Sunday, January 30, 2011

Autism


Autism is a non-curable disorder which altars the way one works with others. Usually someone with this condition is diagnosed as an infant. Autistic children struggle with language, behavior, and social interaction. For example, they enjoy playing by themselves in their “own world” instead of in a group among other peers. They also have difficulties maintaining eye contact and often develop repetitive movements, such as spinning and rocking. Unfortunately, no one knows what causes autism, but people believe that genetic problems and environmental factors may have something to do with it. Moreover, some people have a higher chance of being diagnosed with this condition than others. Autism may run in the family, and males are four times more likely to be diagnosed than females. As previously mentioned, a cure for autism does not exist; however, people have developed therapies which improve children’s social techniques as well as how to act in different social situations. Personally, I found this article very informative. I wanted to learn more about this disorder because I have interacted with autistic peers at my school. I have seen how physically and emotionally exhausting it is to care for an autistic child. I believe it is important for people to be educated about this condition because it is becoming a prevalent disorder.

Picture: http://www.csmsmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/autism-kid.jpg
I got my information from http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/conditions/autism/

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Feds to Tighten School Nutrition Standards


As part of Obama's goal to prevent the increasing percentages of obese Americans, the US Department of Agriculture announced a new proposal in order to create a more healthy food environment for American schools. This proposal would enhance the multiplicity of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, as well as low-fat and skim milk. Furthermore, this rule will reduce the amount of saturated fat and sodium common in many of the available cafeteria foods. Foods such as pizza and french fries will no longer be in abundance.
In my opinion, this new proposal should be put into effect immediately. This new proposal will slow down the rising numbers of obese Americans. Schools should strive for a more healthy atmosphere for their students. All in all, this rule is a great idea because it will a wholesome environment for the students.

Article: http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/01/13/school.nutrition/index.html

Picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/83052/83052,1176499953,1/stock-photo-different-salads-in-buffet-healthy-food-3077420.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-3077420/stock-photo-different-salads-in-buffet-healthy-food.html&usg=__i6ljSBWxSwTsX4kT8SYHWQG7brI=&h=321&w=450&sz=62&hl=en&start=0&sig2=35JpixPxaGsgk0vjK2rqvw&zoom=1&tbnid=p79GPkl76M1BNM:&tbnh=137&tbnw=192&ei=QaUvTYf0GcLflgetoq2pCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhealthy%2Bfood%2Bbuffet%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D845%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=446&vpy=498&dur=1762&hovh=190&hovw=266&tx=123&ty=209&oei=QaUvTYf0GcLflgetoq2pCg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:14,s:0