A Life That Almost Happened Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Life That Almost Happened - Lab Report Example It listed jobs in food service, supermarket cashier, but the mere fact that he had a resume at all is evidence that he had set goals and ambitions. It tells the story of potential- the story of a life that almost happened. After graduating from North High School in 1999, Alfonso moved out of his mother's house in the government project where he grew up, instead, he went to work, driving a delivery truck for Albuquerque Tortilla. Even then he wanted to be more than a delivery boy. For a while, Alfonso had considered going into the Marine Corps, but decided instead to go to college once he paid off his truck. In the meantime, he moved in with his sister, Miriam Celaya, and her two children. On Saturday afternoon, March 10th 2001 Alfonso had gone to his friend Rafael Espinoza's house at 31st Avenue and Washington Street. Rafa was 20 then with three kids, twins on the way, a wife and a girlfriend on the side. He said that he's not a bad guy and that he's stayed away from gangs and drugs. But Alfonso's family isn't convinced, either, so on that Saturday Alfonso has to go to Rafa's house, because Miriam doesn't approve of the friendship and doesn't want Rafa in her home. Late that afternoon, Alfonso and another friend, Narvel Murrieta, headed towards Rafa's house in Alfonso's white pickup. Narvel had arrived in Phoenix less than two weeks ago from a small ranching community called Pantanito, in Magdalena, Sonora, where Alfonso's family also has a home. Alfonso has offered to show Narvel around, and help Narvel get acquainted with life in Phoenix. They arrived at Rafa's small gray house around 4:30. Then the three men talked outside for a while about their plans for the evening. Narvel has never been out in Phoenix, and wants Alfonso to show him around. Today was also Rafa's girlfriend's 21st birthday. The trio makes tentative plans to meet up later in the evening to celebrate. Then they headed to the nearby house of Rafa's cousin, where Rafa plays the accordion, while the cousin gives Alfonso a guitar lesson. Then Alfonso and Narvel leave for their house while Rafa called his girlfriend Estrella, to make plans to celebrate her birthday. While at the same time, not far from Rafa's house, 18-year-old Jesus Maris pumps gas at the Texaco, a black man selling jewelry, a watch, some bracelets, chains and a semi-automatic handgun approached him. The man wanted $100 for the gun, but Jesus talked him down to $40. He hoped to sell the gun for $100 himself and make some money. Jesus heads home around 6 p.m. and gets ready to go out for the evening. Jesus would later tell investigators, that the purchase of the gun was more a product of chance and opportunity than anything else. As dinnertime approached at the Celaya house, the family sent Noel Caudillo, one of the brothers to get hamburgers from Carl's Jr. hamburgers. After dinner, Narvel and Alfonso left together, and didn't tell the family where they're headed. It was the last time Alfonso's mother would see her youngest son alive. Around the same time, Jesus Maris, Omar Mendez and his brother Antonio had just finished drinking a couple of beers at Omar's apartment in Mesa. They headed to a party. There, they met up with another friend and had a few more drinks. About a half-hour later, the four cruise toward Phoenix in a Chevy pickup. While Alfonso and Narvel, Estrella and her two friends, and Rafa's 15-year-old sister all arrived at Rafa's house. They got into two cars, heading out for an evening at the Mexican

Cosmetic Surgery: A Blessing Or Curse?

Cosmetic Surgery: A Blessing Or Curse? The trend of Cosmetic Surgery is experienced throughout the world and this is because of the availability of advanced technology, affordable cost and speed at which these processes are carried out. This advanced technology has impacted the lives of many both positively negatively. The patient interested in undergoing surgery must endure physical mental strain to gain high level of confidence. Sometimes this can be risky causing loss of life but gives physically deformed people a chance to fit within the society. This research paper could actually showcase the full extent of cosmetic surgery and its after effects on the people and society. Cosmetic Surgery is a surgical process to improve the physical abnormalities or to enhance the beauty and the look of a specific part of the body. Generally people wish to alter their appearances when they are dissatisfied by their body or their external appearances. Such people generally will have low confidence level and lower self esteems. Cosmetic surgery not only changes physical aspects but the changes are psychological. For such people this will definitely help to build up emotionally and psychologically as this has a great effect on self esteem and confidence. Patients can effectively treated using other therapy but they usually get convinced that cosmetic surgery is the only option There are two categories of surgeries i.e. reconstructive cosmetic surgery and Cosmetic surgery. There are many types of reconstructive cosmetic surgery and Cosmetic surgery like Liposuction: This cosmetic surgery vacuums extra fat from the patients body (Types of Cosmetic Surgery Procedures). Nose reshaping: This process is also known as Rhinoplasty. This includes changing the appearance of nose like narrowing or reducing the size or reducing irregularities (Types of Cosmetic Surgery Procedures) . Breast Surgery: This process is also known as Augmentation. This includes breast implants or reducing the sagginess of breast or enlarging the size etc (Types of Cosmetic Surgery Procedures). Tummy tuck: By using this cosmetic surgery excessive fat muscles can be removed from the abdomen (Types of Cosmetic Surgery Procedures). Eyelid lift: This process of cosmetic surgery is also called as blepharoplasty. This is used to get rid of the sagging skin around the upper lower eyelids (Eyelid lift). Face lift: This is a common cosmetic surgery which tightens the skin reduces wrinkles and dropping skin. This requires lot of insertions on the face (Types of Cosmetic Surgery Procedures). I agree to the fact that it has got lot of benefits but at the same time it has got lots of disadvantages as well. Some of the benefits of cosmetic surgery are that it can correct any flaws, better results with a short time, fewer side effects, people are satisfied by the improved self image etc. The adverse affects of cosmetic surgery varies from person to person. The most common disease noted is cancer. Some surgeries can even lead to death. Health effects: Some of the ill effects are that the surgeries are very expensive, anaesthesia used during the surgery can bring complications, surgeons can go wrong making patients look totally different, drop in blood pressure during surgery can lead to heart attack, infections after surgery is less but if it shows up it can also lead to complications, loose stitches after surgery can lead to internal bleeding (Risks of Cosmetic Surgery), some surgeries may sometimes result in allergies or other skin related issues. Some of the other positive negative effects are as follows: Psychological effect: Successful surgery can lead to boost in confidence level. This will also help them to reduce self consciousness. But the psychological effects have to a lot with the patients expectations. Not every surgery is successful. Sometimes cosmetic surgery can be heartbreaking and can cause serious injuries to patients temporarily or for the rest of the life. Professional and social: Studies have proved that attractive people get more attention are considered as perfect. This also affects ones professional career. Attractive people get more consideration everywhere. They also get more opportunities for personal relationship which affects persons emotionally. These factors affect social life. So surgeries can help people to improve their social life. Economical Aspect: Such surgeries are very costly. It depends on the type of cosmetic surgery one wants to undergo. Generally this is seen in the rich society. There is an adverse effect of media on people body as they showcase celebrities which has got a negative effect on boys and girls and they engage themselves in to wrong eating habits to get the body and look similar to a celebrity The rates of such procedures are increasing year by year. It has crossed more than 50% since 1992 (Dodd, 1999). Percentages of women opting for cosmetic surgery are more as compared to men. Men are interested in cosmetic surgery but the ratio is very less. Cosmetic surgery has entered into the lives of every individual especially teenagers who want to be more perfect in beauty structure. The highest numbers of surgeries are seen on teenagers. Purpose Statement: Reconstructive cosmetic surgery can be considered as better as it gives new life and hope to people who are victims of accidents, burns or birth relates physical abnormalities. Cosmetic surgery is a trend followed mainly by the rich society for altering their appearances to be more pleasing. They may end up going several times to the surgeon which may lead to psychological disorder as well. The purpose of this thesis is to make people aware of their moral responsibilities towards the society to stop the misuse of this extremely important technology. A statement of Qualification: I can bring real hands on experience to this study report. I used internet to capture information about the people who underwent cosmetic surgery and the life they had after the surgery. I can share my own experience as I have undergone laser treatment for acne problems in the past. Laser skin treatment is a new trend in cosmetic surgery to treat skin related issues where the doctor uses laser to remove the upper layer of the skin so that new skin reforms. But the results are very slow and the cost per session is very high. Initially the doctors claim to resolve the skin related issues within few sessions but once they start its a never ending process. Its a good technique which helps to boost our self esteem but if the results are not positive its leads you to depression. I stopped the session and carried on with natural treatments. Review of the literature: Number of research works has been done in the field of cosmetic surgery but the resources available are very few which focuses on the negative aspects of cosmetic surgery. My literature review consists of books and articles. Sorin Eremia describes various techniques and new procedures in cosmetic surgery. Flaws and reconstructive surgery by Samir Mardini describes the use of flaps to reconstruct various body parts. Grabb Smiths plastic surgery discusses the aesthetic procedures of cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery the psychiatric prospective an article by Anderson Thomson, Norman, Milton describes that the increased use of cosmetic surgery has lead to concern among psychiatrics Description of the research methods: This research will examine the effects of cosmetic surgery on the society. The method adopted will be qualitative by capturing original facts about people who underwent cosmetic surgery. The subject section will include analysis of famous celebrities who adopted cosmetic surgery and the life they had after it. The people have seen only the exterior life style of celebrities this will put a light on their internal life. The procedure section will have the process details of how people choose cosmetic surgery as an option for getting rid of the unwanted abnormalities of ones body. This will also include why reconstruction cosmetic surgery can be considered than pure cosmetic surgery. This case study provides the ill effects of cosmetic surgery. The discussion will showcase the mental and the psychological effect on men and women. How Does ADHD Affect Cognitive Development? How Does ADHD Affect Cognitive Development? This research will focus on young students with Attention Deficit Hypertension Disorder (ADHD). This disorder can be detrimental to a young child social and academic growth. Peer involvement is a very essential ingredient to growing socially and academically which is a part of cognitive development. Throughout this paper I will identify ways to help students with ADHD successfully succeed. Is it too late? Many parents, teachers, and friends wonder is it too late to gain control of this life changing disorder known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The answer is no. It is not too late to gain control of ADHD. ADHD could take on other characteristic such as poor sustained attention and vigilance and diminished rule-governed behavior. (Gottlieb, Shoaf Risa,2006, pg.53) There are many practices which could be used in order to help the child with ADHD. One important part of growing could be affected by ADHD and it is cognitive development. As mentioned by a textbook, cognitive development is the structure of processing thought and how knowledge is gain and understood through interaction according to (Vaughn, Bos, Schumm, 2003, pg.55). Cognitive development is learned and is build upon throughout life. Studies have shown how the area of a social and academic aspect of cognitive development can be interrupted by ADHD. The disorder can pose a barrier between behaving expectantly and behaving against what is expected. Research has given many practices which could be used to help a student with ADHD. There are many reading ( I dont think you need to state anything about your readings or books, just quote them if you use it) of how to control this disorder and readings of how to suppress this disorder. Depending on the child the method used to help the child may differ. David Gottlieb, Ph. D. Thomas Shoaf, M.D. and Risa Graff, M.A. (put the year in here) took part in writing Why is My Child ADHD not better yet? This book addresses many traits which may be exhibited from a child with ADHD. It discusses how to teach a child to control certain behaviors as well as how long it may take to break those behaviors.( How, you could talk about how it breaks it down) Another reading which I( you cannot use the word I in your paper) will refer back to is a textbook titled Teaching Exceptional, Diverse, and At-Risk Students in the General Education Classroom 3rd. Edition ( no in the title) by Sharon Vaughn, Candace S. Bos, Jeanne Shay Schumm. This reading describes many types on disorders inc luding ADHD. It also breaks down the definition of this disorder and gives examples of how children with ADHD may behave when surrounded by peers. There is a few more reading I may refer to but these are the two which address more realistic traits and realistic ways of helping children without the use of medicines. The first part of treating the disorder is to build cognitive strategies, which helps to recognize that there is an extreme problem with behavior. This should be a family involvement. Not only should the child know when ADHD is in control but the family needs to also know when not to add more stress to the child. The world family in this instance refers to anyone involved with this child. The family should also define what is not acceptable and what actions should take place after such behaviors are observed. As mentioned in the first part of this paragraph; the first step is to make the child aware of their behavior during all types of emotional experiences. For example the child needs to know how they act when ADHD takes control of them. The child needs to learn how this feels so that once it happens they will know how to control it rather than it (ADHD) controlling them (child). There are many ways to teach the child how to realize what type of behavior they are displaying. As men tioned in Why is my childs ADHA not better yet?( you do not need the title of the book since you stated early, you only need this (Gottlieb, Shoaf Risa,2006, pg.53) the authors state ways to help the child visually see or hear a description of their behavior. First practice was to use picture cards which show different mood or which displays different emotions. Another way was to use color word phrases such as red hot meaning very mad (Gottlieb, Shoaf Risa,2006, pg.55). The main idea behind this is for self recognition. This teaches the child how to label their emotions. Being able to know there is a behavioral problem before the problem and knowing what kind of emotion is being displayed is needed in order to make corrections. The first step to helping a child with ADHD is to accept that the child has a disorder. Most parents refuses to accept the disorder which creates more problems. Instead of trying to correct and replace negative behavior with right and positive behavior, the parent tries reinforcement or punishments which makes the child decrease or eliminate that action or reaction completely. That is not the outcome needed in order for that child to progress. Parents could start assisting their child with ADHD in everything, just to see when the child acts out, before the child enters a public setting. This way the parent could help the child replace that negative action or reaction with a positive action or reaction. Parents could try to sit and talk with the child find out what bothers them and how could it be fixed. This way the child has already faced whatever bothers them ahead of time. Self recognition of ADHD behavioral problems is followed by self corrections. Before making correction the family needs to explain how the reward of self correction works. Once the child continues to display such acceptable behavior then the rewarding such slowly subside. While correcting unacceptable or unexpected behavior more time and patience will be needed from the family. Once the family sees the child getting frustrated they should let the child known in a discrete way what type of behavior they are displaying. This is just to let the child know what type of behavior they are displaying. This is not to discourage the child. Once the child sees what type of mood they are exhibiting then show child things they could do in order to display a behavior much different than the current behavior. Teaching the child how to self recognize and self correct are cognitive strategies that will be needed in order to hold a respectful social interaction with peers. Once this is set in place the child will be able to recognize when they are beginning to get upset and before any unacceptable behavior is brought forth the child would administer self correction. This will keep the child from being outcast by peers, and will help the child concentrate on tasks at hand. By controlling a behavior before it is recognized by others will build self confidence. The hyperactivity part of ADHD describes the behavior of the student with this disorder. It represents the childs fidgeting or squirming, difficult time remaining on task, difficult playing quietly, talking too much, and but not limited to interrupting other students conversation. The child will feel a sense of self control over the disorder. One of the key ingredients in academic success for young students is peer involvement. Being accepted and not ignored during school hours. Peer involvement includes group discussion during class, social time during lunch, teamwork during physical education and most of all the personal time during recess. A student with ADHD will struggle to fit in with peers if they do not have cognitive strategies of controlling their ADHD. Control of this disorder means being able to communicate with others without getting overly excited, remaining on task during assignments, remaining alert, and focusing while the teacher is teaching (Vaughn, Bos, Schumm, 2003, pg.55) Having control of the disorder will reduce peer rejection, increase attention spans, and increase classroom involvement. This will increase the childs chances of succeeding academically. The beginning of this paper mentioned that researchers have studied how the social and academic part of cognitive development is affected by ADHD. The reading mentioned many ways of gaining control of the disorder. A couple of practices were mentioned learning how early elementary students with ADHD interact socially among peers. The way students interact socially will forever go through changes and more research will be researched. It is known that social interaction is critical to how students learn certain lifelong traits. Students need traits like understanding that others have feeling, being independent, and having self confidence. All these traits are necessary to succeed in life. Students now mature early, so it is important to install in them the correct way to social interact. It is like any other student not one student will be exactly like another student. Students with ADHD and students without need the knowledge of how to treat others and how to accept others. Students w ith ADHD should not struggle with being accepted by peers. It will take a group effort to help students with ADHD because it is a important make students feel accepted especially while in a school setting

Free To Kill a Mockingbird Essays - The Families of Maycomb :: Kill Mockingbird essays

The Families of Maycomb    In the novel there are two families in the town of Maycomb that are very different. The Cunningham's and the Ewells have contrasting and opposite reputations. The Cunningham's are very respected in the town while the Ewells very much despised by the community. The Cunningham's show the respectability of hard worker or, where as Ewells are considered lazy. Miss Maudie is another character in the town who lives next to the Finch family. She is similar to the Cunningham's because she is a trusted figure who faces hard times very bravely and works hard in her garden.    The Cunningham's have pride, and are very respected by the citizen's of Maycomb County. The Cunningham's are given special privileges because there trusted. For example the Cunningham's paid Atticus Finch, a lawyer, for some legal work that Atticus did with their farm. They paid him not with money, but with food, and other services. The population of Maycomb County accepted this form of payment because they knew that the family had no money but was very honest, and extremely hard working. The Cunningham's would never take anything that they couldn't payback equally or with greater something of value. They were always considerate and would help you, and never consider about what was in it for them. The Cunningham's renewed their resources by doing this, people were glad to help them.    The Ewells were very different from the Cunningham's. Bob Ewell was a total drunk. He took what money he earned or stole and he drank it away. Mr. Ewell very rarely or if ever bought or cooked for his family a hot and total nutritious meal in his life. The Ewells used up the resources of the community. They scrounged around taking, and taking from others. People were disgusted when they helped the Ewells. The Ewells were liars, and were too ashamed to stop the slandering of Tom Robinson before it came uncontrollable, costing Tom his life.    Miss Maudie is a neighbor to the Finch Family. She shows more qualities of the Cunningham's and was a role model. Maudie respects others and minds her own business. She worked in her yard during the daytime and spent her evening on her front porch.

Market Entry Strategy Essay

Limited Brands, parent company to Bath and Body, currently employs an integrated marketing plan for its distribution of the Bath and Body product line (L Brand International Strategy 2014, Para 1). This strategy could be combined with the prospect of a joint venture for a successful expansion into the United Kingdom market. Integrated marketing channels can be challenging to manage but they are the most effective way to connect marketing and customer service, providing benefits for both company and consumer (Ellis, 2011). A successful integrated market entry strategy starts and ends with a focus on customers. The needs of the customer must be the top priority, because the success of the company depends on the loyalty of the customers it attracts (Ellis, 2011). Bath and Body is already a well-recognized brand in many different parts of the world, providing a starting point for market entry (L Brand International Brand, 2014, Para 2). It is also important for this strategy to be effective that all aspects of the company from manufacturing, distribution, and sales are operating together. This step requires effective constant communication. Each channel to the customer has strengths and weaknesses, using the strengths of one to offset the weakness of another will assist the company’s customer effectiveness while reducing overall costs (Ellis, 2011). Bath and Body has a well-established product chain that provides products at many price points. This allows for the expansion to test different markets with smaller trials, then capitalize on the areas where customers purchasing. SWOT Analysis The method of measuring a companies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is SWOT analysis. This method assist companies in making decisions by providing decision makers a straightforward way to analysis both internal and external information pertaining to company operations or potential expansions (SWOT Analysis, 2014). Analysis of potential expansion to the United Kingdom by Bath and Body provides potential strengths of recognized brand imaging, reasonable price points compared to current options, customer loyalty, and providing of job opportunities in a recovering market. Weaknesses include competitive market, department stores  carrying similar products, and the lack of a green product line. Market opportunities include the availability of e-commerce, social media, and understanding of the market. Threats include outside competition, lower priced products in market, and a recovering economy. References Ellis, D. (2011, September 7). 5 components of a successful integrated marketing strategy. Social Media Today. Retrieved on February 28, 2014, from http://socialmediatoday.com/debraellis/352405/5-components-successful-integrated-marketing-strategy L Brands. (2014). International Strategy. Retrieved on February 28, 2014 from http://www.lb.com/international/strategy/default.aspx SWOT Analysis. (2014). Investopedia. Retrieved on February 28, 2014, from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/swot.asp

Signs of Understanding

For the past centuries, deaf people or those hard of hearing were the only ones who used sign language to communicate their thoughts and feelings. People with perfect hearing like Joseph Garcia, a certified interpreter, were mostly interested in learning this kind of language only in reference to the hearing handicapped. However, with his involvement in the deaf community, he soon noticed that babies born of deaf parents tended to develop speaking language abilities faster than children with parents who had no handicap did. Puzzled by his observations, he decided to pursue the topic for his 1986 graduate thesis. With the cooperation of 17 families, he found out that consistently exposing babies to signs can make them learn these gestures by their eight or ninth month. Since then, Garcia has been a principal researcher for 109 studies and has developed programs, books and other materials that implement his findings. (â€Å"About Joseph Garcia† par. 1-3) During the same period, Linda Acredolo also realized that there is a possible connection between signs and early child development as her daughter’s reaction to the fish while they were in her pediatrician’s office intrigued her. Her child, Katie, went to the fish tank and started to blow towards the fish. When they went home, Linda had to put Katie back in her crib and activate her fish mobile with a gentle blow. It was then that she remembered her daughter’s gestures in the doctor’s clinic. Armed with this realization, the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development granted Linda Acredolo and her partner, Susan Goodwyn, funding to conduct a study on the impact of symbolic gesturing on babies. (Haussman par. 4-5) The study was composed of 103 eleven-month old infants divided into two groups and reassessed on their 15th, 19th, 24th, 30th and 36th months. One control group knew nothing about using symbolic gestures while the other group of parents taught the infants how to use signs.   The results showed that the babies who learned symbolic gestures had a great advantage on the â€Å"vast majority of the language acquisition measures.† (Goodwyn, Acredolo & Brown 81) The initial researches made by Garcia, Acredolo and Goodwyn are the basis of popular programs now being conducted that help babies acquire better speaking abilities and aid parents in understanding their children. Learning to speak is a very important aspect of child development.   Here are some milestones that indicate the proper language development of children. According to the Child Development Institute, at the age of 6 months, babies normally do vocalization with intonation and can respond to name call outs.   Infants, at this point, should also be able to turn their heads or eyes toward human voices even without being distracted with gestures and show appropriate reaction to friendly or angry tones. At 12 months of age, a baby can use fragments of a word or words with correct meaning and understand simple instructions with vocal or physical hints. By this time, the one-year old baby can practice adding prefixes or suffixes to words and can be aware of the importance of social value in connection to speaking. By the time the child reaches 18 months of age, his or her vocabulary may contain 5 to 20 words composed mostly of nouns. These babies tend to make repetitions of a word or phrase with much jargon and emotional content.   It is also at this point when babies learn to follow basic commands. By the age of two, toddlers can typically name objects that are familiar to him and use this with about two prepositions like â€Å"in,† â€Å"on† or â€Å"under.† The children also start using short sentences composed of 1 to 2 words and 2/3 of their babble are understandable. Their vocabulary expands to 150 to 300 words and can use at least 2 pronouns interchangeably (ex. You and I). Toddlers of this age have poor rhythm and fluency while voice and pitch control are not yet to be controlled. However, this stage is also where most parents begin to teach their children response to commands like â€Å"show me the light (your eyes, nose, etc.).† By three years of age, children are expected to use the pronouns, â€Å"I,† â€Å"You† and â€Å"Me† properly and understand plurals and past tenses. The prepositions â€Å"in,† â€Å"on† and â€Å"under† are common in making three word sentences. Their vocabulary may expand from 900 to 1000 words and 90 percent of spoken words are already understandable. Three year olds can also comprehend basic queries regarding their surroundings can associate experiences with reason. Identification of own sex, name and age is also common to children of this age. The basis for language development also has something to do with a baby’s physical growth. According to a research made by Melanie Canault and her colleagues in 2007, children realize how to control their respiration and its phonation first by learning how to open and close the vocal tract in continuous rhythm during vocal emissions. However, productions of these sounds are still under the influence of strong physiological constrains. Although many children are ready to learn verbalization before 12 months old, most have yet to acquire the fine motor skill they need to create words using their mouths. (Taylor B1) Since most parents believe that their babies’ language development starts with the first words uttered by infants, it will seem that there is little way to help babies communicate their needs until an appropriate physical development stage. However, researchers traced that verbal language begins with comprehension of â€Å"arbitrary symbols to stand for real-world phenomena.† (Goodwyn, Acredolo & Brown 82) Baby sign language, according to numerous researches, can hasten a child’s achievement of the milestones presented above. Many studies have sprung from the original researches done by Garcia, Acredolo and Goodwyn.   In 1997, Kimberlee Whaley, coordinator of the laboratory school and an associate professor of human development and family science at Ohio State's College of Human Ecology, and her colleagues in Ohio State's A. Sophie Rogers Infant-Toddler Laboratory School started a program to help the babies in their care communicate their thoughts through sign language. Teachers were looking for some way to teach their conflicting one-year old students another physical gesture that would indicate their displeasure instead of pushing each other. They realized that if sign language can help children with special disabilities communicate, it can also aid with babies who have yet to learn speech. One of the teachers was already knowledgeable in American Sign Language and taught the other caregivers on how to use certain gestures for their small experiment. The signs were used while the teachers spoke to the children so that the babies will learn it naturally. The results show that the first words that children learn to verbalize are those that can be associated to the signs and that as these babies learned to use speech more fluently, their use of signs diminish. It also lessened the frustration of both children and teachers because instead of crying the very young students are able to gesture what they need lessening the stress in the environment.   Parents also learned the sign languages and pleased by it. Another research report made by Jana M. Iverson and Susan Goldin-Meadow strengthens the contention that gestures can hasten language development when they studied ten children who were learning to develop their abilities from single words to two-word combinations. They found out that the children first learned to make gestures before they could verbally pronounce the words. Another fact they established was that those who learned to make a gesture and associate it to word combinations first (example: pointing to a bird and saying the word â€Å"nap†) were the ones who initially verbalized two-word combinations like bird nap.   They concluded that gesture not only predates but also predicts changes in language meaning gesture can really pave the way to better language development. Many speech pathologists and parents are attesting to the benefits of baby sign language on families with normal hearing children. Babies who learn symbolic gestures are able to speak earlier than non-signers (as attested by the researches mentioned), experience less frustration (evidenced usually by less crying), develop larger vocabularies, become better readers and develop IQs that are at least 10 to 12 points higher. (Ryan par. 5) Although more research must be done to understand why babies who learn sign language develop verbal skills ahead of those who do not, the results of previous studies on the benefits of symbolic gestures already prove this phenomenon. Tantrum spells usually erupt because of frustration.   Babies between 9 to 30 months old usually get frustrated because they are not able to communicate their need well.   Dr. Alan Greene (par. 1-3) explains that the ideas of these babies, â€Å"far outstrip their language skills†¦ because large muscle coordination is learned before small muscle coordination – at about the same time kids want to express themselves.† Dr. Greene therefore recommends that parents teach their children sign language because hand and head movement is easier than manipulating the mouth and this form of language bridges the communication gap that results to less frustration. Many researchers also claim that vocabulary is deeply enhanced by baby sign language and has positive effects on IQs. The basic theory is that because children are better understood, they gain more self-confidence in learning. A baby can learn a great deal when he feels important, which not only creates a â€Å"more confident person, but a more confident communicator. (Murkoff, 2003 cited in Haskin par.4)   Dr. Marilyn Daniels, associate professor of speech communication at Penn State’s Worthington Scranton Campus, believes that â€Å"knowing a second language, such as ASL (American Sign Language), also boosts self-esteem of the children.† (Fong, par. 2) There are two ways to teach babies how to sign. The first way is based on the research of   Joseph Garcia who believes that ASL is the best tool to teach children how to sign. The second stream of learning is based on Acredolo’s research that uses any symbolic gestures that may be comfortable for both parents and their children. However, these schools of thought both believe in simplicity, consistency and the proper ages to start learning. Parents or care givers can start teaching signs to babies as young as six to nine months old. It is expected that a month may pass before the child uses the sign on his own. Caregivers need to begin with simple words that are basic to the child.   Words like â€Å"eat,† â€Å"milk,† and â€Å"drink† are great for starters. People teaching the language must also be patient in giving only a few words to the babies to start with so as not to overwhelm the child. One of the most important rules in teaching symbolic gestures is that the teacher must have the baby’s complete attention. Distractions will inhibit learning anything at all. The proper selection of words is also important.   Basic one-syllable words (preferably verbs and nouns) are the best choices. Some parents prefer to teach their children words that are more practical to their daily routines but there are those who choose words based on what generates more excitement for their child. Words like â€Å"bird,† â€Å"light,† and â€Å"foot† may be of more interest to a child and parents are given the freedom to choose their vocabulary starter. It is also recommended that the teacher say the words aloud while doing the gesture.   This will hasten speech development.   If the gesture refers to an object, it would be advisable to show the child the object while doing its associated sign.   The teacher, for example, can verbalize and make the sign for â€Å"book† before reaching for it and repeat the same cycle while holding the book. Before putting the book back, the teacher must also do the cycle again. This will teach the child to connect the object to the sign. An additional tip to say the word clearly and slowly. Consistency is the key to success. The person teaching the child to sign must take every chance to repeat the gesture when appropriate. The signs need to be part of a daily routine.   It takes a lot of repetition for the child to develop recognition. It is also advisable that the people with whom the child communicates regularly know the signs and are coordinated in their efforts to avoid confusion. Many people attest that their families have fun having their own set of symbolic language because it fosters camaraderie among them and strengthens their bonds toward each other. From the experiences of other parents and caregivers, it is noted that babies will not be able to completely copy a sign during his or her first attempts to show it.   Some children take months to learn the system but parents attest that it is worth it. It would be worthwhile to pay close attention to the baby’s hand movements at the start to know if he or she is already attempting to imitate the signs.   It may look uncoordinated at first but constant practice will refine the movements. Once an infant learns the first gestures, he or she can be taught additional words.   It is not unusual for a child to learn about 40 to 60 words in sign language before he is physically prepared to talk. (Williams 2007) Speech therapists have been using sign language to hasten verbal communication in children who seem to have delayed developments in this area. According to Jennifer Fusco, a speech pathologist, â€Å"When a child begins to use signs, and we respond to the signs as if they used a spoken word, the communication cycle begins.† It is therefore logical for some speech therapists to advocate baby sign language because it can aid in developing verbal abilities of children. However, there are also those who oppose too much focus on the system citing that they know of a mother who decided â€Å"to focus entirely on teaching baby sign and to ignore vocalisations has actually retarded her son's spoken language development.† (Grove, Herman, Morgan ; Woll par. 10) These therapists also believe that too much concentration on baby sign language may hamper speech development because other means of communication are ignored. Research has properly shown that baby sign language can be very helpful to a child’s language and intellectual development.   It boosts self-esteem and confidence in learning which aids in better IQ attainment.   Even if it does not achieve the things mentioned, it is still worth using as a tool for better communication because it fosters better family ties and less stressful moments for both parents and children. Works Cited â€Å"About Joseph Garcia.† Sign2Me.com. 29 November 2007 Canault, Melanie, Rafael Laboissierre, Pascal Perrier and Rudolph Sock. â€Å"The Development of Tongue Gestures at the Babbling Stage.† 29 November 2007 Child Development Institute. â€Å"Language Development In Children.† 29 November 2007 ;http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/language_development.shtml;. Fong, Vicki. â€Å"Sign Language Enriches Learning For Hearing Children.† 20 November 2001. PennStateNews. 29 November 2007 ;http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/signlanguage.html;. Fusco, Jennifer. â€Å"American Sign Language.† Speech Delay.com. 29 November 2007 Goodwyn, Susan, Linda Acredolo and Catherine Brown. â€Å"Impact of Symbolic Gesturing on Early Language Development.† Journal of Nonverbal Behavior. 24.2 (2000):21-103. Greene, Alan. â€Å"Baby Sign Language.† 30 July 1999. drgreene.com. 29 November 2007 ; http://www.drgreene.com/21_17.html;. Grove, Nicola, Ros Herman, Gary Morgan and Bencie Woll. â€Å"Baby signing: the view from the skeptics.† 29 November 2007 Haskin, Doug. â€Å"Advantages in Signing with Babies.† 10 November 2006. Lifeprint.com. 29 November 2007 ;http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/babysigning2.htm;. Haussman, Penny. Baby Sign Language†¦Not Just For Babies Anymore! TinyTalking   Ã‚   Hands.com. 29 November 2007 Iverson, Jana M. and Susan Goldin-Meadow. â€Å"Gesture Paves the Way for Language Development.† Psychological Science. Vol. 16.5 (2005): 367-371. Ryan, Diane. â€Å"Extraordinary Benefits Result when you Teach Sign Language To Your Hearing Baby.† theparentsite.com. 29 November 2007 ;http://theparentsite.com/parenting/   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   signbaby.asp;. Taylor, Lewis. â€Å"Say It In Signs.† The Register-Guard. 02 July 2007: B1. Waley, Khimberlee. â€Å"Teaching Infants to Use Sign Language.† Newswise. 29 November 2007 ;http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/?id=SIGNLANG.OSU;. Williams, MJ. â€Å"Teaching Babies Sign Language.† babies-and-sign-language.com. 29 November 2007 ;http://www.babies-and-sign-language.com/baby-signs-teaching-infant.html;.