Pet column: Service dogs specialize in autistic children

When a child is diagnosed with autism, parents’ lives change forever. The neurological disorder is characterized by abnormal social and communication behaviors and the presence of repetitive behaviors, such as hand flapping or spinning in circles, sometimes for hours.

Individuals may fall anywhere on the autism spectrum, from highly functioning to severely impaired.

Autistic children are prone to unintentionally wandering or running away, sometimes becoming lost. Some engage in self-injurious behavior, such as head-banging or self-hitting. And others experience frequent meltdowns, falling to the ground kicking and screaming.

Public environments tend to stimulate these children excessively, exacerbating symptoms. A simple outing to the store, or going through the checkout stand, can be horrible for parents, said Beverly Swartz of All Purpose Canines in Aberdeen, S.D.

Swartz trains service dogs for autistic children and has placed dogs with families throughout the United States and Canada. Dogs are taught to track children should they become lost. And children sometimes stop wandering altogether because they don’t want to leave their dog, often their only friend.

Autistic children may walk into oncoming traffic. Dogs, tethered to the child, are taught to stop at curbs. And strangely, although the children don’t realize they will be hurt by cars, they realize their dog will be hurt and they often stop willingly, Swartz said.

The leading cause of death among autistic children is accidents related to wandering, such as exposure to the elements and drowning.

Interrupted sleep patterns and night wandering are issues with autistic children. The dog is one tool to keep the child safe. Just as weighted blankets soothe and induce sleep in some autistics, the pressure of a 60-70 pound dog can soothe and induce sleep, too, Swartz said.

Dogs are trained to redirect the child during repetitive or self-injurious behaviors by bringing a ball to the child and other means. Parents are often able to redirect unwanted behaviors simply by encouraging the child to pet the dog.

Joanne Mañá

Short Jokes

Headmaster: I've had complaints about you, Johnny, from all your teachers. What have you been doing?
Johnny: Nothing, sir.
Headmaster: Exactly.

Mother: "Did you enjoy your first day at school?"
Girl: "First day? Do you mean I have to go back tomorrow?

Patient: Doctor, I have a pain in my eye whenever I drink tea.
Doctor: Take the spoon out of the mug before you drink.

Mary: John says I'm pretty. Andy says I'm ugly. What do you think, Peter?
Peter: I think you're pretty ugly.

A vampire bat came flapping in from the night, covered in fresh blood, and parked himself on the roof of the cave to get some sleep.
Pretty soon all the other bats smelled the blood and began hassling him about where he got it. He told them to go away and let him get some sleep. However, the bats persisted until finally he gave in.
"OK, follow me," he said, and flew out of the cave with hundreds of bats behind him. Down through a valley they went, across a river and into a forest full of trees. Finally he slowed down and all the other bats excitedly milled around him.
"Now, do you see that tree over there?" he asked.
"Yes, yes, yes!" the bats all screamed in a hungry frenzy.
"Good," said the first bat tiredly, "Because I didn't!"

....

Find others in this web page, enjoy!: http://www.funshun.com/jokes

Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972), occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment” . Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making.

Symptoms of Groupthink

Janis has documented eight symptoms of groupthink:

1. Illusion of invulnerability –Creates excessive optimism that encourages taking extreme risks.
2. Collective rationalization – Members discount warnings and do not reconsider their assumptions.
3. Belief in inherent morality – Members believe in the rightness of their cause and therefore ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions.
4. Stereotyped views of out-groups – Negative views of “enemy” make effective responses to conflict seem unnecessary.
5. Direct pressure on dissenters – Members are under pressure not to express arguments against any of the group’s views.
6. Self-censorship – Doubts and deviations from the perceived group consensus are not expressed.
7. Illusion of unanimity – The majority view and judgments are assumed to be unanimous.
8. Self-appointed ‘mindguards’ – Members protect the group and the leader from information that is problematic or contradictory to the group’s cohesiveness, view, and/or decisions.

When the above symptoms exist in a group that is trying to make a decision, there is a reasonable chance that groupthink will happen, although it is not necessarily so. Groupthink occurs when groups are highly cohesive and when they are under considerable pressure to make a quality decision. When pressures for unanimity seem overwhelming, members are less motivated to realistically appraise the alternative courses of action available to them. These group pressures lead to carelessness and irrational thinking since groups experiencing groupthink fail to consider all alternatives and seek to maintain unanimity. Decisions shaped by groupthink have low probability of achieving successful outcomes.

Examples of Groupthink: Past and Present

Examples of groupthink “fiascoes” studied by Janis include US failures to anticipate the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the escalation of Vietnam war, and the ill-fated hostage rescue in Iran. Current examples of groupthink can be found in the decisions of the Bush administration and Congress to pursue an invasion of Iraq based on a policy of “preemptive use of military force against terrorists and rogue nations”. The decision to rush to war in Iraq before a broad-based coalition of allies could be built has placed the US in an unenviable military situation in Iraq that is costly in terms of military deaths and casualties, diplomatic standing in the world, and economically.

Remedies for Groupthink

Decision experts have determined that groupthink may be prevented by adopting some of he following measures:

a) The leader should assign the role of critical evaluator to each member

b) The leader should avoid stating preferences and expectations at the outset

c) Each member of the group should routinely discuss the groups' deliberations with a trusted associate and report back to the group on the associate's reactions

d) One or more experts should be invited to each meeting on a staggered basis. The outside experts should be encouraged to challenge views of the members.

e) At least one articulate and knowledgeable member should be given the role of devil's advocate (to question assumptions and plans)

f) The leader should make sure that a sizeable block of time is set aside to survey warning signals from rivals; leader and group construct alternative scenarios of rivals' intentions.

http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink

GROUPTHINK

Reading Your Dog's Body Language (Yamila´s students)

Knowing how to read your dog's body language is the key to understanding your dog, assessing her attitude, and predicting her next move. Because dogs are non-verbal - their body language does the talking for them. Vocalization actually takes second place to a dog's body language. Once you learn these basic types of dog body language, spend some time observing dogs interacting with people and other animals in various situations. Understanding of dog body language can also help protect you and your dog from dangerous situations as well as aid in training or identification of common behavior problems.

Confident

The confident dog stands straight and tall with her head held high, ears perked up, and eyes bright. Her mouth may be slightly open but is relaxed. Her tail may sway gently, curl loosely or hang in a relaxed position. She is friendly, non-threatening and at ease with her surroundings.

Happy

A happy dog will show the same signs as a confident dog. In addition, she will usually wag her tail and sometimes hold her mouth open more or even pant mildly. She appears even more friendly and content than the confident dog, with no signs of anxiety.

Playful

A playful dog is happy and excited. Her ears are up, eyes are bright, and tail wags rapidly. She may jump and run around with glee. Often, a playful dog will exhibit the play bow: front legs stretched forward, head straight ahead, rear end up in the air and possibly wiggling. This is most certainly an invitation to play!

Submissive

A submissive dog holds her head down, ears down flat and averts her eyes. Her tail is low and may sway slightly, but is not tucked. She may roll on her back and expose her belly. A submissive dog may also also nuzzle or lick the other dog or person to further display passive intent. Sometimes, she will sniff the ground or otherwise divert her attention to show that she does not want to cause any trouble. A submissive dog is meek, gentle and non-threatening.

Anxious

The anxious dog may act somewhat submissive, but often holds her ears partially back and her neck stretched out. She stands in a very tense posture and sometimes shudders. Often, an anxious dog whimpers, moans, yawns and/or licks her lips. Her tail is low and may be tucked. She may show the whites of her eyes, something called whale eye An anxious dog may overreact to stimulus and can become fearful or even aggressive. If you are familiar with the dog, you may try to divert her attention to something more pleasant. However, be cautious - do not provoke her or try to soothe her.

Fearful

The fearful dog combines submissive and anxious attitudes with more extreme signals. She stands tense, but is very low to the ground. Her ears are flat back and her eyes are narrowed and averted. Her tail is between her legs and she typically trembles. A fearful dog often whines or growls and might even bare her teeth in defense. She may also urinate or defecate. A fearful dog can turn aggressive quickly if she senses a threat. Do not try to reassure the anxious dog, but remove yourself from the situation calmly. If you are the owner, be confident and strong, but do not comfort or punish your dog. Try to move her to a less threatening, more familiar location.

Dominant

A dominant dog will try to assert herself over other dogs and sometimes people. She stands tall and confident and may lean a bit forward. Her eyes are wide and she makes direct eye contact with the other dog or person. Her ears are up and alert, and the hair on her back may stand on edge. She may growl lowly. Her demeanor appears less friendly and possibly threatening. If the behavior is directed at dog that submits, there is little concern. If the other dog also tries to be dominant, a fight may break out. A dog that directs dominant behavior towards people can pose a serious threat. Do not make eye contact and slowly try to leave. If your dog exhibits this behavior towards people, behavior modification is necessary.

Aggressive

An aggressive dog goes far beyond dominant. All feet are firmly planted on the ground in a territorial manner, and she may lunge forward. Her ears are pinned back, head is straight ahead, and eyes are narrowed but piercing. Her tail is straight, held up high, and may even be wagging. She bares her teeth, snaps her jaw and growls or barks threateningly. The hairs along her back stand on edge. If you are near a dog showing these signs it is very important to get away carefully. Do not run. Do not make eye contact with the dog. Do not show fear. Slowly back away to safety. If your own dog becomes aggressive, seek the assistance of a professional dog trainer to learn the proper way to correct the behavior. Dogs with aggressive behavior should never be used for breeding.

 LINK : http://dogs.about.com/od/dogtraining/tp/dogbodylanguage.http

Published by Micaela Bocci

feelings and emotions

We teachers have noticed that as yet no articles have emerged on this topic Aren t you full of emotions about emotions ?   We invite readers to tell  us

What  moves your feelings ? Are you a sensitive or a callous person ?  What is your favourite feeling ?
Tell us about a moment in your lives when you experienced contradictory feelings and why  How have you felt towards  a) your relatives ? your friends ? our politicians? Is ther anybody you admire ? If so, who and why ? What things make you particularly irritable or overanxious and why ? What things make you cross?
What brings you to a state of peace and calmnsess what things soothe you ?  What  or under what circumstances do you feel enraged or compelled to do sth ?  Of course you needn t answer all thse questions  if you don t feel like to. This is a feeling Prof Patricia

Budget Cuts on Public Education in the US

Warning: the following video has no subtitles

Plus, what are your thoughts on the matter? do you believe you should support public school education and give teachers a raise in their income? do you prefer private education? anyone with a 3rd stance?

Think critically,

Agustín Perez Villafañe