The Visitor, written and directed by Tom McCarthy, was a surprisingly good film. It is a deeply moving movie about Walter, played by Richard Jenkins, who was a widowed college professor living a depressed and aimless life, until he unexpectedly found a couple living in his New York apartment when on a business trip. The couple, Tarek and Zainab, were illegal immigrants victimized in a reality scam where they payed rent to someone who didn’t own the apartment. Walter allowed the couple to stay in his apartment with him because they seemed to have no where else to go. This situation forces Walter to deal with issues related to immigration, identity, and cross-cultural communication. While they were living with him he ended up bonding with them and found some compassion and positive changes in his life.
Walter’s deceased wife was an excellent piano player, and Walter attempted with much frustration to learn the piano. During his time in New York Walter finally decides to give up playing the piano and he takes up a new instrument which he is much more talented and compassionate about, the drums. Tarek gives Walter drumming lessons and Walter loves his new instrument. Walter and Tarek seem to from a connection and friendship through the music. The drumming acts as a medium of communication across the two cultures. During the short time that Walter lived with Tarek and Zainab he changes substantially. He seemed to finally start getting over the death of his deceased wife and he starts to be more kind and enjoy life more.
Zainab used a great amount of body language to express how she felt. At first her body language was negative and slightly hesitant towards Walter. After she got to know him better her body language seemed to become more positive towards him.
Tarek is a very kind and generous musician from Syria, making a living by playing his African drums. Zainab, who is from Senegal, sells handmade jewelry at a little booth in the street to make a living. A person buying some of her jewelry at their stand was asking her where she was from. When Zainab told her that she was from Senegal, the lady said “ohh, that’s so neat! I have been to Cape Town before, what a beautiful area!” Cape Town and Senegal are thousands of mile away from each other and are very different. This seem shows the true ignorance of a typical United States citizen.
The film made me more aware of some of the hardships that foreigners face here in the United States. It also made me more aware of how many of United States citizens are very ignorant about how immigration and deportation goes about here and about what it would be like to be a foreigner.
One evening rushing through the subway, Tarek gets stuck in the entrance and climbs over the bar. Even though he can show his paid ticket stub he is arrested.
The police found out that he was an illegal immigrant and he was put into detention. Walter, who before meeting Tarek and Zainab was not know for his senticitivitfy towards others, but in the case of Tarek getting arrested he does everything he can to try to help him. Unlike the sadness Walter faced from because his wife, the grief that he experiences from this situation opens him up to others, to the difficulties of people he has never noticed, and opens his moral horizons. He continues to visit Tarek in jail and even hires an immigration lawyer to help Tarek. Zaneb has moved to her cousins house. When arrested, Tarek seems to be more concerned with Zainab and his mothers welfare, and even Walter's drumming lessons, than he is with his own dire situation. Tarek’s mother and Zaneb can't visit him because they are both here illegally.
Tarek’s beautiful mother shows up a few days after the arrest because Tarek has not been returning her phone calls. Walter invites her to stay in his apartment and she accepts and stays in Tarek’s old room. Walter and her start dating and comfort each other during their unsuccessful attempts to prevent Tarek from being deported.
It is devastating when Tarek is deported to Walter, Zainab, and Tarek’s mother. Tarek’s mother decides to go back to Syria to make sure that he is okay, knowing that she will never be able to return. People are deported by the judges from the United States relentlessly, with what seems to be very little compassion or concern for the people being deported.
This movie, The Visitor, helps break the stereotypes that are associated with Arabs. It challenges the judgment that Arabs are terrorists, by letting us get to know some Arabs that are very kind and loving people.
Both The Visitor and the movie Farmingville that we have been watching in class have brought up the issue of illegal immigrants and deportation. There are very good reasons on both sides of the arguments around deportation. In The Visitor, the lawyer made it seem like it would be almost impossible for Tarek to get to stay in the United States, and that there wasn’t much time, energy, or compassion put into his case from the governments side in considering if he should be allowed to stay or not. There are several reasons why the people in the movie Farmingville wanted the illegal mexican immigrants in their town to be deported: One of the Farmingville residents shared that she thought it was necessary that all the people in the town should be in a government record so that if they do something bad they can be prosecuted, which is a valid point. Many of the Farmingville residents feel that the illegal immigrants are dangerous and should be deported, which may be a valid point, or may be stereotypes and racism. They also had a valid point that many of them lived thirty to a house, which seemed to create some problems in the neighborhood. But there are arguments from the other side as well that seem just as valid, if not more so. It typically cost just as much, if not more, to deport illegal immigrants as it cost for them to stay. It is also very difficult to keep them from just coming back. Also, there is usually a good reason for them to be in the states anyways, and that should be put into consideration.
The film The Visitor only takes an inside view on the topic of deportation and illegal immigrants. From the perspectives of all the main characters in the film, Tarek was deported unjustly. The Visitor does not share the views of any outsiders, like Farmingville does. The film makes the viewer love Tarek before the deportation process, which gives the viewer a perspective on what it would be like to have someone that their are close to go through. I think that if the people in the film Farmingville could empathize with the people that they are trying to get deported then they would feel that they deserve to stay and would try to help the live better lives instead of harassing and avoiding them.
All in all, The Visitor was a great movie. It was mind opening in many different aspects, including; immigration policies, illegal immigrants, the ignorance of United States civilians, communication styles in different people, and in breaking the stereotypes of Arabs as well as illegal immigrants. I found this to be a entertaining and somewhat educational film. I recommend it to everyone to watch.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Last week I went to the Race Monologues. This was a very interesting, entertaining program that opened my eyes about how race is still very much an issue in modern day society. There were about ten college students of all different races on the main stage. They all took turns telling us stories of different people who had to deal with injustice because of their race. I am very glad that I attended this event during Racial Identity Week.
To my surprise one of my friends was upon the ten collage students on the stage. I was never aware of how big of a deal not being white affected her life. She is a music major, and is hoping to sing for a living after she graduates. Physical appearance is very important in the profession that she plans on entering. She has mentioned that she always has to be really careful about her weight because of the profession that she is going into, but never mentioned the fact that it isn’t as likely for her to have a successful career because the fact that she is from Filipino decent. It makes me sad to think that that is the case. She is a wonderful person with a wonderful voice who deserves to be among the famous but it very unlikely that she will make it that far simply because she is not white. She briefly explained this injustice to the audience.
There is still way too much racial injustice in this world, and that really needs to change. It was so interesting listening to the stories that were told during the Race Monologues. I have always avoided such events because I have expected them to be very boring and a waste of time. I also avoided them because I thought that I knew everything I need to know about race, and that the events couldn’t teach me anything important. The race Monologues made me much more aware of all the racial injustice that happens, and also opened my mind to the fact that I actually have been creating some of the racial injustice myself. I have many colored friends and even a couple family members that are African American, and am by no means a raciest, but I still have been unconsciously stereotyping people of different races.
It is important to occasionally attend events on racial injustice and listen to the stories, because when we don’t we tend to forget that it really is still a great problem and that it might actually be partly our fault, as part of society, that is making it that way. I enjoyed attending Race Monologues very much and I plan on attending other events that are similar in the future.
To my surprise one of my friends was upon the ten collage students on the stage. I was never aware of how big of a deal not being white affected her life. She is a music major, and is hoping to sing for a living after she graduates. Physical appearance is very important in the profession that she plans on entering. She has mentioned that she always has to be really careful about her weight because of the profession that she is going into, but never mentioned the fact that it isn’t as likely for her to have a successful career because the fact that she is from Filipino decent. It makes me sad to think that that is the case. She is a wonderful person with a wonderful voice who deserves to be among the famous but it very unlikely that she will make it that far simply because she is not white. She briefly explained this injustice to the audience.
There is still way too much racial injustice in this world, and that really needs to change. It was so interesting listening to the stories that were told during the Race Monologues. I have always avoided such events because I have expected them to be very boring and a waste of time. I also avoided them because I thought that I knew everything I need to know about race, and that the events couldn’t teach me anything important. The race Monologues made me much more aware of all the racial injustice that happens, and also opened my mind to the fact that I actually have been creating some of the racial injustice myself. I have many colored friends and even a couple family members that are African American, and am by no means a raciest, but I still have been unconsciously stereotyping people of different races.
It is important to occasionally attend events on racial injustice and listen to the stories, because when we don’t we tend to forget that it really is still a great problem and that it might actually be partly our fault, as part of society, that is making it that way. I enjoyed attending Race Monologues very much and I plan on attending other events that are similar in the future.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Intercultural Language Log
There are many aspects of human language, many of which vary from culture to culture. While observing how people communicate the past few days, I have realized that my university town has a very large array of cultural expression. People express themselves and communicate with others in a variety of ways both verbally and physically. When a group of people spends a lot of time together, they tend start similar words, ways of talking, dress similarly, and use similar hand and facial gestures. People pick up these ways of communicating mostly from their family and friends. Therefore, people of different cultures and social groups express themselves differently. I have also found that people use different language when their environment changes.
Last weekend I went to a house party that ended up having a very diverse group of people present. I noticed many different cultural groups interacting, all in their own ways, although everyone used language that seems typical for young college students. I noticed that females often use more nonverbal codes to express themselves than males. Most of the male athletes, particularly the wrestlers, had a confident tone in their voice, and seemed to use a lot of facial expression and an average amount of body expression for males. There were a few “hippies” present, who seemed to be very mellow and friendly. The female hippies used an average amount of facial and body expression, but loved to talk! The male hippie also talked a lot and used quite a bit of arm movements to express himself. They dressed in clothing that gave them a laid back and environmentally friendly look. There was a lot of chatting, laughing, and dancing going on in the house, which made it easy to observe the communication trends between my peers.
I have had the chance to observe some of the same people who were at the party several times in a very different environment; church. When these college students are in the environment of church, they often have many of the same communication characteristics, but they also alter some of them. Even though my church has a casual dressing code, all of them were dressed very differently than they were at the party and their attire communicated a different message. Most of the females wore clothing that is less promiscuous and more sophisticated, and wore more subtle makeup. Most of the males wore nicer shirts that didn’t have writing on them. When in the church I noticed that there was much less slang and very little to no swearing used. For the most part, everyone in the church used the same body and facial expressions as they do in other environments. On the other hand, the people that are strict Christians (people who follow the bible strictly and attend church on a regular basis) have different communication habits than the others. The females don’t wear promiscuous clothing when in any public place. I have noticed that the strict Christians of the church I have been attending usually don’t use bad words, but still use plenty of slang.
I observed my aunt, uncle, and their friends and found that many of them feel more socially confident than people on my generation. They seem to use more facial expression when talking and give better eye contact. The physical appearance of the successful middle-age people I observed often seemed to communicate confidence, although I am unsure if that was just the particular group of people I was observing. Middle age people tend to care about comfort very much in their clothing, but also want to look nice. I have rarely seen middle-aged women dressed promiscuously. They often wear prominent jewelry, which may communicate a sense of economical status or an outgoing personality. They also use different words than people of my generation do. Middle-aged people typically don’t use as much slang, and often use a more extensive vocabulary. They seem to know what they want more than the younger generations and use filler words, such as “um…” and “so…”, much less. The group seemed to use lower-context language (Martin & Nakayama p.220) than younger groups, as they didn’t say as many abbreviated words or sayings and tended to make what they felt very clear.
The children I observed have the most unique communication characteristics of any of the groups that I have observed. I mostly observed the children that I babysit, and also a few that attend my church. The boys and girls seem to communicate very similarly to each other. When trying to explain something or tell a story, they tended to talk very quickly and use many arm gestures. They often included unimportant details that most adults would not mention, and used excessive arm gestures and physical expressions. On the other hand, I observed many children being very shy and hesitant to speak when they are in an unfamiliar environment or around new people. They tend to have much more high-context communication (Martin & Nakayama p.220) than older people. Once the children get to their teenage years they typically slow down how fast they talk and use a number of arm gestures and facial expression closer to the amount that collage students use.
The different ways people communicate is very interesting to study. It is amazing how people change their communication styles so drastically from childhood to late teens and early twenties, and then change them more by the time they hit middle age. It is also interesting how different social groups, such as the wrestlers and hippies, have different very different communication styles. The people that I observed used a vast array of communication styles to let others know what they think and feel about a large number of topics. The way that people communicate is very complex here in Ashland Oregon, and I can imagine that if I had an opportunity to observe communication in places with even more diverse cultures I would find much more complexity.
Bibliography
Intercultural Communication in Context. 2007. Martin & Nakayama. McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Last weekend I went to a house party that ended up having a very diverse group of people present. I noticed many different cultural groups interacting, all in their own ways, although everyone used language that seems typical for young college students. I noticed that females often use more nonverbal codes to express themselves than males. Most of the male athletes, particularly the wrestlers, had a confident tone in their voice, and seemed to use a lot of facial expression and an average amount of body expression for males. There were a few “hippies” present, who seemed to be very mellow and friendly. The female hippies used an average amount of facial and body expression, but loved to talk! The male hippie also talked a lot and used quite a bit of arm movements to express himself. They dressed in clothing that gave them a laid back and environmentally friendly look. There was a lot of chatting, laughing, and dancing going on in the house, which made it easy to observe the communication trends between my peers.
I have had the chance to observe some of the same people who were at the party several times in a very different environment; church. When these college students are in the environment of church, they often have many of the same communication characteristics, but they also alter some of them. Even though my church has a casual dressing code, all of them were dressed very differently than they were at the party and their attire communicated a different message. Most of the females wore clothing that is less promiscuous and more sophisticated, and wore more subtle makeup. Most of the males wore nicer shirts that didn’t have writing on them. When in the church I noticed that there was much less slang and very little to no swearing used. For the most part, everyone in the church used the same body and facial expressions as they do in other environments. On the other hand, the people that are strict Christians (people who follow the bible strictly and attend church on a regular basis) have different communication habits than the others. The females don’t wear promiscuous clothing when in any public place. I have noticed that the strict Christians of the church I have been attending usually don’t use bad words, but still use plenty of slang.
I observed my aunt, uncle, and their friends and found that many of them feel more socially confident than people on my generation. They seem to use more facial expression when talking and give better eye contact. The physical appearance of the successful middle-age people I observed often seemed to communicate confidence, although I am unsure if that was just the particular group of people I was observing. Middle age people tend to care about comfort very much in their clothing, but also want to look nice. I have rarely seen middle-aged women dressed promiscuously. They often wear prominent jewelry, which may communicate a sense of economical status or an outgoing personality. They also use different words than people of my generation do. Middle-aged people typically don’t use as much slang, and often use a more extensive vocabulary. They seem to know what they want more than the younger generations and use filler words, such as “um…” and “so…”, much less. The group seemed to use lower-context language (Martin & Nakayama p.220) than younger groups, as they didn’t say as many abbreviated words or sayings and tended to make what they felt very clear.
The children I observed have the most unique communication characteristics of any of the groups that I have observed. I mostly observed the children that I babysit, and also a few that attend my church. The boys and girls seem to communicate very similarly to each other. When trying to explain something or tell a story, they tended to talk very quickly and use many arm gestures. They often included unimportant details that most adults would not mention, and used excessive arm gestures and physical expressions. On the other hand, I observed many children being very shy and hesitant to speak when they are in an unfamiliar environment or around new people. They tend to have much more high-context communication (Martin & Nakayama p.220) than older people. Once the children get to their teenage years they typically slow down how fast they talk and use a number of arm gestures and facial expression closer to the amount that collage students use.
The different ways people communicate is very interesting to study. It is amazing how people change their communication styles so drastically from childhood to late teens and early twenties, and then change them more by the time they hit middle age. It is also interesting how different social groups, such as the wrestlers and hippies, have different very different communication styles. The people that I observed used a vast array of communication styles to let others know what they think and feel about a large number of topics. The way that people communicate is very complex here in Ashland Oregon, and I can imagine that if I had an opportunity to observe communication in places with even more diverse cultures I would find much more complexity.
Bibliography
Intercultural Communication in Context. 2007. Martin & Nakayama. McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Digital Culture
My culture is not something that can easily be defined, because, like most people, I belong to many cultural groups. Some people call me a self-indulgent and materialistic American, where as some call me a caring and environmentally friendly hippie. Some people view me as a lazy, indecisive college student, where as some view me as a fun, laid-back, open minded person. I have difficulty identifying myself with a certain culture, because I have so many different views of myself, the world, and the definition of the word culture. One of the many cultures I belong to, is digital culture, which I would like to share about.
Growing up in the era of computers, cell phones, and other digital gadgets has shaped me into a technologically inclined person. Most people within about 20 years of my age who have grown up with availability to these digital gadgets, are also part of this culture. My definition of digital culture is: the people who use digital gadgets on a daily basis, and whose lives would be radically different if they did not have access to these gadgets. This year, about twenty five percent of the world population uses the internet, this is approximately a 362 percent increase from the year 2000 (2009. Miniwatts Marketing Group). The digital culture has expanded extremely fast, and is now one of the largest cultures in the world. These days it’s not just the people we know as ‘computer nerds’ that are of this culture. Now most normal middle class and upper class people from many different countries and backgrounds are apart of this culture.
Every single one of my friends has a computer and a phone at home and the large majority of people here in Oregon access to computers and phones. Having digital gadgets so accessible has made a huge impact on peoples lifestyles. People of the digital culture have near instant access to information that previously would be difficult to obtain. People of Digital culture also can entertain them selfs with digital games and music, and can easily communicate with people that are very far away.
In the United States, Universities, high schools, and even middle schools, expect their students to be capable of typing and using computers proficiently. The digital culture contains people in a wide variety races, professions, and life styles, all who are dependent upon their digital gadgets. Many people not only rely their gadgets for school or work, but also for recreation. Television and computer games are very commonly used, many researchers believe that they are used too much. There are even some cults associated with certain digital games and television series, such as the game World of War Craft, and the television series Lost. People who do not go along with digital culture trends, such as joining the online social networking group Facebook, often feel ostracized from their social groups.
The average American adult spends 8.5 hours in front of a screen and spend over an hour watching television advertisements and promotions every day (2009. Settler). It is astounding how much technology we have accessible to us! I personally can’t imagine life without it, because I have not gone a day without using some form of technology sense I can remember. It is almost impossible to escape technology in any town or city, or even in the wilderness of an industrialized nation. People can do so many great things with modern day technology, but technology has it’s down sides as well. Millions of people in my culture have experienced health problems because of excessive use of digital gadgets.
It has been proven by a large number of scientific studies that staring at a screen for too long can cause health problems. Watching a screens for long amounts of time has been proven to cause increased blood pressure in children and in adults, worsened eye sight, depression, and many other issues. Too much technology is without a doubt is bad for human health. (2009. Science Daily., 2009. Kioskea)
There are many good things and bad things about being apart of the digital culture, but most people seem to think that the good outweigh the bad, because more and more people are becoming apart of it. Through out the years, it has become expected a huge number of people to become apart of digital culture. Digital culture is changing environments all over the globe and in not too long will make an impact on almost every life on our planet.
Miniwatts Marketing Group. http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
2009. Setlter, B. The Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/business/media/27adco.html
2009. Kioskea. http://en.kioskea.net/actualites/tv-and-video-games-increase-teen-depression-risk-study-11942-actualite.php3
2009. Science Daily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803173127.htm
Growing up in the era of computers, cell phones, and other digital gadgets has shaped me into a technologically inclined person. Most people within about 20 years of my age who have grown up with availability to these digital gadgets, are also part of this culture. My definition of digital culture is: the people who use digital gadgets on a daily basis, and whose lives would be radically different if they did not have access to these gadgets. This year, about twenty five percent of the world population uses the internet, this is approximately a 362 percent increase from the year 2000 (2009. Miniwatts Marketing Group). The digital culture has expanded extremely fast, and is now one of the largest cultures in the world. These days it’s not just the people we know as ‘computer nerds’ that are of this culture. Now most normal middle class and upper class people from many different countries and backgrounds are apart of this culture.
Every single one of my friends has a computer and a phone at home and the large majority of people here in Oregon access to computers and phones. Having digital gadgets so accessible has made a huge impact on peoples lifestyles. People of the digital culture have near instant access to information that previously would be difficult to obtain. People of Digital culture also can entertain them selfs with digital games and music, and can easily communicate with people that are very far away.
In the United States, Universities, high schools, and even middle schools, expect their students to be capable of typing and using computers proficiently. The digital culture contains people in a wide variety races, professions, and life styles, all who are dependent upon their digital gadgets. Many people not only rely their gadgets for school or work, but also for recreation. Television and computer games are very commonly used, many researchers believe that they are used too much. There are even some cults associated with certain digital games and television series, such as the game World of War Craft, and the television series Lost. People who do not go along with digital culture trends, such as joining the online social networking group Facebook, often feel ostracized from their social groups.
The average American adult spends 8.5 hours in front of a screen and spend over an hour watching television advertisements and promotions every day (2009. Settler). It is astounding how much technology we have accessible to us! I personally can’t imagine life without it, because I have not gone a day without using some form of technology sense I can remember. It is almost impossible to escape technology in any town or city, or even in the wilderness of an industrialized nation. People can do so many great things with modern day technology, but technology has it’s down sides as well. Millions of people in my culture have experienced health problems because of excessive use of digital gadgets.
It has been proven by a large number of scientific studies that staring at a screen for too long can cause health problems. Watching a screens for long amounts of time has been proven to cause increased blood pressure in children and in adults, worsened eye sight, depression, and many other issues. Too much technology is without a doubt is bad for human health. (2009. Science Daily., 2009. Kioskea)
There are many good things and bad things about being apart of the digital culture, but most people seem to think that the good outweigh the bad, because more and more people are becoming apart of it. Through out the years, it has become expected a huge number of people to become apart of digital culture. Digital culture is changing environments all over the globe and in not too long will make an impact on almost every life on our planet.
Miniwatts Marketing Group. http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
2009. Setlter, B. The Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/business/media/27adco.html
2009. Kioskea. http://en.kioskea.net/actualites/tv-and-video-games-increase-teen-depression-risk-study-11942-actualite.php3
2009. Science Daily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803173127.htm
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tropical Rainforests Need to be Protected!
There are many different types of ecosystems in the world, some of which are more diverse than others. Rainforests are extremely diverse ecosystems that are very important to the well-being of the earth. Unfortunately, because of humans, plant and animal species in rainforests have been dying off at a very fast rate. Humans need to take the steps necessary to protect rain forests from further destruction.
In total, tropical rainforests cover seven percent of the earth’s surface, yet they contain over 50% of the world’s plant and animal species. In any ecosystem, all native plant and animal species play an important role in ecological function. The Amazonian basin may be the most diverse ecosystem on earth. It’s diversity is due to the low latitudes near the equator which allows daylight to be constant year round with more variation in daylight the further from the equator. There are millions of species that live in the Amazonian rainforest, all of which are very important in helping create healthy species interactions. When any species becomes extinct, it has a negative affect many other species (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995).
There are many different layers of vegetation in the Amazonian rainforest, all of which are almost individual ecosystems. There is the forest floor, then a layer of smaller trees which make up the majority of the understory, and then the larger species of trees that extend up into the canopy and over-story. The larger tree species can grow to over 150 feet tall (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995). These are the trees that loggers have been cutting down for many years (Chew, 2001). Even though most of the Amazonian region receives at least 12 hours of light every day year round, not much light reaches the forest floor due to the layers of broad leafed trees (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995). The mass amount of vegetation in the rain forest creates a huge percentage of the worlds oxygen, which is one of the many reasons this rainforest is so important to us (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995; Zeng, 1995).
Some of the animals that inhabit this diverse ecosystem include jaguars, giant anteaters, the giant armadillo, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, sloths, and Tapirs. There are many species of beetles present in the Amazonian rainforest, which make up about 25% of the worlds described animal species. Ants make up approximately 30% of the animal biomass in the Amazon basin. One tree alone in Peru was noted for having over 43 different ant species living on it. In the Manu National Park in Peru there are 1300 species of butterflies present. Insects make up approximately 90% of the animal species in the Amazon rainforest (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995). It is hard to comprehend the magnitude in scale of such a diverse ecosystem; unfortunately, it is quickly going into a downward spiral.
The Amazonian rain forests have low nutrient availability, and when a disturbance takes place, if the small amount of nutrients available are destroyed or moved, then the speed of succession will greatly decrease until the nutrients become available again. The rainforests’ ecosystem is very vulnerable to disturbances, because secondary succession depends greatly on nutrient availability and seedling regeneration. Some of these disturbances are fires, flooding, land-use practices, and global warming. These disturbances are important determinants that directly influence the landscape in different ways. Some of them are good for the ecosystem, and some are not. Lately there has been much more negative disturbances than good ones. (Chew, 2001)
It is because of human intervention that the Amazonian rain forest is quickly becoming smaller and is loosing it’s biodiversity. In the last 40 years, close to 20% of the Amazonian forest has been cut down. Small-scale agricultural farmers, ranchers, and the global warming are the main destructive factors, but there are also many other causes of the deforestation of the Amazon (Chew, 2001). There are a large number of roads, some of which are legal but most are illegal, that go through the Amazon forest. These roads have been made primarily for logging and the transportation of soybeans and other produce. These roads give illegal loggers and settlers access to the inner forest, increasing the deforestation rate (Wallace, 2007). Brazil’s land ownership policies are a big cause of deforestation of the Amazon rain forest. The ownership polices encourage poor farmers to settle on unclaimed public land, because if they use the land for five years, they can the claim ownership (Wallace, 2007; Chew, 2001). Cattle farms are the largest cause of deforestation in the Amazon. Beef is raised and processed in the Amazon area, then is exported to all over the world. (Chew, 2001) The reasons for decreasing biodiversity in the Amazon rain forest are extensive, but could be put to an end.
The Amazon forest is a place that needs to be protected. There is a solution to the deforestation and diminishing of biodiversity problems. What the countries surrounding rainforest can do to help prevent deforestation is give harsher and better enforced punishment for illegal logging. Brazil should change its land ownership laws. South American countries should try to prevent more roads from being made that go through the forest. The biggest thing North Americans and Europeans can do to prevent deforestation is to buy locally grown/raised food. Cattle are strong animals, which can live almost anywhere that humans can. If everyone bought locally raised beef, it would not only substantially cut down on deforestation, and it would also cut down on the pollution caused by shipping the food. This process can also be applied to soybeans. The products that can’t be grown in one’s local environment, such as bananas and coffee, should be used in moderation. Buying foods grown locally is good for the environment and good for your body because they do not need to have preservatives. These are mostly simple, doable changes that can greatly help prevent further destruction of our earth.
The Amazon rainforest is an extremely diverse ecosystem that helps sustain the life of every creature on earth. Rainforests are important to humans because they absorb much of the excessive carbon dioxide emissions we put out, they are beautiful, and many other reasons (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995)! Unfortunately, we are failing at sustaining these precious ecosystems. If we don’t protect the rainforest from further destruction, we will be losing so much. Please help take care of our earth; we aren’t going to get another one! Bibliography
Vandermeer, J., & Perfecto I. (1995). Breakfast of Biodiversity: The Truth About Rain Forest Destruction. The Institute for Food and Development Policy.
Chew, S. World Ecological Degradation: Accumulation, Urbanization, and Deforestation 3000 BC - AD 2000. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC.
Zeng, N., Dickinson, R., Zeng, X. (1995) Climatic Impact of Amazon Deforestation- A Mechanistic Model Study. Tucson, AZ: Institute of Atomspheric Physics, University of Arizona.
Wallace, S. (2007). Last of the Amazon. National Geographic.
In total, tropical rainforests cover seven percent of the earth’s surface, yet they contain over 50% of the world’s plant and animal species. In any ecosystem, all native plant and animal species play an important role in ecological function. The Amazonian basin may be the most diverse ecosystem on earth. It’s diversity is due to the low latitudes near the equator which allows daylight to be constant year round with more variation in daylight the further from the equator. There are millions of species that live in the Amazonian rainforest, all of which are very important in helping create healthy species interactions. When any species becomes extinct, it has a negative affect many other species (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995).
There are many different layers of vegetation in the Amazonian rainforest, all of which are almost individual ecosystems. There is the forest floor, then a layer of smaller trees which make up the majority of the understory, and then the larger species of trees that extend up into the canopy and over-story. The larger tree species can grow to over 150 feet tall (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995). These are the trees that loggers have been cutting down for many years (Chew, 2001). Even though most of the Amazonian region receives at least 12 hours of light every day year round, not much light reaches the forest floor due to the layers of broad leafed trees (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995). The mass amount of vegetation in the rain forest creates a huge percentage of the worlds oxygen, which is one of the many reasons this rainforest is so important to us (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995; Zeng, 1995).
Some of the animals that inhabit this diverse ecosystem include jaguars, giant anteaters, the giant armadillo, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, sloths, and Tapirs. There are many species of beetles present in the Amazonian rainforest, which make up about 25% of the worlds described animal species. Ants make up approximately 30% of the animal biomass in the Amazon basin. One tree alone in Peru was noted for having over 43 different ant species living on it. In the Manu National Park in Peru there are 1300 species of butterflies present. Insects make up approximately 90% of the animal species in the Amazon rainforest (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995). It is hard to comprehend the magnitude in scale of such a diverse ecosystem; unfortunately, it is quickly going into a downward spiral.
The Amazonian rain forests have low nutrient availability, and when a disturbance takes place, if the small amount of nutrients available are destroyed or moved, then the speed of succession will greatly decrease until the nutrients become available again. The rainforests’ ecosystem is very vulnerable to disturbances, because secondary succession depends greatly on nutrient availability and seedling regeneration. Some of these disturbances are fires, flooding, land-use practices, and global warming. These disturbances are important determinants that directly influence the landscape in different ways. Some of them are good for the ecosystem, and some are not. Lately there has been much more negative disturbances than good ones. (Chew, 2001)
It is because of human intervention that the Amazonian rain forest is quickly becoming smaller and is loosing it’s biodiversity. In the last 40 years, close to 20% of the Amazonian forest has been cut down. Small-scale agricultural farmers, ranchers, and the global warming are the main destructive factors, but there are also many other causes of the deforestation of the Amazon (Chew, 2001). There are a large number of roads, some of which are legal but most are illegal, that go through the Amazon forest. These roads have been made primarily for logging and the transportation of soybeans and other produce. These roads give illegal loggers and settlers access to the inner forest, increasing the deforestation rate (Wallace, 2007). Brazil’s land ownership policies are a big cause of deforestation of the Amazon rain forest. The ownership polices encourage poor farmers to settle on unclaimed public land, because if they use the land for five years, they can the claim ownership (Wallace, 2007; Chew, 2001). Cattle farms are the largest cause of deforestation in the Amazon. Beef is raised and processed in the Amazon area, then is exported to all over the world. (Chew, 2001) The reasons for decreasing biodiversity in the Amazon rain forest are extensive, but could be put to an end.
The Amazon forest is a place that needs to be protected. There is a solution to the deforestation and diminishing of biodiversity problems. What the countries surrounding rainforest can do to help prevent deforestation is give harsher and better enforced punishment for illegal logging. Brazil should change its land ownership laws. South American countries should try to prevent more roads from being made that go through the forest. The biggest thing North Americans and Europeans can do to prevent deforestation is to buy locally grown/raised food. Cattle are strong animals, which can live almost anywhere that humans can. If everyone bought locally raised beef, it would not only substantially cut down on deforestation, and it would also cut down on the pollution caused by shipping the food. This process can also be applied to soybeans. The products that can’t be grown in one’s local environment, such as bananas and coffee, should be used in moderation. Buying foods grown locally is good for the environment and good for your body because they do not need to have preservatives. These are mostly simple, doable changes that can greatly help prevent further destruction of our earth.
The Amazon rainforest is an extremely diverse ecosystem that helps sustain the life of every creature on earth. Rainforests are important to humans because they absorb much of the excessive carbon dioxide emissions we put out, they are beautiful, and many other reasons (Vandermeer & Perfecto, 1995)! Unfortunately, we are failing at sustaining these precious ecosystems. If we don’t protect the rainforest from further destruction, we will be losing so much. Please help take care of our earth; we aren’t going to get another one! Bibliography
Vandermeer, J., & Perfecto I. (1995). Breakfast of Biodiversity: The Truth About Rain Forest Destruction. The Institute for Food and Development Policy.
Chew, S. World Ecological Degradation: Accumulation, Urbanization, and Deforestation 3000 BC - AD 2000. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC.
Zeng, N., Dickinson, R., Zeng, X. (1995) Climatic Impact of Amazon Deforestation- A Mechanistic Model Study. Tucson, AZ: Institute of Atomspheric Physics, University of Arizona.
Wallace, S. (2007). Last of the Amazon. National Geographic.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Reflection on Death Article
It has taken me so long to reply to this critical reading assignment, because it is a very difficult topic for me. I started reading the article 5 times, each time finding an excuse to not finish it. I believe that death is a topic that needs to be discussed much more in our culture! It is something that many people do not understand well enough, and adds large amount of stress to almost every life.
On most cases, I believe that suicide should not be done, or even contemplated. Life is so short as it is, people need to realize that and try to enjoy themselves and help other do the same, every day. On the other hand, some people are incapable of enjoying life. I believe that people living in chronic pain/suffering should be allowed to end their lives.
I work at a retirement home, which is a place where death and suffering are very common. A couple weeks ago one of my residents attempted suicide. I do not know what this resident was thinking and why she decided to attempt suicide, but I believe that it was simply a cry for help and attention. She has told my co-workers some stories of when she was younger, and she had quite the difficult life. I have always seen her as a very kind person, and I had no idea that she was contemplating death.
Death is a very difficult topic that no one really wants to think about, but should be talked about more and at younger ages. No one can fully understand death until they experience it themselves, but it is important that they have some understanding of it because it is a part of life. We are constantly getting older. Someday, if death is coming slowly and suffering is being experienced, perhaps suicide wouldn’t be such a bad option.
On most cases, I believe that suicide should not be done, or even contemplated. Life is so short as it is, people need to realize that and try to enjoy themselves and help other do the same, every day. On the other hand, some people are incapable of enjoying life. I believe that people living in chronic pain/suffering should be allowed to end their lives.
I work at a retirement home, which is a place where death and suffering are very common. A couple weeks ago one of my residents attempted suicide. I do not know what this resident was thinking and why she decided to attempt suicide, but I believe that it was simply a cry for help and attention. She has told my co-workers some stories of when she was younger, and she had quite the difficult life. I have always seen her as a very kind person, and I had no idea that she was contemplating death.
Death is a very difficult topic that no one really wants to think about, but should be talked about more and at younger ages. No one can fully understand death until they experience it themselves, but it is important that they have some understanding of it because it is a part of life. We are constantly getting older. Someday, if death is coming slowly and suffering is being experienced, perhaps suicide wouldn’t be such a bad option.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Group Essay: ADHD
It is becoming more common to see children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. These disorders have been used to explain why kids are increasingly hyperactive and inattentive. Children are then prescribed medication; the most common used medications are Ritalin and Adderall. But, because there is no actual test for ADD/ADHD, doctors are forced to guess based on an overall evaluation. With new medical advances and more and more medication to treat this “defect,” more children are being diagnosed and prescribed medication. Medication, though helpful, is not the only way a child can be treated for ADD/ADHD; therefore doctors should not just rely on medication to treat ADD/ADHD in children.
scientists started believing that ADD was largely genetic. ADD researchers assumed that our population was going through large scale genetic mutations. By 1990 experts on Attention Deficit Disorder began to see ADD not as a disorder, but as a natural condition. They believe that it left ADD people with disadvantages in certain modern settings, but advantages when it came to things like creativity. Today the diagnosis is so broad that millions of children are getting labeled as being ADD. (Gallagher, 1999) Now is that good or bad?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a common condition that is affecting close to 7 percent of children in grade school age. ADHD is more common for boys, but in girls it may be under diagnosed. There are three different types of ADHD disorders. The first is ADHD mainly inattentive, this is commonly known as ADD. The second is ADHD mainly hyperactive-impulsive. And the third is ADHD which is the first two combined, which is considered to be the worst state of ADHD to have. The basic definition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is an impairment of either activity or attention control or it could be both. There are many symptoms specialist use to diagnose ADHD, which include a child always on the go, does not settle to anything, has poor concentration, poor ability to organize activities, unable to engage in tedious activities or tasks requiring sustained mental effort, and a child who cannot stay still or wait for others. Both ADD and ADHD are very similar in certain ways such as children being unable to focus, sit for long periods of time, and have poor abilities when it comes to organization. But the difference is that ADHD is an advanced form of ADD (Gillberg, 2003).
The exact cause of ADD/ADHD has not been determined (Low, 2009). However, parents are thought to be potential predictors of ADHD in children since behaviors seem to run in families. Some of the symptoms can be linked to smoking, alcohol consumption and or the poor health of the mother during pregnancy plus poor infant health, and delayed motor and language development (Stein, 1999). In a study at McGill University, researchers separated newborn rats from their mothers for either 15 minutes or six hours a day. One of the researchers, biologist Michael Meaney, reported that he had found receptors for certain brain chemicals and the gene for the receptors are both altered as a result of stress of separation in the six-hour group (Begley, 1996). Therefore one could say that the stress of both mom and dad working produces ADHD like symptoms in children raised in a modern household so it does not necessarily have a genetic link at all.
When it comes to diagnosing these particular disorders it becomes very complicated. The reason it becomes difficult is because every doctor and specialist in the field of ADD/ADHD has different opinions and different ways of going about diagnosing their patients. Ideally a doctor when diagnosing a child would go through every aspect and angle possible before assuming that the child has ADD or ADHD, but that does not always happen. Some doctors recommend a large battery of test that often cause thousands of dollars worth of bills towards the family. While others are considered to be hurried physicians which only give a brief rating and then diagnose and prescribe treatments. And with these two extremes neither of these are for the best interests of the patients (BMJ, 2008 & Gallagher, 1999).
When children are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, they are given a variety of pills in order to “help” them focus better. But do these drugs actually do what they are supposed to? Ritalin and Adderall are the most commonly used psycho-stimulants to treat ADD/ADHD, but Concerta, Metadate, Dexodrine, Dextrostrat, Desoxyn, Gradumet, and Cylert are also used. Ritalin contains a major “WARNING” section on the label. The first two warnings are of extreme importance and should be shown full attention by anyone who is possibly going to take this drug. The warnings are as followed:
• “Ritalin should not be used in children under six years of age, since safety and efficacy for this age group have not been established.” (even though there are many cases where children under this age are taking Ritalin because they have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD).
• “Sufficient data on safety and efficacy of long-term use of Ritalin in children are not yet available.” Considering what this drug can do to an adolescent brain and body within a reasonably short period of time, why would a parent have their child to be in a study using these kinds of stimulants? (Breggin)
The drugs doctors are prescribing to our kids are quite similar to the drugs we are trying to rid from our society, such as speed. These drugs are more readily given out to children because it is easier instead of trying to meet that child’s genuine needs. These drugs can cause addiction and dependency problems and a range of stimulant-abuse problems. For example, a child can become a lifelong dependent of drugs and tobacco if over-prescribed. When a habit develops early on, there is a greater tendency for it to become a lifelong pattern. Children who smoke tobacco or who are given stimulants, such as Ritalin, develop the habit of using these things as a crutch to deal with emotions or outrageous behavior. Nicotine and stimulants can change the child’s development of the brain, which can make it dependent on these substances. This can induce further use later on in life. (Breggin, 2001)
Younger children and adolescents taking these drugs can experience severe side effects. These medications can cause shrinking in the brain, decreased appetite which can lead to anorexia, and an increase in insomnia. These are just a select few of the more known side effects that can occur within 20 days of taking these drugs. The symptoms do not include what happens to the child in a long period of time because there is not enough research done in those areas for ADD/ADHD stimulants. Even more harmful side effects have been known to occur in the following stimulants; Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall, Concerta, and Metadate. The side effects can include depression, aggression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, convulsions, headaches, abnormal heart beats, cardiac arrest, and also heart disease (Breggin, 2001& US, 2002).
Since stimulants can be harmful to young children and young adults there are many alternatives that also help with the needs of a supposed ADD/ADHD child. Those alternatives include the most common ATTEND and Strattera. ATTEND is a natural based drug that is used to treat symptoms of ADD/ADHD. Even though it is made up of natural ingredients it still shows 70% improvement for a child in areas of focusing on certain tasks, self control, response time, and consistency. ATTEND is a good alternative because Ritalin and Adderall only show up to 10% more improvement over ATTEND in these areas. On the other hand Strattera only shows about 60% of improvement in these areas, but since it is not a stimulant it is still a better choice when comparing to actual stimulants used for ADD/ADHD. This is because Strattera does not cause as severe medical conditions as the stimulants do (Gillberg, 2003).
Educators do not consider Ritalin as the first treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD. Therefore, teachers in the classroom have gone to great strides to help these kids get through the day. These methods could be put in place of medication to help the child cope with ADHD and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. Teachers have found that by putting a sort of points system into the classroom, it can motivate these children to want to do things like homework and classroom chores, making it fun rather than time consuming. This type of “medication” is also known as Behavioral Therapy (Peter, 2001). Early elementary students have a much harder time concentrating, so aides or even the counselors may come into the classroom to sit with that child. Giving these kids as much one on one attention as possible helps them to better understand the lesson. (Everett, 1999)
Other methods include Psychotherapy, and Parent Skills Training. Psychotherapy consists of a series of visits to a trained counselor so the child may be able to talk out their issue and deal with them in a healthy manner. Parent Skills Training is where the parents go through workshops to learn how to deal with and help an ADHD child. These parents learn about how to make chores fun and how to use a point system in the house to give the child something to look forward to. This instills a sense of pride into a child who may not be feeling very proud of themselves.
The parent of an ADHD child will find it more effective to give clear instructions, rearrange work so it’s more interesting and motivating, redirect the child’s behavior toward future goals verses immediate gratification, and provide immediate awards for a completed task or adherence to rules (Barkely, 1995).
There are several general principles that might help a parent with an ADHD child. When children are finding their activity boring or unrewarding a parent can arrange for positive, frequent feedback and consequences to help keep them on task. Positive feedback can be putting what the child had done in a positive light. Using physical affection extra privileges or rewards. Consequences should encourage parents to use incentives before punishment when an ADHD child misbehaves. A simple rule is positives before negatives because ADHD children receive enough reprimands and everyone responds well to praise (Barkely, 1995).
Difficult-to-manage children may cause parents to become angered, embarrassed, or frustrated. Parents should always remember they are the adult, and should behave reasonably, fairly and rationally. Don’t let behavior problems become a contest, stay calm, and maintain a sense of humor. And know you’re not a bad parent when things don’t go exactly as you planned.
In summary, it has been concluded that in most cases children are being over diagnosed and medicated. We believe is that Physicians, Teachers, and Psychiatrists need to be more careful when dealing with these two disorders. They need to not assume that just because a child is showing certain behaviors or distinct differences that it should automatically be concluded as ADD/ADHD. They need to not make excuses for children that are simply just not interested in certain topics, they need to be 100% sure that a child has Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. These disorders are serious conditions when accurately diagnosed to a child, so until there is an accurate test for ADD/ADHD then it should not be taken lightly.
scientists started believing that ADD was largely genetic. ADD researchers assumed that our population was going through large scale genetic mutations. By 1990 experts on Attention Deficit Disorder began to see ADD not as a disorder, but as a natural condition. They believe that it left ADD people with disadvantages in certain modern settings, but advantages when it came to things like creativity. Today the diagnosis is so broad that millions of children are getting labeled as being ADD. (Gallagher, 1999) Now is that good or bad?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a common condition that is affecting close to 7 percent of children in grade school age. ADHD is more common for boys, but in girls it may be under diagnosed. There are three different types of ADHD disorders. The first is ADHD mainly inattentive, this is commonly known as ADD. The second is ADHD mainly hyperactive-impulsive. And the third is ADHD which is the first two combined, which is considered to be the worst state of ADHD to have. The basic definition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is an impairment of either activity or attention control or it could be both. There are many symptoms specialist use to diagnose ADHD, which include a child always on the go, does not settle to anything, has poor concentration, poor ability to organize activities, unable to engage in tedious activities or tasks requiring sustained mental effort, and a child who cannot stay still or wait for others. Both ADD and ADHD are very similar in certain ways such as children being unable to focus, sit for long periods of time, and have poor abilities when it comes to organization. But the difference is that ADHD is an advanced form of ADD (Gillberg, 2003).
The exact cause of ADD/ADHD has not been determined (Low, 2009). However, parents are thought to be potential predictors of ADHD in children since behaviors seem to run in families. Some of the symptoms can be linked to smoking, alcohol consumption and or the poor health of the mother during pregnancy plus poor infant health, and delayed motor and language development (Stein, 1999). In a study at McGill University, researchers separated newborn rats from their mothers for either 15 minutes or six hours a day. One of the researchers, biologist Michael Meaney, reported that he had found receptors for certain brain chemicals and the gene for the receptors are both altered as a result of stress of separation in the six-hour group (Begley, 1996). Therefore one could say that the stress of both mom and dad working produces ADHD like symptoms in children raised in a modern household so it does not necessarily have a genetic link at all.
When it comes to diagnosing these particular disorders it becomes very complicated. The reason it becomes difficult is because every doctor and specialist in the field of ADD/ADHD has different opinions and different ways of going about diagnosing their patients. Ideally a doctor when diagnosing a child would go through every aspect and angle possible before assuming that the child has ADD or ADHD, but that does not always happen. Some doctors recommend a large battery of test that often cause thousands of dollars worth of bills towards the family. While others are considered to be hurried physicians which only give a brief rating and then diagnose and prescribe treatments. And with these two extremes neither of these are for the best interests of the patients (BMJ, 2008 & Gallagher, 1999).
When children are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, they are given a variety of pills in order to “help” them focus better. But do these drugs actually do what they are supposed to? Ritalin and Adderall are the most commonly used psycho-stimulants to treat ADD/ADHD, but Concerta, Metadate, Dexodrine, Dextrostrat, Desoxyn, Gradumet, and Cylert are also used. Ritalin contains a major “WARNING” section on the label. The first two warnings are of extreme importance and should be shown full attention by anyone who is possibly going to take this drug. The warnings are as followed:
• “Ritalin should not be used in children under six years of age, since safety and efficacy for this age group have not been established.” (even though there are many cases where children under this age are taking Ritalin because they have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD).
• “Sufficient data on safety and efficacy of long-term use of Ritalin in children are not yet available.” Considering what this drug can do to an adolescent brain and body within a reasonably short period of time, why would a parent have their child to be in a study using these kinds of stimulants? (Breggin)
The drugs doctors are prescribing to our kids are quite similar to the drugs we are trying to rid from our society, such as speed. These drugs are more readily given out to children because it is easier instead of trying to meet that child’s genuine needs. These drugs can cause addiction and dependency problems and a range of stimulant-abuse problems. For example, a child can become a lifelong dependent of drugs and tobacco if over-prescribed. When a habit develops early on, there is a greater tendency for it to become a lifelong pattern. Children who smoke tobacco or who are given stimulants, such as Ritalin, develop the habit of using these things as a crutch to deal with emotions or outrageous behavior. Nicotine and stimulants can change the child’s development of the brain, which can make it dependent on these substances. This can induce further use later on in life. (Breggin, 2001)
Younger children and adolescents taking these drugs can experience severe side effects. These medications can cause shrinking in the brain, decreased appetite which can lead to anorexia, and an increase in insomnia. These are just a select few of the more known side effects that can occur within 20 days of taking these drugs. The symptoms do not include what happens to the child in a long period of time because there is not enough research done in those areas for ADD/ADHD stimulants. Even more harmful side effects have been known to occur in the following stimulants; Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall, Concerta, and Metadate. The side effects can include depression, aggression, obsessive-compulsive disorders, convulsions, headaches, abnormal heart beats, cardiac arrest, and also heart disease (Breggin, 2001& US, 2002).
Since stimulants can be harmful to young children and young adults there are many alternatives that also help with the needs of a supposed ADD/ADHD child. Those alternatives include the most common ATTEND and Strattera. ATTEND is a natural based drug that is used to treat symptoms of ADD/ADHD. Even though it is made up of natural ingredients it still shows 70% improvement for a child in areas of focusing on certain tasks, self control, response time, and consistency. ATTEND is a good alternative because Ritalin and Adderall only show up to 10% more improvement over ATTEND in these areas. On the other hand Strattera only shows about 60% of improvement in these areas, but since it is not a stimulant it is still a better choice when comparing to actual stimulants used for ADD/ADHD. This is because Strattera does not cause as severe medical conditions as the stimulants do (Gillberg, 2003).
Educators do not consider Ritalin as the first treatment for children diagnosed with ADHD. Therefore, teachers in the classroom have gone to great strides to help these kids get through the day. These methods could be put in place of medication to help the child cope with ADHD and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. Teachers have found that by putting a sort of points system into the classroom, it can motivate these children to want to do things like homework and classroom chores, making it fun rather than time consuming. This type of “medication” is also known as Behavioral Therapy (Peter, 2001). Early elementary students have a much harder time concentrating, so aides or even the counselors may come into the classroom to sit with that child. Giving these kids as much one on one attention as possible helps them to better understand the lesson. (Everett, 1999)
Other methods include Psychotherapy, and Parent Skills Training. Psychotherapy consists of a series of visits to a trained counselor so the child may be able to talk out their issue and deal with them in a healthy manner. Parent Skills Training is where the parents go through workshops to learn how to deal with and help an ADHD child. These parents learn about how to make chores fun and how to use a point system in the house to give the child something to look forward to. This instills a sense of pride into a child who may not be feeling very proud of themselves.
The parent of an ADHD child will find it more effective to give clear instructions, rearrange work so it’s more interesting and motivating, redirect the child’s behavior toward future goals verses immediate gratification, and provide immediate awards for a completed task or adherence to rules (Barkely, 1995).
There are several general principles that might help a parent with an ADHD child. When children are finding their activity boring or unrewarding a parent can arrange for positive, frequent feedback and consequences to help keep them on task. Positive feedback can be putting what the child had done in a positive light. Using physical affection extra privileges or rewards. Consequences should encourage parents to use incentives before punishment when an ADHD child misbehaves. A simple rule is positives before negatives because ADHD children receive enough reprimands and everyone responds well to praise (Barkely, 1995).
Difficult-to-manage children may cause parents to become angered, embarrassed, or frustrated. Parents should always remember they are the adult, and should behave reasonably, fairly and rationally. Don’t let behavior problems become a contest, stay calm, and maintain a sense of humor. And know you’re not a bad parent when things don’t go exactly as you planned.
In summary, it has been concluded that in most cases children are being over diagnosed and medicated. We believe is that Physicians, Teachers, and Psychiatrists need to be more careful when dealing with these two disorders. They need to not assume that just because a child is showing certain behaviors or distinct differences that it should automatically be concluded as ADD/ADHD. They need to not make excuses for children that are simply just not interested in certain topics, they need to be 100% sure that a child has Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. These disorders are serious conditions when accurately diagnosed to a child, so until there is an accurate test for ADD/ADHD then it should not be taken lightly.
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