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Dysgraphia –problems with handwriting

We see a lot of kids struggling with one or the other types of handwriting issue despite the fact that their IQ and memory are above average. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming if the grades drop down all of a sudden just because of difficulty in writing. Dysgraphia is a type of learning disability manifested in the form of problems with writing. It’s a neurological syndrome due to series of neuromuscular imbalances that can affect children and young adults. In those individuals chronically suffering from dysgraphia tend to use the wrong word for a specific expression. Many people have trouble in speaking and if dysgraphia is superimposed with troubles in speech, the magnitude of the problem is further amplified. What is more unfortunate is that many parents think their child is incapable hence the problem can continue for years with no proper diagnosis, however, every issue related to writing cannot be correlated into a proper dysgraphia.

 Nature of problem

Students with writing challenges become laggards because they often end up struggling to coordinate the visual processing difficulties, memory, thinking and other motor executive functioning skills. However, the problem seems to vary between individuals as few kids can be trained over a period of time but for many, it’s a nightmare. Dysgraphia is spectrum of issues including issues with formation of letters, joining the letters to form a word, line spacing, aligning the words uniformly inside the margins, neatness, capitalization, misspelling, punctuation etc. Nevertheless, the diagnosis can be made if there are no neurological abnormalities in the children. Some of the overlapping conditions such as attention difficulties like ADHD, motor disorders, expressive and receptive processing disorders, and dyslexia might mislead the diagnosis as these kids also struggle to write properly. Dysgraphia is manifested with 3 major variations; namely, dyslexia, motor dysgraphia and Spatial dysgraphia. Individuals with dyslexic dysgraphia may demonstrate illegible spontaneously written work due to poor tapping speed of their fingers. This might require further evaluation of their brain because cerebellar damage is directly related to poor body balance and fine motor skills such as holding a pen. On the other hand, motor dysgraphia is linked to poor fine motor skills, spasticity of muscles of the palm and arms, poor muscle tone. These kids often struggle to accomplish a reasonable legibility despite the fact that their receptive memory and attention are normal. Spatial dysgraphia is manifested by the defect in the understanding of space. They have normal spelling and normal finger tapping speed, but they often end up writing in clumsy manner due to their inability to uniformly space the words.  

 Causes

It is idiopathic( unknown cause) in most of the cases, however, it is a neurobiological issue coinciding with  genetic tendency. Many children are observed with an issue in their working memory linked with their failure to develop normal connections among different regions of the cerebellum that help in writing. It may also be due to their underlying problems in orthographic coding, the orthographic loop, and graph motor output (the movements that result in writing) by one's hands, fingers and executive functions involved in letter writing. It is also correlated with vision problems, motor neuron disorders, weakness in the muscles and past history of serious injury to hands.

 Identifying dysgraphia

Having said that the problem sustains even till the middle adulthood as many people understand this as a natural ailment in their body. Some of the common symptoms are enlisted below.  

1.       Children often position their hand in an unnatural way such as odd wrist, arm, body or sitting at a 45 degree angle from the paper or bending an arm like L- shape.

2.      Multiple attempts to erase and write the content can be one of the significant alarming sign of bad writing. s

3.      Rarely, parents express concern about their children as they tend to mix the upper case and lower case letters.

4.      Partially written words, inconsistent form and size of letters, or unfinished letters

5.      Poor usage of spacing such as line spacing and word spacing and for these kids, writing on a plain paper is a worry however, pre-lined paper is a good choice.

6.      Unevenly balances pace of copying and rewriting.

7.      Distraction while writing is common as they often feel pain in the shoulders, fingers and arms which can result in inattentiveness over details.

8.      Some children keep their vision( eye gauge) too close to the paper ( hardly 1-3 inches away from their eyes)

9.      A huge difference in the legibility of the first line and the last line, however ADHD can sometimes cause this such issue.

10.   One of the major signs are  the poor legibility, poor spatial planning on paper, improper spellings

11.    More often than not, dysgraphia kids face a hard time translating ideas into words and sentences and they are comfortable to read rather than to write.

12.   Some kids show poor pincer grasp (gripping a pen ) because they tend to use their entire palm to hold the pen instead of 3 fingers( as in the normal kids).

 Strategies to manage dysgraphia

It is very important to assess the specific deficit in the child such as legibility, neatness, and comfort level of the child while writing, pressure (pressing too hard while writing), issues with speed and lack of self-motivation. Parents and teachers must rule out what works best for an individual child. There are many skills and therapies that improves hand writing and the therapist can decide on to what is good for a child.  Stop comparing with peers as this can ruin the child`s ego.

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Impact of home environment on child`s education

Home is the first school and the mother is the first teacher. For all of us education has started its baby`s steps while we grow up with the family in our very early days. There is great connection between how parents enact with how kids perform in their academic. On the other hand, at school, we learn the previously unknown information to get through our exams which in turn lead to the eligibility to move on to higher studies. Home environment provides a great foundation to build advance concepts taught by teachers at schools. It is the duty of the parent to connect with schools and to follow-up academics in a timely manner. Many opine that school can teach discipline but the seriousness that child requires to be imbibed by the way parents behave. In a study conducted by British education council, mother's education level was the single most significant factor for young child's academic success. Let us dive deep into what exactly happens if the child is brought up in a natural and affectionate environment.

Parental factors affecting academic performance

1.       Role of care and nurture

It is the duty of every parent to make sure that their children are consoled, cared, well-fed, and well-rested. This can create a positive physical and mental atmosphere in the family which instill a mindset that parents are doing everything at their best to encourage the child. A good family helps prepare students in advance on what to learn and how to learn in school. A harmonious parent-child relationship with care, nurture, acceptance and encouragement can do wonders but not to forget, the parents must be firm in anything. Parental overprotectiveness, disrespect, non-responsive tendency, authoritarianism and disapproval can ruin the education badly.

 2.      Role of family structure in child`s education

Family configuration and size does matter to a great extent when it comes to child`s success in education. Factors such as structure of the family depending upon whether it is a nuclear family or joint family, pupils education is impacted. In a nuclear family there is high chance of greater attention from parents however, child might not share everything what he or she feels to do so whereas in a joint family this is not the case. Most of the extended and joint families have many siblings and relatives where kids can exchange ideas and reinforce each other to manage their learning needs. Furthermore, influence of grand parents and second degree relatives can also have both positive and negative influences on the outcome of academic performance. A study found that verbal and writing skills of those children grown up in a joint family was poor however they were very good at socialization and behavior.

 3.      Role of parental education and occupation

Factors such as parental education, job roles and the time they can spare with the child has very high correlation with the academic outcomes of the child. It is crystal clear that a child is as like a parent in many respects and the same applies in education. The imitative behavior of children is great plus for the parents to make sure their children will be in track. Parents with good education generally influence their own behavior in a way the child can also be interested in the education. Genetic influences are also another factor that can favor the child’s performance. Most of the working parents tend to have lesser time in guiding and assisting their kid`s homework and other academic demands. However, on the other hand, children being always backed by parents may behave stubborn as many kids dislike over-supervision.

 4.      Parental relationship and child`s education

This is probably the most stressing factor that influence chil`s performance. A positive relationship between and within the child and parents can result in a great impact on the child. A loving, harmonious and encouraging tendency by the parents along with being participative can be a boost in many ways. Parental conflicts, divorced parents, step-parents, parents with criminal background can substantially harm the scholastic outcome of children. But it is hard to generalize these factors as in some cases we see that children brought up under difficult circumstances can make a good deal.

 5.      Role of parental behavior and attitudes towards education

This is also one of the significant factor that can connect the children with child`s academic activities. A positive attitude, respectful, firm and disciplinary code of conduct exhibited by the parents can make children comfortable which can definitely play a role in the education. A healthy and open communication, sense of belongingness, motivation and rewarding behavior of parents are also important.  Negative behaviors and habits such as alcoholism, parental conflicts,.

 6.      Physical environment of home and education

Children tend to be more averse and disinterested in those families where there is a lot of physical distraction, poor housing conditions associated with sub-standard hygiene, improper lighting and ventilation. It is very important to keep the surroundings and neighborhood clean, peaceful and conducive for child`s activities.

 In a nutshell, children feel connected and motivated if the parents create an environment that is loving, motivated, supportive, clean and complete. No matter, how difficulty is the situation, parents have to enact and fit into the kid`s world. Nevertheless, discipline and constructive criticism are inseparable parts of academics.

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Artificial intelligence in education

Artificial intelligence is the use of machine language to enable modern learning a successful and easy. With the increasing demand for personal tutors where an individual student is being allotted to an individual teacher, the acute shortage of teachers has emerged from the past 5 years.  According to the statistics given by the Human Resource and Development (HRD) Ministry of India in 2016, at least there was a short fall of 1 million teachers across the country. Furthermore, Universities and Colleges are facing difficulty while managing the student-teacher ratio. But what makes us happy is a replacement that can handle the shortage. With the advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning, there something to cheer about our system. It is expected that artificial intelligence in Indian education will grow by 32% for the coming 3 years. Many education experts opine that our system needs a revolutionary technological intervention that would make it more inclusive and accessible, economical and easy to operate. Bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the classrooms sounds good but it takes some more efforts to properly synchronizing with the needs of the students. Artificial intelligence in education has been in use since 1980s. In many ways, education and AI are inseparable as we are gradually reducing the human element while increasing the role of technology in our learning management systems (LMS). We use traditional education as a means to develop minds capable of leveraging the knowledge pool, while AI provides the required tools for developing a more accurate and detailed picture of how the human mind works.

                                        How can AI help?

Artificial intelligence can boost the system by bringing in many shortcuts to learn the most complex mathematical formulae and scientific algorithms in an easy to learn way.  AI helps to implement an automated one click method to teach kids in the class room so that the excess of burden on the teaching staff can be eliminated. However, not to forget, the human element is the core of all. AI can help in implementing smart Content, ITS (intelligent teaching system) and the provision of Virtual Facilitators and Learning Environments. Smart Content is a contribution from the modern educational technology to condense text books into useful tools to address the most important topics that help in the exam preparation. Intelligent Tutoring Systems is a process involving, adaptation of personalized electronic tutoring customized to the learning styles and preferences of present generation of students. Virtual Facilitators and Learning Environments guides and facilitates the variety of educational and therapeutic environments.

 Benefits of AI and machine learning

1.       Automation of system can reduce firm`s costs: Almost every sectors including e-commerce, education, marketing,  healthcare etc , have started implementing the AI as many companies are now investing in developing their own version of AI and Machine learning that can substantially reduce employee costs. Some of the best examples are ‘Cortana’ by Windows, ‘Siri’ by Apple and ‘Alexa’ by Amazon as these  are voice recognition systems able to imitate human intelligence.

2.      With the help of AI, a personalized learning system can be built . This can ensure teaching at a varied pace as per the intellectual capacity of kids. These day , we find many students lack individual attention as it is highly impossible to facilitate an individual teacher for every student.  To fill this gap AI can introduce an automated system of learning that goes according to the pace of student.

3.      AI can help tutors in many ways: As we all are aware of our system as teachers have to handle multiple responsibilities including  evaluation, grading, paper setting, scrutinizing the results , creating mark sheets and tracking the performance all the students. This can consume quite a lot of time therefore Ai can take the burden of the teachers away allotting these auxiliary activities to technology. With AI systems in place, it will be easier for teachers to focus on students rather than mundane administrative tasks.

4.      AI-powered learning system makes classrooms accessible to all, including those students living remotely in another part of the world as this is automated and digital based.

5.      Most catchy and highly engaged sessions are made possible by AI : Modern technologies such as  VR and gamification help to involve students closely with  the education process, making it more interested, interactive and not laborious.

6.     Flexibility in terms of timings: As an automated system, access becomes 24/7 anytime as the student demands. Student can engage himself only when he feels relaxed and prepared which is not possible in the traditional human-based education.

7.      Ai can furnish tutoring and support outside the classroom:  Students can access to a system that is portable, flexible, timely and most importantly repeated for N-number of times.

In a nutshell, the growing experiments about educational technology are boosting the system by filling them gaps existing however, costs need to be worked out so that everyone can access the system at a lesser cost.AI and machine learning is increasingly being used in many areas of higher education however more exploration is required tom trace out whether it completely fits the young kids.  

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Autism in children

Autism is a complex series of neurobiological and developmental disorders that most typically appears during the first 2 years of life. The diagnosis is made based on at least 6 out of 12 symptoms in three categories therefore it is known as autism spectrum disorder. Parenting and caring the kids with autism involves a lot of patience, knowledge and skills. The fundamental features of autism that represent the diagnosis are, social impairment, verbal or non-verbal impairment, and repetitive patterns of behaviour. In the majority of the cases, autism is a lifelong disorder with underlying difficulties in the interaction of the victim with his/ her society. Male children have 5 times more than that of female children in terms of rate of incidence. In approximately 75% of people suffering from autism, there is a clear evidence of cognitively handicapped state. Autism is seen in approximately 60 to 70 among every 10,000 live births.

                                        What are Autism Spectrum Disorders?

According to the traditional diagnostic criteria, a series of disorders were once thought to be separate conditions.  Modern diagnosis has clubbed all of them together to term them as spectrum disorders. There are 4 common disorders that includes Asperger's syndrome, Autistic disorder, Childhood disintegrative disorder and Pervasive developmental disorder. Asperger's syndrome is one of the disorder where children tend to have normal or above the average level of intelligence, but they manifest with social problems. Autistic disorder is not actually the autism as  most people think of , but it refers to those problems associated with poor social interactions, communication, and deprived play in children younger than 3 years. Childhood disintegrative disorder is a typical development disorder seen in age less than 2 years where children tend to lose some or most of their communication and social skills recently acquired. Pervasive developmental disorder  or atypical autism is characterized by some autistic behaviour including delay in the social and communications skills, but doesn’t fit into another category. Some of the typical dangerous signs in an early infancy that indicate the caution for autism may include

1.       No response while someone call by name or eye-to-eye gaze by 6 months.

2.      Absence of babbling by 12 months.

3.      No gesturing (pointing, waving, etc.) by 12 months.

4.      No sign of language development even after the age of  16 months.

5.      No two-word (spontaneous, not just echolalic) phrases by 24 months.

6.      Loss of any language or social skills, at any age.

 Characteristics of an autistic child

Autism is difficult to diagnose at the early stage and most of the parents feel confused as it resembles many other conditions. The symptoms first appears during infancy or early childhood which gradually progress into a steady course. It is a dynamic state with each child having varied symptoms but the principal aspect of the diagnostic criteria is the intelligence. Children tend to have the average, or even superior IQ than others. Symptoms become vivid after the age of six months from the time of diagnosis is made.  The triad of symptoms include disturbed social interaction, communication, and the repetitive behavior. Some kids appear strange in their choices, behaviors and manners such as atypical eating, sleeping speech etc.  Some of the characteristic features of an autistic child are:

1.       Difficulty in establishing social interaction. This is the most crucial area in which autistic children lose patience to obey the social norms which makes them difficult to comply with the social demands.

2.      Some children exhibit unusual interest in specific objects such as toys, pens of specific size and color, crayons etc.

3.      A strong tendency towards ritualism manifested by difficulty in changing the routine for instance, if a child is get used to brush at 6.30 a.m. they strongly stick to the same time, no matter whatever the case. Some kids want a specific type of bed to sleep while other express ritualism by eating a specific breakfast daily.

4.      Fortunately, some kids show extraordinary ability in one area but a great difficulty in another. For example few kids are extremely sportive while few shows interest in studies but not in anything else.

5.      Some show a strong reactions to one or more of their senses such as being turtled by loud noise or not able to withstand bright colours.

6.      Repetitiveness is characterized by repetition of thing over and over again. For instance, a child might keep on writing the same information over a page and again erasing it to repeat again.

7.      Talking constantly about specific things that interest them but not showing attention towards other aspects that don’t create curiosity in them.

8.     Children with ASD may have unusually intense and prolonged emotional reactions.

Parental skills to manage autistic children

Parents must have an individualized protocol when managing their autistic kids. It is important to remember that there is no cure for illness but children can be trained to adapt to the illness to achieve near normal life. Some of the tips that are helpful in managing autism are

1.       Understand and treat  the child as he/she is instead of comparing.

2.      Create a plan that is firm and consistent but not hard to achieve the objectives. It is imperative to find out from the child’s therapists about specific guidelines to manage that kid. Spend some time with the child on a daily basis.

3.      Use  non-verbal ways to stay connect to the child however encourage the verbal skills in a progressive manner.

4.      Set short and achievable goals and monitor them on a regular basis.

5.      It is very important to encourage children to play and interact with normal children. Guilt and fear are the major hurdles that an autistic child facing , it is important to counsel them to make them realize about their condition.

6.      Never isolate the kid as it can escalate the issue.

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Learning disabilities in children

Children sometimes suffer from developmental delays inherited by parents or acquired by pregnancy and birth related issues. Difficulties with academic achievements are broadly classified under category of learning problems. However, it is often multifactorial involving biomedical, developmental, behavioral, emotional, social, environmental, and family issues. Learning disabilities are manifested in the form of slowness in reading, writing, comprehending and expressing the subject matter. Precisely, there may be one or more associated problems pertaining to the area of reading, written expression, motor skills, mathematic difficulties and communication disorders. Furthermore, some children are more prone to attention deficit, school related anxiety, and behavioral disorders.

 Epidemiology of learning disabilities

Learning disabilities appear in combination with an underlying genetic, chromosomal or biochemical abnormality rather than alone. Children must be screened for Down`s syndrome, Fragile-X syndrome, mental retardation,. It is also important to rule out birth asphyxia( a condition where oxygen supply to the brain is blocked for some duration) , head injury at the time of birth, delayed labor or prolonged labor, chronic viral infections, preterm birth( birth of a newborn before 7 months of pregnancy), maternal stress, fetal distress syndrome and cord around the neck.

 Symptoms of learning disabilities

Parents often complains poor achievement in scholastic performance; more often not, it is significantly lower than the average performance. However, school performance alone cannot be based to diagnose the condition. Many pupils express perceptual-motor impairments, emotional liability, deficit in speech and language, poor coordination of sensory and motor abilities. Some children are reluctant to attend school regularly as they are being humiliated by the peers and teachers. It is very important to note that, there can be a wide range of cognitive disabilities ranging from mild retardation to above-average intelligence. Few children tend to be phobic as they enter school and they express concern over attending the classes regularly. There is profound damage on the moral and ego aspect of the child because of isolation of the suffered children from normal kids. Nevertheless, each individual differ as some symptoms may not comparatively same as that of an ideal disability case. Few children are good at reading and writing skills but hey fail to attain attention and conc3entration for a brief period of 5-10 minutes. Whereas, a small proportion may express specific learning difficulty in a specific area , for instance, a child may be very good at geometry but poor at arithmetic calculations.

Areas of Learning Disabilities

1.      Auditory Perceptual difficulties

Auditory perception is characterized by difficulty to distinguish between 2 or more similar sounds or words. This includes the inability to process the sounds into meaniful words in a timely manner. Some children express words in their own slang which is not enough to be able to followed by others.

 2.     Visual Perception

Visual perception difficulties involving the clear interpretation of what is seen. This may include problems recognizing and distinguishing between shapes and positions of letters or words. Depth perception may pose a threat to some children as a result of visual perception disorders.

 3.     Integrative Processing

Integrative processing disabilities means encompassing a varying degrees of  inability to sequence a series of events or facts. They express difficulty to comprehend abstract ideas or implied meanings; and organize learned information and apply it to what has been previously acquired.

  4.     Memory Disabilities

These problems generally affect short-term memory, which stores information that has just been perceived for a brief period before it is either discarded or stored in the long-term memory.

 5.     Expressive Language

There is a disturbance in the child’s verbal communication depending upon the child's age and the severity of the problem. Language skills in terms of vocabulary, grammatical content, fluency, and language formulation be substantially affected which requires attention of special therapists.

 6.     Motor deficits

Motor disabilities can affect either gross motor or fine motor muscle groups leading to disorganized bodily movements. A disability affecting the gross motor development can cause children to be clumsy and these kids develop a tendency to fall or bump into things and have difficulty running and playing sports. Fine motor disabilities affect muscles for detailed tasks, such as writing, using scissors, and painting.

 Most common learning disabilities in children

 1.      Dyscalculia

It affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn the basic mathematical facts. These children often express difficulty in identifying, memorizing, expressing and demonstrating skills related to math symbols, numbers and expression.

2.     Dysgraphia

It is a specific learning disability affecting a person’s handwriting ability and fine motor skills. It is identified based on the illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, bad  spelling, poor punctuation ,difficulty in  composing writing.

3.     Dyslexia

It is a specific learning disability manifested by difficulty in reading and related language-based processing skills. There are issues relating to reading fluency, decoding, reading comprehension, recalling the information, writing, spelling, and rarely some speech related issues. It is sometimes referred to as a Language-Based Learning Disability.

4.     Oral / Written Language Disorder

It is characterized by learning disabilities that affect the individual’s understanding of what they read or of spoken language. The overall ability to express one-self with oral language is impacted.

5.     Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities

It is a disorder usually characterized by a significant damage to the higher verbal skills, motor, visual-spatial and social skills. The individual feels difficult to understand signs and non-verbal expression from others.

6.     ADHD

It is one of the frontline illness in child psychiatry. This includes difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty in controlling the behavior . Research indicates that about30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability.

7.     Dyspraxia

It is a condition characterized by difficulty in muscle control, which causes problems with movement and coordination, language and speech, . It usually prevails  along with one or more conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and  ADHD.

 Protocol for management of childhood disabilities

·         For visual related issues, present the material verbally; use gestures and some special writing and speaking recording instruments   such as; tape-recorder.

·         For auditory perceptual deficits, provide materials in written form; use pictures; provide tactile learning.

·         For integrative deficits, use multisensory approaches including print media, audio and visual material

·         Never degrade or humiliate the poorly performing kids as it might further damage the self-concept and esteem of the child.

·         For motor and expressive deficits, break down skills and projects into their multiple component parts; verbally describe the component parts; provide extra time to perform; allow the child to type work rather than use cursive writing.

·         For highly distractible child , provide a structured environment; have child sit in the front of the class; place child away from doors or windows; decrease clutter on his desk.

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Multilingual people and the role of multilingualism

Language is the sign of intellects as most of our cognitive, social, and intellectual skills are closely bound to the language we speak. While the same can be a great barrier unless we have the mastery over it. Many times one need to learn the language from the scratch in order to make sure he/she is good fit for a school or a job. Most often we see that people switch their language quickly because of the multilingualism. Multilingualism is the usage of more than one language by an individual or by a group of speakers. In general, we see that the multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers across the world. Countries like India being the best example for multilingualism with a scope to learn 1000s of languages. Similarly, more than half of all Europeans claim to speak at least one language in addition to their mother tongue. However, it doesn’t mean that they can read, write, and speak but instead they can able to manage the conversation.

Monolingual is a person knowing only one language which is accountable for 40% of world population whereas bilingual is when a person using or able to use two languages especially with equal fluency. About 43% of world`s population are bilinguals. Trilingual is a person speaking 3 languages fluently (13% of world population) and the multilingual is a person who can speak more than 2 languages, but used often for 4 languages or more and these are hardly accountable for 3% of world population. Multilingualism is much useful in Education and the business. Traders, gain a great competitive advantage by mastering the, local languages. It is also advantageous for those people wanting to be fit in globalization and cultural. Thought here are a few advantages in the practice of multilingualism, the benefits outnumber the drawbacks .Some of the myths and facts that the research has unveiled about multilingual people over centuries are:

                                        1.       That in order to achieve the label of multilingualism, it is not necessary to have an equal and perfect, 'native-like' command of all the languages. Having said that, just a manageable speech can do best.

2.      People assume that the childhood bilingualism may hamper the cognitive development and consequently lead to poorer results at school, however it is not true because, multilingual people are good achievers in general.

3.      Another misbelief is that exposing a child to more than one language result in language deficit as often we think that practicing 2 or more languages means too much unnecessary pressure and effort; where children do not have sufficient time to learn the primary language and secondary languages.

4.      Some parents believe that children tend to be confused despite having the ability to speak two languages where kids  knows the meaning and the specific details of a word, but cannot retrieve it because of interchangeable tendency of language or in simple terms mixing of languages may block the expression of facts.

5.      Many think that multilingual individuals tend to have narrow vocabularies and are weaker in "verbal fluency tasks" than monolingual individuals but that`s a myth. 

Facts about multilingualism

Academic performance of multilingual     children is better when compared to monolinguals. This is because multilingual children have a     greater advantage at school.

Studies     proved that multilingual children are able to focus and concentrate better     than monolingual children. The capacity to filter things out even when frequently     switching the languages can help these children to focus better and     enhance the brains ability to ignore irrelevant information.

It is assumed that multilingual people     encompass more grey matter that is responsible to store and retrieve     information.

It is generally observed that     people speaking many languages understand the things in a broader     perspective and are able to adapt things quickly.

Some studies suggest that students     speaking many languages exhibited greater growth in the hippocampus and     the cerebral cortex which makes them to think deeper. Some brain scans     reveal a greater density of grey matter in areas of the brain associated     with language processing.

Multilingualism helps to keep the brain     active, young and not to be lethargic.

The knowledge base and depth of a     subject is always higher than the mono-linguists as there is more scope to     learn concepts of different areas among multilingual students than the     monolingual ones.  

Multilingual people are generally     patient and they listen to things better therefore their understanding,     reasoning, judgment and decision making is always superior.

It is generally agreed that     multilingual people beyond the box as speaking more than one language from the     childhood introduces children to the idea of diversity. Bilingualism adds     layers to their perspective, thinking, and awareness about the world we     live in.

Bilinguals     can impact the business and profitability when compared to over the     monolingual individuals. This is because multilingual people can carry out     duties that monolinguals cannot, such as interacting with customers who     only speak a minority language. A study conducted in Switzerland concluded     that multilingualism is positively correlated with an individual's salary,     and the country`s gross domestic production (GDP) which is at least 10% better     than the counterparts.

 In a nutshell, multilingual people have vast scope as they can easily sink with the globalization where language is the prime most. However, sometimes there is rub-off between the languages that result in slight variation of the fluency of a multilingual speaker.

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Speed reading and the science behind it

Reading is a passion, a hobby, a profession for many. But, in reality, what we read is not what we know .This is because most of us read through eyes with the brain being a remote element with least to no participation in the process; this happens while we do speed reading. Nevertheless, human brain can be trained to speed read by keeping our cognition intact with our brain is in a state of absolute participation. However, speed reading is not a low-hanging fruit as the moment we start hitting the threshold of reading, brain sways which can eventually plummet our understanding on what we are reading. Occasionally, the reader tend to go addict to a rote-reading mania instead of comprehending the actual theme of the content. However, on the brighter side, a genuine speed- reader go crazy if in case ,he or she has  no access to newspapers,  internet news, e-mails, TV,  mobile phones, and Facebook for the whole day .It can really turn him/ her  down with a blank canvas of life with  hardly   nothing to embellish.

 The cycle of reading

Reading is a cyclic and complex cognitive process of decoding the expressions. The whole process involves not just the blabbering but a periodic and systematic journey that derives the complete meaning of the numerical, pictorial, and descriptive expressions in front of us. It is a form of language processing that requires your command over the subject and language you are reading, your brain, and the speed and rhythm over the process. In other words, a true reader aims to comprehend rather than floating on top of the pages. The cycle of reading proceeds with visualizing the information, organizing one`s sense organs to grab the matter, sending signals from eyes to the brain, perception by the brain, storing the information and if necessary, retrieving the information soon after finishing the reading. Remember, all these must happen simultaneously and sequentially but not the other way around.

 Variables affecting the nature and speed of reading

Imagine there are 50 readers being made to sit calm in a place and flip through a specific page while you track them. 50 readers go at a different pace, depth, intensity and the level of comprehension on the given topics; even strange is, they might not at all show interest. This is because of few factors surrounding the phenomena. Some of the most striking reasons for such variation includes:

1.       The subject and the nature of topic being assigned to read

2.      The domain and their level of expertise in that domain; some may find it relevant while some feel so strange.

3.      The external factors such as noise, light, distraction levels.

4.      The background of the readers and their language proficiency.

5.      Present mood of the readers, in fact, this is very important.

6.      Previous knowledge or exposure to the same matter or at least similar pages.

7.      The level of interest and the attitude with which each reader participates.

8.      Professional background and the experience. Academic experience is a great plus. The list goes on!

 How to speed read?

It is the science and art of coordination between eyes and the brain. Practice is the key however the core focus lies in developing being within despite the outside distractions. In other words, stay focusses and gradually  train the brain through conditioning, however, do  not fight with it. Some of the skills that practically help in speed reading are;

  1.       Refraining yourself from sub-vocalization while reading. Sub-vocalization is  the tendency to pronounce  words within your head ; self-talking. This could take a lot of time , hence make up your mind to eliminate the sub-vocalization gradually.

2.      Eye movement is the key as most of us read at a different pace leading to the cessation of some words, while skipping a few and rushing through the easy ones. Eyes can read faster when they actually stop at a point. Hence, fewer the eye movements, the better you read. To regulate this speed , use a pointer such as pencil and use your right hand to control the speed by uniformly navigating your pointer so that eyes can should follow the pointer.

3.      Learn skimming and scanning. This is usually a normal technique used in many competitive exams such as IELTS and OET. Skimming is just glancing quickly over the paragraph to get a general idea of about what the topic is. Scanning is the detailed but quick reading of the deeper facts and figures.

4.      Practice on a regular basis. Spend at least, 30 minutes a day on a daily basis by setting a timer to evaluate your progress as days pass on.  

5.      Do not repeat readings unless it is absolutely necessary. If possible skip the section that you are very familiar with and you know what exactly it is going to be about, however don`t guess things too much.

6.      Never forget to read and understand the first and last sentences of a paragraph because they tell you the whole story.

7.      Set yourself goals as your reading speed should improve if you repeat one or more times daily. Many people can double their reading speed after several weeks. 200–250 words per minute is the expected reading speed for a student aged 10- 12 years  and 300 wpm could be ideally possible for an average college student

8.      Do not get tensed as you are slow because the first few lines takes some time and you will eventually move fast as you get into the depth.

9.      Work on Improving the grammar, expressions and tone of the language used and most importantly vocabulary because the moment you get word which is unfamiliar you would stop and think. To prevent such pauses, expand your knowledge of words.

10.   Use different types of literature such as newspaper, magazines, scientific papers and mostly novels.

 Summary

Never compare your speed with someone else`s because at the end you should only cross your goals set each day. Improve yourself gradually by gaining control over your skills. Stay focused and if possible meditate on a regular basis as this could really help in this matter.

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Personality development

Personality is the result of interaction between the individual with his/her factors within and outside our body and mind. "Personality consists of some distinctive patterns of set of behaviors including thoughts and emotions which characterize the individual’s adaptation to the situations of his or her life". All in all, what we are is determined by situations surrounding us. In this article, let`s focus on personality development over different age-groups.

 Personality from 0 - 2 years

Most often people think that personality is all about the physical outlook that we acquire as we grow, furthermore, personality is not anything to do at the early babyhood (infancy and toddlerhood). In fact, it is not true, instead, early childhood such as infancy is the true foundation of the personality. This is because many behavioral patterns, attitudes and emotional expressions are being firmly established when we are young. The influences that a child undergoes creates a strong and long-lasting impressions therefore, this is a right age to create the most significant social values. Any behaviors acquired at this phase have a lifelong influence on the child's adaptations to the crisis. The term 'infant' means an extreme helplessness as infant is completely dependent .Nevertheless, it is a time of rapid growth and development surrounded by a number of   radical adjustments. The infant’s personality is the aggregation of a number of physical, social and emotional factors. An average infant weighs 7 lbs and measures 18-19 inches. He or she demonstrates spontaneous eye movements, yawning, and turning and lifting the head, as the growth progresses, child can gradually learn bowel and bladder control. At this phase common skills such as self-feeding, self-dressing, walking alone and climbing stairs can indicate that the child is normal. Infant`s vocalization such as  cooing, gurgling, crying, can gradually develop into babbling, and an unclear speech.  The baby can express emotional reactions in an intense and sudden manner for whatever the stimulus. These reactions may be comprehended as the states of pleasantness characterized by relaxing of the body and the state of unpleasantness characterized by tensing of the body. At the later phase, child can express emotions such as anger, fear, curiosity, joy, affection. Most important to note here is, babies who undergoes more of pleasant emotions tend to lay the foundation for good personal and social adjustments later on in life. The infant can develop self-trust by trusting in what he or she sees and hears. Feelings of distrust develop if the baby's needs are unmet which  leads to personality issues such as clinging, greed, giving up easily, and demanding behavior, taking rather than giving, etc.

 Personality  in early childhood (2-6 years)

A t this phase growth proceeds at a slow rate as compared with the rapid rate of Personality Traits .  The most important psychosocial accomplishment at this stage is the development of autonomy or independence. If trust and security do not develop at this stage , a child fails attain  autonomy . This is the phase in which the child begins to know the difference between right and wrong, which can therefore  lay down standards of behavior and rules of conscience that can guide much of his or her behavior. During this phase, specific crisis is between initiative and guilt. If the child successfully passes through these behaviors, it leads to internalization of values which can make him or her to be able to differentiate between right and wrong. Anything that is taught wrongly at this phase can seriously hamper his moral and ethical behaviors in the elater stage. A child with faulty autonomy traits exhibits clinging and dependent. He may develop characteristics such as stubbornness, compulsive cleanliness and extreme self-control,  intense anxiety or guilt or an antisocial personality.

  Personality  in  late Childhood (6-11 years)

• This phase is characterized by a slow and uniform growth growing at annual rate of   2-3 inches, and the average annual weight increase to 3-5 lbs. Child expresses pleasant expressions, although outbursts of anger, anxiety and frustration tend to continue occasionally. This is the stage child has increased ego control over basic drives. Behavioral characteristics including sympathy and concern for others, cleanliness, modesty, co-operation and willingness to share things can develop. The child now understands beyond the family and begins to interact with the social system.  It is during this phase, the developmental tasks such as acquisition of social skills, incorporating social values and patterns, and competition and interaction with peers develops slowly. Failure in mastery of the tasks may end up with emotional instability, low self-esteem, inferiority and lack of confidence.

 Personality  in adolescence (12-19 years)

It is a period of adventure, storm and stress, action-oriented and highly unstable in many interests. The important vital changes that can occur during this phase include changes in body size and proportion and most importantly the primary and secondary sexual traits. A fundamental change at this phase can be the development of self-consciousness. Adolescents becomes more concerned about how others see them and react to them. This can result in making them apprehensive and extremely self-conscious.  This is a significant phase where there is consolidation of personality .Adolescents are characterized by gaining independence from the family, sexual maturity, establishing meaningful relationships with peers of both genders, and ability to take decisions about life, career,  and work. Adolescents try to avoid parents and they tend to conflict with them very often. The approval of their own age group is much more important than the approval of adults. Intense conflicts can occur if the values of the group conflict with those of the parents. Being a member of the peer group has a strong influence on the self-identity and self-esteem of the adolescent. Adolescents tend to behave in a way very similar to responsible adults but not stable always. Some of the problems that  adolescent can face are identity-crisis, psychosis, neurosis, breaking rules of society.

 Personality  in early adulthood (20-40 years)

The term' adult' came from the Latin word 'adulius', -meaning grown to full size and strength. Theya re . At this phase, the individuals completed their growth and are ready to assume social status in  the society. Adult’s physical and psychological changes accompany the beginning of reproductive capacity but their Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) comedown gradually. The 4 significant social expectations include choice of career, choosing a life partner, generativity and child-rearing capacity. If the young adult are being pampered by their parents, difficulties arise in forming intimate relationships with others.

 Personality in middle adulthood (41-60 years)

Middle aged adults tend to decline in their physical development however, social maturity and tolerance grows slowly.  Faulty lifestyles and social freedom may lead to diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cancer. A number of physical discomforts and mood changes may accompany. Women may enter menopause, and they may become depressed, hostile and self-critical with tendency to have mood swings but  these can  disappear once endocrine balance is restored. During this phase people are occupied with lot of responsibilities of work and family. Failure to gain appraisal and responsibilities  may lead to marital, social or occupational conflicts which can eventually push them to addiction and substance abuse.

 Personality  in late Adulthood (60years and above)

This is the phase of ageing characterized by the wrinkling of skin, stooped posture, weakness, anemia, flabbiness of muscles, diminishing vision and hearing as well as loss of immunity. The elderly people are characterized by the loss of physical abilities, intellectual processes, and occupation and work roles, intimate ties (due to death of spouse). The main adjustments to be made at this stage are, adjustment to job loss, retirement, health, loss of spouse and loss of friends. If favorable factors such as retention of old friendships, satisfaction of needs,  better social attitudes are gained, they foster their self-esteem and respect, nevertheless, without adequate support to sustain and bear the losses the older adult is vulnerable to a profound sense of insecurity. Despair and disgust can take over the person, including the feeling, time is running out and there are no alternatives possible at this late date.

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Micronutrients for our body

Micro nutrients are required in traces, probably ranging from few micrograms to a few milligrams. Minerals, and some trace elements belong to this category. Minerals are the inorganic substances required for many bodily processes, cellular functions and the maintenance of homeostasis (balance) by the body systems. Some of the most common trace elements include iron, iodine, zinc, copper, cobalt, selenium and fluoride. These are obtained through our diet or as supplements available in the market, nevertheless, it is advisable to consume them through our natural foods. This article delineates the most frequently consumed minerals.

Calcium

Calcium is an inseparable part of bones and teeth as well as some internal organs. It is richly found in milk and milk products such as butter, ghee and cheese.  It is also found in eggs, green vegetables and some fish. It must be supplied through our normal diet, therefore a well-balanced diet, or some fortified food products may be useful . In the pregnant women and growing children the calcium intake must be 1.5 times the normal adults.  Within our body, 99% of the calcium is found in the bones and teeth as it is an essential element for mineralization and calcification that results in hard structure of teeth and bones. Calcium is a part of coagulation of blood, and the conduction of nerve impulses along with the contractility of our muscles. Calcium deficiency results in rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. In order for the calcium to be absorbed and metabolized by our body, Vitamin D plays a vital role hence calcium and vitamins are the significant part of many artificial food products.

 Phosphate

Phosphates are essential for gums, teeth and bones. Sources of phosphate include meat, cheese, oatmeal, liver and kidney. A sufficient intake of calcium through the diet makes least likely o be phosphate deficient because, phosphate and calcium are interchangeable in their roles.  . Phosphates is associated with calcium and vitamin D in the hardening of bones and teeth hence 85% of body phosphate is found in these sites. They are also one of the essential part of nucleic acids I,e DNA and RNA. Phosphates are also essential in the cellular electrolyte balance that help in transportation of water and minerals.

 Sodium

Salt is the rich source of sodium. It is richly present in foods such as fish, meat, eggs, milk and milk products as well as most of the processed foods however, dietary salt is the primary source. A caution to be taken while consuming excess of salt than the recommended intake because it retains a lot of fluid in the body resulting in increased blood pressure. The recommended dietary salt is consumed in the form of sodium chloride which should not exceed 6 grams per day. Sodium is the most abundantly occurring extracellular cation assist in the muscle contraction, transmission of nerve impulses along the axons. Sodium also help in the maintenance of water and electrolyte balance during dehydration.

Potassium

Potassium is found in some fruit and vegetables. It is also one of the intracellular cation involved in many chemical activities inside cells . The chemical processes such as muscle contraction, transmission of nerve impulses and maintenance of water and electrolyte balance between the fluid compartments is predominantly assisted by potassium.

 Iron

Dietary iron is the most essential mineral component of maintenance of blood and hemoglobin in the body. Iron, as a soluble compound usually stored in the blood. Animal foods such as  liver, kidney, beef, egg yolk provides sufficient iron required for our body functions. It is also present in the  whole cereals, wheat  bread, and many green vegetables. In a normal adult , about 1 mg of iron is lost from the body daily. Out of the total dietry intake of iron, only 5–15% of intake is absorbed. The average iron requirement range from 5-15 mg per day. It is  one of the essential element for oxidation of carbohydrates and the synthesis of some hormones along with few  neurotransmitters. Iron deficiency is a relatively common condition in many developing and underdeveloped countries. it is highly prevalent in women, lactating mothers, pregnant women and growing children  ,. Furthermore, menstruating and pregnant women have increased iron requirements, because of the chronic bleeding.

 Iodine

Iodine is a common component of salt, sea foods such as salt-water fish and some  vegetables grown in soil containing iodine. It is commonly seen in tropical areas where soil is deficient of iodine  . Sufficient intake of iodine helps to prevent a disease called goiter . Our daily iodine requirement depends upon factors such as age, metabolic rate and disease conditions. Iodine is significantly important in the formation of thyroxine and tri-iodothyronines ; the 2 hormones secreted by the thyroid gland.

 Magnesium

Dietary magnesium is richly present in some green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Additionally, some fortified foods and breakfast cereals as well as fortified foods contain magnesium. Magnesium is required for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps to maintain the normal nerve conduction and muscle function. Immune system definitely needs magnesium. The deficiency of magnesium can result in cramps, irregular heart beats and frequent infections . Magnesium is also helpful to adjust blood glucose levels.

Healthy dietary practices for mineral intake

Increase vegan foods and some meat on a regular basis not to forget, fruits an juices help to fill gaps of minerals. Salt, fortified minerals, mineralized water are also some of the essential dietary tricks that should be maintained regularly. At least every 3 months once , a person should undergo serum screening for all the essential minerals especially, iron, potassium, iodine and calcium along with vitamin D. Aged persons, lactating mothers, children must add an extra bit of minerals as they require them more than normal adults.

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Educating the kids with memory loss

Memory is the higher mental skill necessary in our day-to-day life. Sometimes, working memory act as a life skill that help in technical jobs. Without working memory it is difficult to survive, but we are witnessing many new cases of amnesia each day. Amnesia is the scientific term used for forgetfulness. The memory loss can be short-term, long-term and transient loss. However, if one want to survive, it is not necessary to have a super-computer like brain, instead a minimum working memory (short-term memory) may suffice. Working memory act as sticky note or a clip-board that help kid`s brain to briefly hold new information. Unless child masters the skill of working memory, the long-term memory will not work. This is because, the information will first load into a space that assist in short-term memory and later on transfer into the deep space –long-term memory a long term. Majority of the kids lag behind in learning and thinking as a result of slow memory process.

 Causes of memory loss in childhood

1.       Poor brain development as a result of malnutrition. Vitamin and some deficiency are the key factors causing poor memory

2.      Brain injury especially during then delivery of child.

3.      Delayed cry in newborn causing poor oxygen supply at the time of birth can lead to permanent memory issues.

4.      Language issues with poor basic skills of the medium of instruction

5.      Deafness, blindness or some sensory loss

6.      Subjective factors such as disliking the topic or subject can lead to poor registration of information and facts  

Mechanism of memory process

1.      Reception of information

In a simplistic view point, memory takes a series of steps. First step in the reception of specific facts, subjects topic where brain receive it from the outside world For example, a teacher asks a student to add 21 and 13 and then subtract it by 2. This message must be passed with audio-visual clues such as by narrating, showing a video or by writing it on the board. Some of the children face problem at this stage as they may fail to quickly grasp the information. In order to overcome this, it is advisable to use audio-visual aids that aid in memory process, instead of narrating the problem.

 2.     Understanding the information

Once the information is grasped successfully, then the memory center of brain start working on the expected results for 21+13-2. However most of the children with basic memory and mathematical skills ace this, yet few kids might fail because the problem has 2 components –addition and subtraction making them feel difficult to understand correctly. At times child might comprehend the problem in many ways as 21-13+2 , or 21-12-3 or 21+13+2 . This is especially true when the problem was not written on the board or child has been given very less time to calculate. However it is difficult to determine the reason behind wrongly comprehending the equation. The possible reasons could be, the child having sensory deficit (hearing or visual impairment) or the child is not attentive because of some reasons. If the child is able to provide the right answer-32, it is understood that child has successfully understood the information, however the real problem comes now, I,e to store this information.

3.     Registering and storing the information

For this to happen in aright way, child must be properly understood and very clear about the solution. Wrong input or wrong calculation method at this stage might result in storing the wrong information. Registering and storing occur in certain regions of our brain. The major parts of the brain involved in the memory are the amygdala, the hippocampus, the cerebellum, and the prefrontal cortex. If the information is wrongly fed here, then the same information might deeply enter the memory slot. It is very important to teach the kid in a correct and appropriate way. It is better to give some time to expand the possible explanation for the solution , I,e 32 in this case.

 4.     Recalling and verbally expressing the stored memory

This is where most kids fail because, this needs brain power to keep the memory intact for longer-term. Some of the children however has good long term memory but fail in the short-term. In order to recall the deeply hidden past information, the child`s memory system should be healthy, and active. Many children store the information but not able to recall again .For such children, it is highly advisable to reciting the information frequently until they feel they are confident of their long-term memory.

 Key notes to parents and children

1.       Remember, memory loss alone is not a disease, so it is important to rule out the underlying cause before coming to a proper conclusion.

2.      Each child is unique so does the cause of memory issues. It is important to spend some time with the child and watch carefully the area of problem.

3.      Going for a medication to boost brain, health drinks or such experiments are of no use. It is important to take the child to the professional help for a proper evaluation and therapy. However, this is not advisable for every child.

4.      It is very important to note the fact that new memories replace the old memories, so memory is not a life-long, durable metric. At times forgetfulness is a good sign because this is what  needed to flush  away the sorrows deeply embedded in the memory system.

5.      Try the most appropriate teaching- strategy for the given child. For example, some children remember things quickly if the instructions were given when they are in a state of relaxed mind.  Some children remember things if they were written in the form of note. So it is left to parents and teachers to decide method that works for that individual child.

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Misconceptions and attitudes of people towards mental illnesses

 Introduction

Though the science has advanced and the civilization has improved among communities, awareness regarding mental illness is still in question. Before diving into the attitude and misconceptions of people about mental illnesses, it is important to brief what is mental illness.   A mentally healthy person might witness a significant change in his/her thinking, memory, perception, feelings and  the ability to judge things in a way acceptable by others. Consequently, it results in the altered patterns of speech, socialization and their behaviors. These factors in turn trigger deviation of one`s personality, attitude, confidence and other higher mental functions such as rationalization, attention, concentration and  decision making. Furthermore, changes in behavior lead to a profound distress and suffering which can subject the individual as well as the whole family and community into a crisis situation.

Effects of mental illness

If the mental distress persist , it might disturb the day-to-day activities of the person, relationship, orientation, self-esteem. A prolonged condition might significantly hit on the social and vocational abilities of an individual. However, these are reversible and can be effectively managed with the appropriate counselling, psychotherapy and medicines ; above all, beliefs and attitudes of the people towards mental illness might seriously impact the outcome of illness. This article is an effort to delineate the set of superstition, ignorance and fear that the society has on psychiatric disorders.

                       Misconceptions about mental illness

Despite the passage of time and advancement in the science that lead to the clear understanding of people about mental illness, there seems to be multitude of false ideas, beliefs, and concepts about the phenomenon. Some of the ways which people covertly express the misconceptions about mental illnesses are explained below:

 1.       Mental illness is caused by an invisible supernatural power as a consequence of previous life`s karmas or deeds. In addition, people judge the condition as, the result of a curse or possession by an evil spirit. This is especially true in those communities who strongly believe godly practices.  Many people are reluctant to accept the mental illness as a disease, instead they conclude it as a possession by spirits because of his /her past sins or misdeeds .

2.      Mentally sick people exhibit a bizarre behavior; but in reality it is not always true .Instead, the society, people and caretakers often posturized this as a weird topic. General public are of the opinion that people with mental illnesses show aggression characterized by violent speech, twisting of hands, scary facial expressions etc.

3.      Many of us are in a view that people suffering from mental illness are dangerous as they often tend to hurt others or even they kill the innocent people but it is an outdated hypothesis.

4.      A lot of people are of the idea that, mental illness is something to be ashamed, stigmatic and a state of humiliation. However, in the modern times, this tendency is its slowly being vanished.

5.      We often perceive, the idea that people suffering from disturbed mind are unsympathetic and cruel and this is the reason why a lot of people hide mental illness until it enters into a chronic state requiring prolonged hospitalization. Not only that, many families have deliberately hiding the scene as they feel ashamed of a family member being a victim of mental illness.

6.      One the firm, fixed and false belief about mental illness is that it is not curable thus, society object to have a normal relationship with those people suffering from a known disease . Nevertheless, cure is possible in many cases but it is only possible with the acceptance and cooperation of the victim and family members.

7.      Many feel that mental illness is contagious and it can pass-on from one person to another . In reality it is not however, it has a genetic tendency allowing gene flow through subsequent generations. It is important to acknowledge the fact that, is not a rule that children of a mentally ill person should definitely be a victim.

8.     In some communities , people often are the thinking that marriage can cure mental illness but it is unscientific as we can observe that sometimes it can get worse after marriage .Perhaps, with the comprehensive therapeutic approach , one can lead a harmonious family life.

9.     One of the very common myth that individuals have is that mental health care centers  are the dangerous places as they lockdown and harass the victims and this is the reason people hesitate to take their relatives to mental hospitals for treatment because of fear.

Societal attitude toward the mentally ill persons

This is a subjective phenomenon as each has their own belief with regard to the nature of mental illness and the behavior of sufferers. In general, people often interpret the situation by expressing a state of denial, isolation and rejection. Many religistic and cultural beliefs further escalate the issue. Furthermore, there is also a lack of understanding about the real nature of mental illness leading to a state of rejection of both the patients and the family. Mentally sick individuals are viewed as people with least to no capacity for understanding. But, it is not always true except for some of the serious illnesses such as schizophrenia. In many cases, from the moment diagnosis is confirmed, family tend to relocate the victim to an isolation unit far away from their residence which can worsen the situation rather than leading to a positive outcome.

Conclusion

A broader perception of the magnitude and nature of problem determines the treatment and outcome of illness. Therefore, it is important to reckon the individual situation and respect his values and personal beliefs . This can help in developing a positive mindset about himself. People and health care teams should organize campaigns to educate the general public about the expectations and acceptable behaviors that influence on the outcome of illness. All in all, the stigma of mental illness can only be erased with a comprehensive approach towards dos and don’ts while the individual and families are in the state of burden due to mental illness.

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Blood Pressure

Blood pressure in short known as BP. BP is a normal process because if there is no BP, there won`t be the existence of a healthy heart however, fluctuation of blood pressure beyond a cretin point is a cause of concern. Blood pressure and heart rate are interrelated but they are inversely proportional because more the heart rate, lesser the blood pressure and vice-versa. Following table shows the information on how heart rate vary according to the age groups.

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by arterial vessels against its inner walls. Blood pressure is essential for normal blood flow across various parts of the body. When we say BP, it`s usually mentioned to the systemic arterial BP that is exerted during ventricular contraction and relaxation. A person`s blood pressure is affected by both variable and non-variable factors. Some of them are cardiac output, the extent of distention of the arteries, speed of heartbeat and the volume per beat, and viscosity of the blood. Scientifically, blood pressure is written as ratio of the systolic pressure over the diastolic pressure. The average and healthy adult might have ranged from 100/60 -140/90 mm of Hg. However, average in practice is 120/80 mm, Hg. Blood pressure can never be constant. it can increase or decrease based on the time of the day, food, rest, sleep, stress, emotions and other underlying cardiac and systemic illnesses such as diabetes, obesity etc. An increase in BP above the upper normal range is called hypertension, on the contrary, a decrease in its range is called hypotension.

 Measuring blood pressure

There are many devices used for measuring blood pressure but the most traditional one being the sphygmomanometer. The cuffs of this equipment must be applied over the upper arm and inflate it till the monometer raises to 150 or more and slowly deflate it. While deflating the first loud heartbeat is recorded as the systolic pressure and the last loud beat is the diastolic pressure. it can also be measured with the use of invasive ( by piercing a body part through a needle)arterial monitoring systems.

What determines the blood pressure?

Blood pressure depends upon a number of factors. Some of the most notable deciding factors that vary the BP among individuals are their age, lifestyle, general health status, gender, body weight, cardiac health, food, intake of caffeine before measuring the BP, stress levels, emotional stability of the person and some vascular disorders that directly influence the blood flow such as atherosclerosis and diabetes.  In most of the cases with fluctuating BP, cardiac output, pulse rate, pulse pressure and stroke volume vary.  However, in some individuals, it is pretty evident that their posture while reading the values cause an increase or decrease in BP. Such condition is known as the    Postural (orthostatic) hypotension. Orthostatic hypertension occurs when the BP of a person drops significantly soon after the patient assumes a standing or upright posture. One may experience dizziness, lightheadedness, or syncope. At the time of such hypertension. Though there are many causes of postural hypotension, 3 most common causes of orthostatic hypotension are intravascular volume depletion, dehydration and poor vasoconstrictor mechanisms, and a disturbed autonomic effect on vascular constriction. Postural changes in BP and an appropriate history help health care providers differentiate among these causes.

Causes of increased blood pressure (hypertension)

1.       Smoking and drinking too much alcohol

2.      Being overweight or obese where the height and weight ratio is too high.

3.      Lack of physical activity or sedentary lifestyle.

4.      Intake of high spices and salt in the diet because sodium present in the salt affect the blood pressure directly.

5.      Inability to cope with stress.

6.      Age above 50 is of moderate-risk and above 60 is a high-risk factor.

7.      Genetic tendency or familial history of hypertension.