How many people really have autism? New studies are changing what people believe about how prevalent this condition really is.
In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240—for an average of 1 in 110 children have an autism spectrum disorder.
But a study published Monday in the American Journal of Psychiatry found a much higher rate: about 1 in 38 children.
The study involved testing all the 7- to 12-year-old children, some 55,266 kids, in a single South Korean town. The 12 researchers concluded that two-thirds of the cases they found were undiagnosed, with students in typical classes with no special services. “These findings suggest that rigorous screening and comprehensive population coverage are necessary to produce more accurate [autism spectrum disorder] prevalence estimates and underscore the need for better detection, assessment, and services,” they wrote.
If autism is truly more prevalent than we now think, then the implications for schools and society could be huge. U
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Artist Statement by David Meikle, graphic designer and illustrator in marketing and communication at the University of Utah:
The rolling foothills, rugged mountains, and sharp red rock formations found in the West hold great appeal to me as an artist. There is great drama to be found in the mountains, canyons and valleys that surround us.
Shape and color are what I think about most when I am creating an image. The overall design of the painting is just as important as the colors used and the paint strokes applied. The idea of emphasizing strong shapes and patterns lends itself very well to exploring contrasts in scale and color for dramatic effect. I am attracted to the portrayal of distance in my paintings and I manipulate my colors to create the illusion of depth in the picture plane. As the landforms recede in the distance, I make sure the colors are lighter in value, less saturated, and cooler in hue. On the other hand, the colors in the foreground elements are much more saturated, warmer in hue, and the contrasts in values are much greater.
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Nadine Dorries, Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire, said all schoolgirls should be given lessons in “how to say no” as part of a new-style sex education curriculum.
Speaking in the Commons, she insisted society was “saturated in sex”, with pupils currently being shown how to put condoms on bananas and self-diagnose diseases but not to reject sexual advances altogether.
The early sexualisation of girls was being fuelled by television references to sex, newsagents stocking pornographic magazines and high street stores that sell provocative items such as padded bikinis for seven-year-olds, she added.
On Wednesday, she presented a Ten-Minute Rule Bill in the Commons calling for schools to give girls aged 13 to 16 extra sex education, including the benefits of abstinence.
MPs narrowly voted to allow to Mrs Dorries to bring her Bill forward, although it is unlikely to become law without Government support.
But the move sparked a storm of protest on , with many users attacking its focus on girls at the expense of boys.
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A state Senate bill potentially affecting the process that allows students to transfer between school districts has been put on hold.
Senate Bill 268, carried by South Bay Sen. Rod Wright and sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District, would limit the criteria that can be considered by county boards of education when parents appeal the denial of permits allowing interdistrict transfers.
The bill was put in the “suspense file” at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing Monday, along with other bills that would cost over a certain threshold. It is slated to return for a hearing May 26, though a spokeswoman for Wright said the bill’s fate is unclear.
Also this week, a bill moved forward from South Bay Assemblyman Warren Furutani that would create an oil extraction tax to increase funding for public higher education.
Furutani rallied students in support of the bill at an event at Harbor College last month.
The legislation, Assembly Bill 1326, passed out of the Assembly Higher Education Committee on a 8-3 vote Tuesday. It moves on to the Assembly Committee on Revenue and Taxation in coming weeks.
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In tough economic times like these, getting a master’s degree online can give you a real competitive edge. But don’t kid yourself—getting a master’s degree is hard work—online or off.
Before you make the commitment to getting your master’s degree online, put some serious thought into it. Do a gut check and make sure an online program is the right choice for you.
The master’s degree online and you.
Online master’s degree programs are a great choice for working professionals. But it’s a different sort of graduate school experience. Before applying, ask yourself:
How self disciplined am I?
Online master’s degree programs offer a level of flexibility that can’t be matched by most traditional schools. Often, you’ll be give
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