapy,phonics training,and motor skills therapy to correct my Dyslexic,Dyspraxic issues when I was a child. My Veteran Affairs neuropsyche tests also confirmed that I had significant strengths in visual spatial thinking,strategic thinking,and problem solving even though I had weaknesses in short term memory(both visual and verbal), eye tracking, auditory processing,motor skills,and overall coordination. A lot of people in my family have neurodivergent traits. I even showed my mom a list of neurodivergent symptoms that Dr. Levinson wrote about, and she told me that she had a lot of them. My aunt (my mom's half sister) told me that she did too,and her daughter was diagnosed as having ADHD at the age of 7 because of her hyperactivity. My grandmother (my mom's stepmother) told me that my Uncle Eddie was recommended to be medicated for being very hyperactive, but she refused because she didn't want drugs messing up his brain. She also said that she's hyperactive,and so was my grandfather and they weren't taking medication for their hyperactivity. My Uncle Eddie's son, Joey is very hyperactive like his father. He is gifted and gets straight A's if he is disciplined. He gets F's when he is without discipline. His father disciplines him,and he gets straight A's again.

I am thinking of just creating a nonprofit neurodiversity organization just for people that have developmental neurodivergences and not for ones that are acquired. I believe that ones that are acquired and created by brain damage need advocacy too. I was told that my main life purpose is to help indigo,crystal types. I am thinking that's referring to the genetic neurodivergents that to tend have sigificant strengths in certain areas and not just weaknesses as well as are highly intelligent,ultrasensitive,and nonconformist. That's exactly how I am. I definitely have a genetic neurodivergence.

Take Ronald D. Davis' theory for instance. He has Autism and Dyslexia. He was labeled a Kanner's baby. He is an engineer,artist,and business man that heads an international organization to help people with neurodivergence through his methods.

This is what Ronald D. Davis said about basic abilities connected to neurodivergence:

1. They can utilize the brain's ability to alter and create perceptions (the primary ability)
2. They are highly aware of the environment.
3. They are more curious than average.
4. They think mainly in pictures instead of words.
5. They are highly intuitive and insightful.
6. They think and perceive multi-dimensionally (using all the senses)
7. They can experience thought as reality.
8. They have vivid imaginations.

That seems like stuff that pertains to Indigo,Crystal types

I can totally relate to that stuff,
especially thinking in pictures. I visualize things in my mind's eye nonstop. When I am doing things, I automatically see myself doing them like seeing myself in a mirror. It's like I am turning my mind's eye onto myself. When I look at a side of an object, I automatically visualize other sides of that object too. Man...I go see a dentist, get a root canal or filling done, I visualize the drill going into my tooth,seeing the inside,blood,nerves. I read a book,and it's like watching a movie. When I am listening to people talk, it's the same way. My mind automatically associates a word with a certain picture. When I massage a person, I visualize the muscles and the direction of the muscle fibers. I always visualize something before I do it
like visualizing myself walking to the door,putting my hand on the door knob and opening the door before I actually do it. It's just an automatic thing that I do.

I go to a club and visualize my dance moves in my head as well as visualize myself dancing in front of myself before I carry out my actual dance moves.

When I was a little child, I had no ability to think in words. I had to be taught to do that through the special education therapies that I had. Verbal thinking didn't come natural to me like it did with most children. Therefore, I had problems with overall language.
My mother told me that she thinks the same as I do as in thinking in pictures,visualizing things in her mind's eye nonstop. She is even righthanded but left ear dominant and left eye dominant just like myself. She has the same cross dominance like myself. So my neurological processes are definitely genetic.

I can totally relate to what Ronald D Davis is talking about. It seems that there are neurodivergents that can't relate. Those might be the ones that have acquired neurodivergence.

I can't help thinking that there is an issue with ADHDers with the DRD4 7R types (novelty-seeking types) getting looped up with ADHDers whose ADHD was caused by other things like vitamin/mineral deficiences, fetal alcohol syndrome,food sensitivities/allergies, omega 3 fatty acid deficiencies,heavy metal poisoning,toxins.
I can totally relate to the novelty-seeking traits of DRD4 7R gene. I see these novelty-seeking traits throughout my whole family. Could it be possible that psychiatric community believes that ADHDers need to be medicated based on the acquired ADHDers and not the genetic ADHDers? I believe that is the case.

Autism is another one. There are low functioning autistics and high functioning ones. Some of the nonverbal autistics that have been thought as being mentally retarded are actually very intelligent with strong visual spatial problem solving skills, suggesting complexity in thinking. They are not just rigid types that paying extreme attention to details like it was once thought. Autistic traits tend to run in families too. Some people believe that vaccines are causing autism. Maybe that is true, but for only the low functioning autistics. I don't believe that brain damage linked to vaccines would cause high intelligence with strong visual problem solving skills,and complexed thinking. That makes no sense to me. Scientists have already found genes and spontaneous genetic mutations connected to autism. Genetic mutations make a lot of sense. That is how we humans evolved and branched into various haplogroups and subclades. For instance, I belong to Haplogroup J with J1c subclade on the matrilineal line.

Some Dyslexics acquire their Dyslexia through glue ear which causes problems with their hearing. This makes it difficult for them to process sounds in words,and so leads to problems with listening,reading,and speaking. This is completely different from a Dyslexic who has problems with language due to the right hemisphere being always being overactive and interfering with left hemisphere processing. This is true for me. I continuously think in pictures,visualizing in my mind's eye (right hemisphere) and that includes when I am reading,listening,speaking,and writing (left hemisphere). As for my hearing, I was asked if I need ear plugs when I go sleep. My auditory processing issues used to include auditory reversals, but now just including memory and speech input lags, and some confusion at times as well as problems with strings of words.

I can't help wondering that what New Age people think are Indigo,Crystal types are actually the genetic neurodivergents including even people with spontaneous genetic mutations. They are different from neurodivergents whose issues were acquired by certain things like ear infections/glue ear,heavy metal poisoning,vaccines,Omega 3 fatty acid deficiencies,as well as overall brain damage of some kind. It's very possible that the genetic neurodivergents are getting the short end of the stick based on being judged by how acquired neurodivergents are.

I am thinking that my nonprofit organization would be about genetic neurodivergence because it is something that I can strongly relate to. Acquired neurodivergence is not something that I can relate to. Talking about neurodivergence having certain strengths won't apply to them. Even saying that neurodivergence can be a gift would totally rub them the wrong way. It would be like saying polio or cancer is a gift. Some Dyspraxics in the group have already done that in yahoo group. I could understand some people telling me that ADHD is disorder and calling me "stupid" because I disagree with their views. That's already happened. Maybe they are right. Maybe it's the acquired ADHD that is a disorder but genetic ADHD isn't. Because of the overlap with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, I believe that some ADHDers could also be Dyslexics and Dyspraxics that are misdiagnosed.

I believe that the Indigo,Crystal types aren't just people that fall under genetic neurodivergences of Dyslexia,Dyspraxia,ADHD,Autism. I believe that these are also types that are just gifted,but don't conform to mainstream environments. I also believe that some of the schizophrenics and bipolars are misdiagnosed Indigo,Crystal types too. After all, metaphysical stuff isn't recognized by psychiatric,scientific communities. Astronomical community totally look down on Astrology. It's not far-fetched that many Indigo,Crystal types are misdiagnosed as bipolars,schizophrenics for talking about their beliefs and perceptions. I believe that bipolar and schizophrenia have other causes that include not only vitamin/mineral deficiences but also certain things like drugs,toxins,and even pyroluria. Even taking psychiatric medications could ironically cause bipolar,schizophrenic symptoms. Indigo,Crystal types are ultrasensitive, and so they would be hypersensitive to medications which could lead to certain side effects. Heck..taking a little Paxil or Effexor gave me temporary impotence.

Neurodivergence isn't cut and dry.

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

posted April 18, 2010 04:31 PM         

I think but not sure he has a problem sounding out the words...

He's in 2nd grade and just barely starting to read at a first grade level.. He's really behind... When doing his homework I have to sit and read everything to him...

posted April 18, 2010 04:37 PM         

Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities

* High abstract reasoning ability
* Good mathematical reasoning ability
* Keen visual memory, spatial skills
* Advanced vocabulary
* Sophisticated sense of humor
* Imaginative and creative
* Insightful
* Exceptional ability in geometry, science, arts, music
* Good problem-finding and -solving skills
* Difficulty with memorization, computation, phonics, and/or spelling
* Distractibility and/or disorganization
* Supersensitivity
* Perfectionism
* Grasp of metaphors, analogies, satire
* Comprehension of complex systems
* Unreasonable self expectations
* Often, failure to complete assignments
* Difficulties with sequential tasks
* Wide variety of interests
(Baum, Owen, & Dixon, 1991; Silverman, 1989)

Here is stuff about ADHD and Gifted who are Bored:

Characteristics of Gifted Students Who Are Bored

* Poor attention and daydreaming when bored
* Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant
* Begin many projects, see few to completion
* Development of judgment lags behind intellectual growth
* Intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities
* High activity level; may need less sleep
* Difficulty restraining desire to talk; may be disruptive
* Question rules, customs, and traditions
* Lose work, forget homework, are disorganized
* May appear careless
* Highly sensitive to criticism
* Do not exhibit problem behaviors in all situations
* More consistent levels of performance at a fairly consistent pace
(Cline, 1999; Webb & Latimer, 1993)

Characteristics of Students with ADHD

* Poorly sustained attention
* Diminished persistence on tasks not having immediate consequences
* Often shift from one uncompleted activity to another
* Impulsivity, poor delay of gratification
* Impaired adherence to commands to regulate or inhibit behavior in social
contexts
* More active, restless than other children
* Often talk excessively
* Often interrupt or intrude on others (e.g., butt into games)
* Difficulty adhering to rules and regulations
* Often lose things necessary for tasks or activities at home or school
* May appear inattentive to details
* Highly sensitive to criticism
* Problem behaviors exist in all settings, but in some are more severe
* Variability in task performance and time used to accomplish tasks.
(Barkley, 1990; Cline, 1999; Webb & Latimer, 1993)

I fit with the Gifted and LD profile. I also fit more with Gifted who are Bored
profile than the ADHD profile. But some of the issues with ADHD can also be
because of the LD any way.

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

A Different Mind Is Not A Deficient Mind.

posted April 18, 2010 04:47 PM         

Absolutely

Neurological Testing, Neuropsychological Testing

"I think but not sure he has a problem sounding out the words...

He's in 2nd grade and just barely starting to read at a first grade level.. He's really behind... When doing his homework I have to sit and read everything to him...

He can not do it on his own"

The following is from International Dyslexia Association

What Are the Signs of Dyslexia?

General
The problems displayed by individuals with dyslexia involve difficulties in acquiring and using language--reading and writing letters in the wrong order is just one manifestation of dyslexia and does not occur in all cases. Other problems experienced by dyslexics include:

* Learning to speak
* Organizing written and spoken language
* Learning letters and their sounds
* Memorizing number facts
* Spelling
* Reading
* Learning a foreign language
* Correctly doing math operations

Not all students who have difficulties with these skills are dyslexic. Formal testing is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of suspected dyslexia.

Adults
The difficulties noted below are often associated with dyslexia if they are unexpected for the individual's age, educational level, or cognitive abilities. A qualified diagnostician can test a person to determine if he or she is truly dyslexic.

* May hide reading problems
* May spell poorly; relies on others to correct spelling
* Avoids writing; may not be able to write
* Often very competent in oral language
* Relies on memory; may have an excellent memory
* Often has good "people" skills
* Often is spatially talented; professions include, but are not limited, to engineers, architects, designers, artists and craftspeople, mathematicians, physicists, physicians (esp. surgeons and orthopedists), and dentists.
* May be very good at "reading" people (intuitive)
* In jobs is often working well below their intellectual capacity
* May have difficulty with planning, organization and management of time, materials and tasks.
* Are often entrepreneurs

Young Children
Signs of dyslexia in young, preschool children include talking later than expected, a slowness to add new words, difficulty rhyming, and trouble following multistep directions. After a child begins school, the signs of dyslexia include:

* Difficulty reading single words, such as a word on a flashcard
* Difficulty learning the connection between letters and sounds
* Confusing small words, such as at and to
* Letter reversals, such as d for b
* Word reversals, such as tip for pit

Having one of these signs does not mean your child has dyslexia; many children reverse letters before the age of 7. But, if several signs exist and reading problems persist, or if you have a family history of dyslexia, you may want to have your child evaluated.

Younger Students
Does Your 1st, 2nd or 3rd-Grader:

* Remember simple sequences such as counting to 20, naming the days of the week, or reciting the alphabet?
* Have an understanding of rhyming words, such as knowing that fat rhymes with cat?
* Recognize words that begin with the same sound (for example, that bird, baby, and big all start with b)?
* Easily clap hands to the rhythm of a song?
* Frequently use specific words to name objects rather than words like “stuff” and “that thing”?
* Easily remember spoken directions?
* Remember names of places and people?
* Show understanding of right-left, up-down, front-back?
* Sit still for a reasonable period of time?
* Make and keep friends easily?

Answering “no” to some or most of these questions may indicate a learning disability. Not all students who have difficulties with these skills are dyslexic. Formal testing is the only way to confirm a diagnosis of suspected dyslexia.
http://www.interdys.org/SignsofDyslexiaCombined.htm

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

posted April 18, 2010 05:00 PM         

Is My Child Dyslexic?
Individuals with dyslexia have trouble with reading, writing, spelling and/or math even though they have the ability and have had opportunities to learn. Individuals with dyslexia can learn, but they often need specialized instruction to overcome the problem. Often these individuals, who have talented and productive minds, are said to have a language learning difference.

Common characteristics of dyslexia
Most of us have one or two of these characteristics. That does not mean that everyone has dyslexia. A person with dyslexia usually has several of these characteristics that persist over time and interfere with his or her learning.

Oral language
• Late learning to talk
• Difficulty pronouncing words
• Difficulty acquiring vocabulary or using age appropriate grammar
• Difficulty following directions
• Confusion with before/after, right/left, and so on
• Difficulty learning the alphabet, nursery rhymes, or songs
• Difficulty understanding concepts and relationships
• Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems

Reading
• Difficulty learning to read
• Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words, or counting syllables in words (phonological awareness)
• Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (phonemic awareness)
• Difficulty distinguishing different sounds in words (phonological processing)
• Difficulty in learning the sounds of letters (phonics)
• Difficulty remembering names and shapes of letters, or naming letters rapidly
• Transposing the order of letters when reading or spelling
• Misreading or omitting common short words
• “Stumbles” through longer words
• Poor reading comprehension during oral or silent reading, often because words are not accurately read
• Slow, laborious oral reading

Written language
• Difficulty putting ideas on paper
• Many spelling mistakes
• May do well on weekly spelling tests, but may have many spelling mistakes in daily work
• Difficulty proofreading

Other common symptoms that occur with dyslexia
• Difficulty naming colors, objects, and letters rapidly, in a sequence
(RAN: rapid automatized naming)
• Weak memory for lists, directions, or facts
• Needs to see or hear concepts many times to learn them
• Distracted by visual or auditory stimuli
• Downward trend in achievement test scores or school performance
• Inconsistent school work
• Teacher says, “If only she would try harder,” or “He’s lazy.”
• Relatives may have similar problems

Other common symptoms that occur with dyslexia
• Difficulty naming colors, objects, and letters rapidly, in a sequence
(RAN: rapid automatized naming)
• Weak memory for lists, directions, or facts
• Needs to see or hear concepts many times to learn them
• Distracted by visual or auditory stimuli
• Downward trend in achievement test scores or school performance
• Inconsistent school work
• Teacher says, “If only she would try harder,” or “He’s lazy.”
• Relatives may have similar problems

Common characteristics of other related learning disorders

Dysgraphia (Handwriting)
• Unsure of handedness
• Poor or slow handwriting
• Messy and unorganized papers
• Difficulty copying
• Poor fine motor skills
• Difficulty remembering the kinesthetic movements to form letters correctly

Dyscalculia (Math)
• Difficulty counting accurately
• May misread numbers
• Difficulty memorizing and retrieving math facts
• Difficulty copying math problems and organizing written work
• Many calculation errors
• Difficulty retaining math vocabulary and concepts

ADHD—Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Attention)
• Inattention
• Variable attention
• Distractibility
• Impulsivity
• Hyperactivity

Dyspraxia (Motor skills)
• Difficulty planning and coordinating body movements
• Difficulty coordinating facial muscles to produce sounds

Executive Function/Organization
• Loses papers
• Poor sense of time
• Forgets homework
• Messy desk
• Overwhelmed by too much input
• Works slowly

Is My Child Dyslexic? – Page 3

If your child is having difficulties learning to read and you have noted several of these characteristics in your child, he or she may need to be evaluated for dyslexia or a related disorder.

What kind of instruction does my child need?
Dyslexia and other related learning disorders cannot be cured. Proper instruction promotes reading success and alleviates many difficulties associated with dyslexia. Instruction for individuals with reading and related learning disabilities should be:

• Intensive – given every day or very frequently for sufficient time.
• Explicit – component skills for reading, spelling, and writing are explained, directly taught, and modeled by the teacher. Children are discouraged from guessing at words.
• Systematic and cumulative – has a definite, logical sequence of concept introduction; concepts are ordered from simple to more complex; each new concept builds upon previously introduced concepts, with built in review to aid memory and retrieval.
• Structured – has step-by-step procedures for introducing, reviewing, and practicing concepts.
• Multisensory – links listening, speaking, reading, and writing together; involves movement and “hands on” learning.

http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/Is_My_Child_Dyslexic_9-12--8.pdf

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

A Different Mind Is Not A Deficient Mind.

posted April 18, 2010 05:13 PM         

April 23, 2002 Lakewood Calif 1:50pm

He is
energetic
excellent memory
good in math,science
talks and talks and talks did I say TALKS ALOT
fearless, wants to explore and know everything
sensitive
wants/ needs lots of attention
outgoing
loves to dance and socialize
I think he worries
loves animals
loves the computer and does well on it.

Thats just a few....

posted April 18, 2010 05:20 PM         

Here is a list of interventions,treatments,and therapies for neurodivergent conditions. Because there is so much overlap between the various neurodivergent conditions, these therapies can be useful for more than one neurodivergent condition. For example, speech therapy can be helpful for people with Dyslexia,Dyspraxia,Autistic Spectrum because speech therapy are symptoms of those conditions. Auditory processing issues are also symptoms of those conditions. Tomatic Method,Audiblox,,and Auditory Integration could be used to correct the auditory processing issues of Visual processing problems are common in Dyslexia,Dyspraxia,ADHD,and Autistic Spectrum, and so vision therapy could be useful. Some people believe that vestibular problems are common with the neurodivergent conditions, and so Balametrics or Dr. Harold N. Levinson's approach might be something to consider. All the neurodivergent conditions are linked to sensory integration issues, and so sensory integration therapy could also be something that could be useful. The thing is that not one therapy will work for all nor most. It depends on the individual.

AROMATHERAPY
Aromatherapy is the inhalation of plant oils, called essential oils, for improved physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Essential oils are the pure essence of the plant—often referred to as nature's living energy—and can provide both psychological and physical benefits when used correctly. Essential oils can be used on their own for aromatherapy or with complementary natural ingredients, such as vegetable or carrier oils.

Some aromatherapists use Peppermint (neuro-stimulator,helping with concentration), Neroli(calming, helping resolve obsessive behaviors),Roman Chamomile (calming, works well with hypersensitivity and aggression),and Sandalwood (helping with obsessive,aggressive behaviors) have been used to treat Autism.
Vetiver (mental balancing,deep relaxant), Lavender(calming), Cedarwood (stimulating the nervous system),and Frankincense (ability to lower anxiety and depression,calming) have been used to treat ADHD. http://www.naha.org/

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND COMPUTER PROGRAMS
Assistive technology means any item,piece of equipment,or product system that is used to increase,maintain,or improve the functional capabilities of a person. It can be a high-technology item such as a Lightwriter to help someone type what they can say verbally. Or it can be low technology such as picture icons used to communicate something a person wants or larger letters on keyboard keys. Some children with autism can easily use computer programs and learn by using them. Others struggle with the sensory issues of too much to look at and too much to listen to. Some programs have been designed for students with autism in mind. www.atacess.org www.techable.org

AUDIBLOX
Audiblox is a system of exercises aimed at developming foundation learning skills. It was developed by Dr. Jan Strydom, a South African educator. The goal is to improve cognitive abilities such as as concentration, perceptual skills, memory,number concepts, and motor coordination.

The kit comes with ninety-six colored blocks,a set of cards printed with colored patterns, and an instruction book detailing a serious of games and activities to be practiced with these materials. THe kit includes a student reading book with a story made up of the 800 most commonly used words in English, and a set of colored word cards and word lists to be learned by memory in conjunction with reading the book. It is recommended that your school-age child practice the exercises for about three hours a week. Improvements within six weeks to three months of sustained practice is to be expected.
www. audiblox

AUDITORY INTEGRATION THERAPY
Auditory Integration Therapy is based on the theory that some people have hypersensitivity toward certain sound frequencies, making some common sounds painful to hear. Individuals wear headphones and listen to modulated sounds and music, with certain frequencies filtered out. This is done over a period of time. The purpose is to help build tolerance to sounds and listening acuity due to the acoustic relex muscles being exercised. Pain or sensitivity to loud noises or certain frequencies is reduced, and the pathways in the brain that transmit and respond to sound are stimulated. www.sait.org

BALAMETRICS
Balametrics’ products and therapies focus much on balance stimulation activities. Balance is the central role of the vestibular system aka the inner ear. The products are used for developing good balance,multi-sensory integration,spatial awareness,integration between the right and left brain hemispheres,brain timing/reaction time,sequencing,binocular teaming,and proprioception(the awareness of movement and body position). Balance boards are mainly used. http://www.balametrics.com/

BRAIN GYM
Brain Gym is a series of twenty-six exercises designed to help learners coordinate their brains and their bodies better. It consists of simple movements similar to natural movements. The goal of the program is to improve sense of balance and ability to focus as well as relieve stress. http://www.braingym.org/

PACE and BRAINSKILLS
Processing and Cognitive Enhancement (PACE) is a program of exercises designeed to strengthen weak skills such as difficulties with memory or processing speed. BrainSkills is a simplified version of the PACE program developed for home use. Both programs are done with the parent or tutor working one-on-one with the person. The program can address skills such as processing,auditory analysis,and logical reasoning. www.brainskills

CHIROPRACTIC
Chiropractic is a health care discipline and profession that emphasizes diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The main chiropractic treatment technique involves manual therapy, including manipulation of the spine, other joints, and soft tissues; treatment also includes exercises and health and lifestyle counseling.

It is believed that most developmental disorders are based in the brain, they are central nervous dysfunctions thought to be triggered by nerve interference or misalignments called vertebral subluxations.

A reduction of spinal misalignment may restore proper joint and central nervous system function and improve motor balance. http://www.acatoday.org/

DAVIS DYSLEXIA CORRECTION
Davis Dyslexia Correction is a program that is geared to the creative strengths of people with neurodivergence. It combines certain techniques to resolve perceptual problems and attention focusing issues with a method for mastering sight words and improving reading fluency and comprehension that is geared to the creative thinking strengths that are involved with neurodivergence. It is a two-stage program beginning with a one-week, intensive program of counseling and guidance that breaks down major learning barriers and often results in reading improvement. The second stage is practice and implementation of the Davis methods at home that include mostly clay modeling. Koosh balls are also used to help develop coordination and balance. www.dyslexia.com

DORE
The Dore Program is an exercise program that is designed to improve balance and coordination. The program begins with an assessment to determine if the child has problems with balance or coordination. After the assessment, the person is given a set of exercises to to at home for five to ten minutes per day. One of the exercises is to throw a bean bag from one hand to another while standing on a cushion on one leg.
Every six weeks, the child returns to the DORE center for a follow-up assessment, and a new or revised set of exercises is prescribed. The Program lasts about twelve months. www.dorecenter.com

FACILITATED COMMUNICATION (FC)
This type of communication that was originally developed for use with individuals who had problems controlling or using their muscles and therefore were unable to communicate independently. A facilitator who holds the communicator's hand or arm in a certain manner, thus allowing the communicator to point to letters on a letter board or keyboard. The goal of facilitated communication was for the individual to eventually be able to communicate independently, without the use of a facilitator. www.soeweb.syr.edu/thefci/fcfacts

FAST FORWORD LEARNING PRODUCTS
Fast ForWord uses computer software to stretch out the sounds of language and provide children with listening practice in order to build phonological understanding and awareness. It involves playing compuer games. As the person's ability to distinguish sounds improves, the software increases difficulty and rate of speech until the person reaches a level of competence or mastery. www.scilearn.com

FATTY ACIDS
It has been recognized that fats have a very important role in the metabolism and development of the body. There is some evidence that a nutritional or dietary deficiency of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs) or Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) may play a part in neurodivergent conditions.
Lineolic Acid is found in many vegetable oils. Alpha-linoleic acid is found in vegetable oils and dark-green leavy vegetables. Docasahexaeonic acid is found in fish and algae. Eicosapentaeonic acid is found in fish. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_fatty_acid

FEINGOLD DIET
Feingold Diet was developed by Dr. Ben Feingold to treat hyperactivity in children. He recommended removing artificial colorings and flavorings, salicylates, and some preservatives from children's diets. Salicylates are a group of chemicals related to aspirin and found in certain fruits and vegetables. His view was that that many children were being seen and treated for hyperactivity due to the increase in artificial ingredients being added to our food and the increase in the consumption of processed foods. www.feingold.org

FLOOR TIME APPROACH
This was developed by Dr. Stanly I. Greenspan as part of his developmental approach to therapy. The approach is based on his belief that emotions give meaning to our experiences, as well as direction to our actions. Floor Time seeks to have the child develop a sense of pleasure in interacting and relating to others, and is done through play, based on the child's interests, and through creating an increasly larger circle of interaction between the child and an adult. The goals include encouraging attention and intimacy;two-way communication;encouraging the expression and use of ideas and feelings; and logical thought. www.stanleygreenspan.com

GLUTEN FREE/CASEIN FREE DIET
This has been developed for individuals who have allergies or toxic response to gluten (found in wheat,oats,rye,and barley,among others) and casein (found in dairy products). Some indications of allergy or a toxic response to gluten and casein are diarrhea,constipation,hyperactivity,red face or ears, flatulence,and pale skin. Basically peptides that are derived from an incomplete breakdown of certain types of food are affecting neurotransmission within the central nervous system. There are urine and blood tests which can show the level of peptides that the person has. www.gfcfdiet.com www.celiac.com www.autismndi.com

GREAT LEAPS READING
Grea Leaps is a one-on-one program designed to be taught in short five-to ten-minute practice sessions. The child completes several timed one-minute readings under the direct supervision of the teacher or tutor. The goal is that the child will have no more than two errors per reading. As soon as the child meets the goal with one passage, he "leaps" to a passage written on a slightly more difficult level. The program focuses on teaching sight words via small phrases with the idea that reading phrases in context will work around the common tendency of struggling readers to skip or stumble over small function words. www.greatleaps.com

INTERACTIVE METRONOME
Interactive Metronome (IM) uses special interactive equipment in order to improve your child's sense of rhythm and timing. This is a form of occupational therapy that enhances the mental ability to plan sequence and process information. The person performs a series of repetitive hand or foot exercies in time with a computer-generated beat. He wears headsets to listen to guide tones, and sensors attacheed to his hand or foot send signals back to the computer. If he hits ahead of the beat, he hears an auditory tone in the left side of the head. If he hits after the beat, the tone comes from the right. When the person is able to hit on the beat, a reward tone is heard through both ears. The person becomes better able to to sustain focus,disregard distractions,and stay on task for longer periods of time. www.interactivemetronome.com

IRLEN LENSES
Psychologist Helen Irlen discovered that many she worked with were able to improve reading fluency when using colored lenses. She came up with the term Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome aka Irlen Syndrome to describe the condition that she was treating with the colored lenses. Some symptoms of Irlen Syndrome are problems with working under bright lights, problems with reading print on white or high gloss paper, or perceiving print as moving around or getting blurry. There are wide selection of colored lenses, www.irlen.com

HERBALISM
Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Many plants synthesize substances that are useful to the maintenance of health in humans and other animals. These include aromatic substances, most of which are phenols or their oxygen-substituted derivatives such as tannins. Many are secondary metabolites, of which at least 12,000 have been isolated — a number estimated to be less than 10% of the total. In many cases, substances such as alkaloids serve as plant defense mechanisms against predation by microorganisms, insects, and herbivores. Many of the herbs and spices used by humans to season food yield useful medicinal compounds.

Certain herbs such as Chamomile (calmative), St. John's Wort (mostly used for depression) and Lemon balm (used for nervousness) are used to treat autism symptoms. Nervine herbs including Hops,Chamomile,Scullcap,Catnip,Lavender,and Spearmint have been used treat ADHD symptoms. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/herb_All.html#N http://www.herbmed.org/index.asp

KETOGENIC DIET
This diet has been developed for people with seizures. It is high in fat, low in protein and carbohydrates. When the body burns fat instead of carbohydrates for energy, it creates ketone bodies, which in turn suppress seizure activity. Supervision of a neurologist and help of a knowledgeable dietician is strongly recommended. www.standford.edu/group/ketodiet

LEVINSON MEDICAL CENTER
Dr. Harold Levinson is a psychiatrist and neurologist who believes that neurodivergent conditions stem from a disturbance in the inner ear which is important for equilibrium. According to him, this disturbance causes the brain to receive scrambled signals which in turn produces the symptoms commonly associated with neurodivergence. Dr. Levinson treats patients with a combination of medications that include anti-motion sickness antihistamines and medications used to regulate attention. www.levinsonmedical.com

LINDAMOND-BELL LEARNING PROCESSS
Lindamond Learning Bell Processes is a set of programs to address different types of underlying weaknesses associated with reading difficulties through program of intensive therapy and practice.

Lindamond Phonemic Sequencing (LIPS), which builds phonemic awareness skilsl through developing awareness of the mouth actions which produce speech sounds. The process uses Socratic questioning,mirrors,mouth pictures, and descriptive labels such as "lip popper" for the /p/ to help the person connect the sounds of words with the process of producing each sound in speech.

A second program, Nancibell Seeing Stars: Symbol Imagery develops the ability mentally visualize the identity,number,and sequence of letters for the sounds within words. This strategy helps improve word recognition and spelling skills.

A third program called Nancibell Visualizing and Verbalizing builds reading comprehension and critical thinking skills by enhancing a child's ability to create mental images related to language and reading and to describe the images in words. The therapist uses a systematic series of questions such as asking about color,size,shape,or movement to stimulate detailed and vivid imagery. www.lindamondbell.com

MASSAGE THERAPY
Massage is the practice of applying structured or unstructured pressure, tension, motion, or vibration — manually or with mechanical aids — to the soft tissues of the body, including muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, joints and lymphatic vessels, to achieve a beneficial response. A form of therapy, massage can be applied to parts of the body or successively to the whole body, to aid the process of injury healing, relieve psychological stress, manage pain, and improve circulation. Where massage is used for its physical and psychological benefits, it may be termed "therapeutic massage" or manipulative therapy.

Deeper massage techniques, as well as joint compression are thought to be helpful with autism. Massage meets the basic human need for contact or touch often assumed to be absent in people who have autism. It provides them with positive experiences with being touched and touching. Massage may also be helpful in dealing with ADHD. the goal is to stimulate the parasympathetic relaxation response when working with individuals with ADHD. http://www.intamassage.com/

MERCURY DETOXIFICATION TREATMENT
Mercury is present in dental analgram,certain types of seafood, and in thimerosal, a preservative found in some vaccines. It is highly toxic and some individuals are extremely sensitive to it. Before starting mercury detoxification treatment, patients are recommended to correct as much as possible any nutritional disturbances or "leaky gut" problems. This is because of the drugs and supplements used for mercury detoxification can increase the growth of bacteria and fungi. www.autismresearchinstitute.com/ari/mercury/consensus

MUSIC THERAPY
In music therapy, goals are tailored to the needs of each individual and may include: increasing nonverbal interaction, such as turn-taking and eye contact; exploring and expressing feelings; and being creative and spontaneous. Nursery rhymes and other songs could help with developing speech. www.musictherapy.org.

NEUROFEEDBACK
Neurofeedback is a learning technique that helps a person become aware of and learn to regulate his own brain wave activity. Neurofeedback training is given through the use of specially designed computer games. The person sits near a computer monitor displaying a computer game with electronic sensors placed on his earlobes and scalp to monitor brainwave activity. As the person relaxes and focuses his mind, the computer responds by moving elements on the computer screen. http://www.isnr.org/index.cfm

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Occupational therapists help people who have difficulties with tasks requiring small and large motor coordination. An OT helps people overcome difficulty with writing with pencil/pen,cutting with scissors,tying shoelaces,copying from a blackboard,or catching a ball. Assessments are carried out to discover the needs of the individual and provide support to learn skills in those areas. www.aota.org

PICTURE EXCHANGE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM (PECS)
This is a practical communication system that allows a person to express his needs and desires without being prompted by another person, by using pictures or series of to form a sentence. The child first learns to communicate by handing someone a picture of the object he wants, then sentence strips, and so on. Not only does this facilitate communication, it motivates the child to interact with others. Co-developed by Andy Bondy and Lori Frost, this method helps relieve the frustration of those unable to speak and does not inhibit a child's ability to acquire and use speech. www.pecs.com

RAPID PROMPTING METHOD (RPM)
RPM is a method used for teaching academics by eliciting responses through intensive verbal,auditory,visual,and/or tactile prompts. RPM aims to increase students' interest,confidence, and self esteem. Prompting is intended to keep students focused while allowing students to be successful. This is a very low-tech method requiring only paper and pencil. A lesson might begin with a teacher's simple statement, followed by a question about what was just said. Next, the teacher writes possible answers and spells answers. RPM was developed by Soma Mukhopadhyay. Originally, Soma taught her son and then tried her method,improving and adapting it to different learning styles in a classroom of severely autistic children in Los Angeles for two years. www.halo-soma.org

RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENTAL INTERVENTION
Devloped by Dr. Stephen Gutstein, the primary goal of the RDI program is to systematically teach the motivation for and skills of experience-sharing interaction. It is a parent-based clinical treatment and begins at each child's level and teaches skills to the next level. www.connectionscenter.com

SENSORY INTEGRATION THERAPY
Sensory Integration Therapy is a specialized form of occupational therapy aimed at helping a person to better integrate and manage sensory input. It was developed by Dr. Jean Ayres, an occupational therapist who believed that many learning and behavior problems arose from difficulties children had in responding and reacting to stimuli such as noises,light,touch,and movement. It is thought that they avoid certain types of sensations or seek preferred stimuli in order to balance out their nervous system. Techniques may include deep brushing, swings for vestibular input, contact with various textures, bounce pads, scooter boards, or weighted vests, and other clothing.

SPEECH THERAPY
Language delay is often one of the early warning signs of neurodivergence. Speech therapists play an important role by evaluating the child's level of functioning,using a developmental approach. Once in school, speech and language therapy should be part of the child's educational provision www.asha.org

SON-RISE PROGRAM
The therapy was developed by the parents of a child diagnosed with autism. They spent every waking hour with their son with goal of developing a bond. They started out by imitating this ritualistic behaviors. After three years, he no longer showed any signs of autism and is now an Ivy League university graduate. The key to this treatment is to join the child's repetitive behaviors, showing unconditional love, thereby enticing the child to emerge from his world, and eventually utlizing his motivation to advance learning. www.son-rise.org

TOMATIS METHOD
Dr. Alfred Tomatis found that neurodivergent children often have difficulty distinguishing between low and high pitched sound frequencies and do not perceive high frequency sounds well. He also theorized that language problems could be caused by right ear dominance. Sounds captured by the right are directly transmitted to the language center in the left hemisphere of the brain. Sounds captured by the left ear go first to the right brain hemisphere of the brain before being transmitted to the language center in the left hemisphere of the brain which is less efficient for listening to the sounds of language. Dr. Tomatis developed a device to retrain the ear by switching constantly between two channels, low-pitched sounds and high-pitched sounds. The switching forces the ear to adjust continually to changing sounds. The children listens to electronically filtered recordings of Mozart,the mother's voice,and Gregorian chants through headphones that have a special bone conductor on the top. The listening exercises are gradually combined with active exercising using the voice to maintain learning. Through this training, children essentially relearns the listening process. http://www.tomatis.com/English/index.htm

VISION THERAPY
Vision Therapy is a designed to help people with eye problems such blurred vision,eyestrain,headaches,and double vision. It is also for people who have problems losing their place,omit words, close one eye, or show difficulty sustaining reading for long period of time. Vision problems can occur even with 20/20 vision. The problems tend to be corrected by specialized lenses or prisms or with specific eye exercises and practice geared to helping the person learn to use his eyes effectively. Some of the visual skills are the ability to locate and inspect a series of stationary objects(fixation),the ability to clearly see and understand objects at near distances (near vision acuity),and the ability to shift focus from near to far quickly (accommodation) and the ability to keep both eyes aligned on near-point work (binocularity). www.covd.org

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

posted April 19, 2010 01:14 AM         

Celeste - new home or employment coming
Yes - your intuition is correct
Akasha - ur a spiritual teacher, counsel others
Treasure Chest- unforeseen windfall of abundance comes to me now...

What do u think????

Hey on that Solor Fire which program???? Its kinda confusing..

posted April 19, 2010 03:09 AM         

Celeste - new home or employment coming
Yes - your intuition is correct
Akasha - ur a spiritual teacher, counsel others
Treasure Chest- unforeseen windfall of abundance comes to me now...

What do u think????"

Very cool....Maybe you're meant to be a spiritual teacher and counsel other.

which site did you go to?

Hey on that Solor Fire which program???? Its kinda confusing.. "

Solar Fire Astrology program
I started using Solar Fire and I get it renewed. I started with Solar Fire 4. I have Solar Fire 7 now.

I am not sure what you're asking

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

A Different Mind Is Not A Deficient Mind.

posted April 19, 2010 09:13 PM         

Evolutionary intensified lessons and experiences.
Evolutionary suggests that emotional and spiritual crisis induced by the presence and passage of these bodies intends to enhance the insight, inspiration, creativity and consciousness of a person on Earth and through events on Earth containing these bodies in significant locations.

It means that this energy involves lessons,experiences that can really make or break you. The hard aspects tend to indicate the possibility of experiencing some type of trauma which may be trying to the spirit but can eventually help him to grow spiritually. What doesn't kill him can make him stronger is something that can be applied the transneptunian dwarf planets,transneptunian dwarf planet candidates.
It's a highly metaphysical energy that involves insight,inspiration,and creativity that should be use not just for his benefit but for the benefit of many others. These energies are about about going well beyond self and tapping into that mass consciousness.
There is a potential to really make a mark on the world and effect people on a grand scale

The following are his transneptunian aspects:

Pluto in 17'19 Sagittarius R
square Moon in 17'51 Virgo
(strong theme that can't be ignored)

Sun contraparallel Pluto - '05
(strong theme that can't be ignored)

strong themes about transformation,regeneration,intensity,elimination

Sedna in 16'58 Taurus
conjunct/oppose Midheaven/Imum Coeli in 18'32 Taurus/Scorpio
trine Moon in 17'51 Virgo
(strong theme that can't be ignored)

In Right Ascension:
Mercury conjunct Sedna - '28
(strong theme that can't be ignored)

Geocentric North Sedna Node in 23'57
conjunct/oppose Ascendant/Descendant in 23'13 Leo/Aquarius

Makemake in 16'43 Virgo
conjunct Moon in 17'51 Virgo
trine/sextile Midheaven/Imum Coeli in 18'32 Taurus/Scorpio

Geocentric North Makemake Nodes in 18'16 Gemini
square Moon in 17'51 Virgo

Makemake is named after Easter Island's Rapanui Fertility Creation God. It can be associated with fertility,creativity. Its Heliocentric Node is in Gemini,and so it can be involved in communications. Its Perihelion (the closest point of an objects to the Sun) is in Aries,and so it can be about competitiveness. The Rapanui had a Birdman competition which involved carrying an egg without breaking. It was a competition related to Makemake.
Rapanui were Polynesian people.

Orcus in 21'53 Leo R
conjunct/oppose Ascendant/Descendant in 23'13 Leo/Aquarius
square Mercury in 20'21 Taurus

In Right Ascension:
Orcus square Midheaven/Imum Coeli - 2'43

Orcus is a transneptunian dwarf planet candidate named after Pluto's Etruscan counterpart. Orcus is a plutino because it has 3:2 orbital resonance with Neptune. All plutinos are named after underworld characters.
Orcus has to do with matters involving oaths,promises as well as themes related to Pluto.

In Declination
Mercury parallel Ixion - '13

Ixion is a transneptunian dwarf planet candidate named after the Lapith king/father of the centaurs who was punished by Zeus for betraying Zeus' trust and showing lack of gratitude by coming onto Hera. Zeus made a fake Hera to test Ixion who had sexual intercourse with her. From that union, came Centaurus who mated with the wild mare and became father of the Centaurs. So Ixion was grandfather of the Centaurs. Zeus had Ixion bound to a flaming wheel in Tartarus, the part of the Underworld where people were punished. Ixion is a plutino because it has 3:2 orbital resonance with Neptune. That's why it was named after underworld character.

In Right Ascension
Eris trine/sextile Ascendant/Descendant - 1'34

Eris is named after the Greek Goddess of Discord. It can be associated with diversity,equality,discord,controversy. Eris is the largest of the transneptunian objects. Because it was larger than Pluto, astronomers argued that Pluto wasn't a planet. The astronomers eventually demoted Pluto to dwarf planet and promoted Ceres to dwarf planet, making Pluto and Ceres equals. Ceres was once classed as a planet,and it was stripped of its planetary status because it was one of many objects called "asteroids". Now, Pluto gets the same treatment as Ceres because it is is one of my objects called "kuiper belt objects" Eris happens to have a Proserpina/Persephone-like orbit for half of its orbital period is far away from Pluto and the other half of is very close to Pluto. In mythology, Pluto/Hades and Ceres/Demeter shared Persephone for equal amount of time.

Geocentric Haumea Node in 3'18 Leo
square Sun in 3'30 Leo
(strong theme that can't ignored)

Haumea is a transneptunian dwarf planet named after Hawaiian Fertility Creation Goddess. It can be associated with fertility,creativeness,
Haumea stands apart among the transneptunian objects because it appears to be mainly rock. Astronomers determine that chunks of ice was knocked off its body and form into its 2 moons and independently orbiting transneptunian objects. It was like the myth, Haumea with her children born from her body. Therefore, the astronomers chose a name that fit with the astronomical features of an object. That's what they have been doing with transneptunian objects.
Haumea is known to be the major object of a new class of objects call Haumeids. It is thought that another large kuiper belt object crashed into Haumea leading to pieces broken off from Haumea. That's why one of Philip Sedgwick's keywords is "head on collisions"
astronomically oriented astrologers take astronomical,orbital characteristics into account when determining astrological influences.
Haumea is very unique for it's the most rapidly spinning object in our solar system. What's amazing is that it has a 4 hour rotation, and the object is large. It looks like a football that has been kicked. Astronomers concluded that is from Haumea being subjected to a collision.

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement

A Different Mind Is Not A Deficient Mind.

posted April 20, 2010 08:04 PM         

What should my next step for him be?

posted April 24, 2010 01:51 PM         

What should my next step for him be?"

You could take him for neuropsychological testing or neurological testing to see if he has any neurological processing differences that would make it hard for him to learn in a mainstream education environment.

If you don't want to do that, especially to avoid any labels, you could see if he fits any neurological differences yourself and then you can get him the appropriate help.

Here is a a list of symptoms/characteristics of neurodivergence http://www.dyslexia.com/library/symptoms.htm

Here is an online assessment at the site too. It's 41 questions http://www.testdyslexia.com/

After it's done the results will show in bars
with the following:

The following chart shows the key areas of learning that can be addressed by the Davis Dyslexia Correction® Program. If two or more areas are in the Moderate to Severe range, chances are it is dyslexia, and can be corrected. Explanations of these key areas appear below the bar chart.

Disorientation
Disorientation means a shift of perception triggered by confusion or stress. The person gets an inaccurate picture of the environment, or is looking at mental images instead. Davis Orientation Counseling trains the student to control involuntary disorientation at will.

Reading and Spelling
These problems are the most common symptoms of dyslexia, usually triggered by some of the 217 abstract words for which dyslexics can't form mental pictures. This is remedied using Davis Symbol Mastery.

Attention Focus
Shifts of attention caused by disorientation can reverse or alter the senses of motion, balance and time. This person may be "hyper," easily distracted, impulsive or a daydreamer.

Math and Time Management
Disorientation can cause a person's accurate sense of time, sequence and order to develop slower than normal. This means there is no foundation for accurate counting, math concepts, and even social skills.

Coordination/Handwriting
Disorientation affects the senses of balance and motion. The person may feel a sensation of movement when sitting still. Fine and gross motor skills could be underdeveloped, or there may be problems with direction, such as right/left confusion.

Self-Esteem
Dyslexics learn best through real world experience. Often, they are mislabeled as slow, lazy or stupid in school. This leads to feelings of inferiority. Once they learn to utilize their special talents to succeed in schoolwork, we usually see a dramatic shift in self-esteem.

"Which Solor Fire program would be best for a beginner/"

any Solar Fire program. It doesn't matter.

------------------
Raymond

Supporting the Neurodiversity Movement