You are currently browsing the archives for July 2009.
It is reported that a simple saliva test could help to cut the toll of potentially dangerous premature births. The test detects levels of progesterone (which stops the uterus contracting before full term), the lower the level of the hormone the greater the risk of them going into premature labour. To clarify premature labour is any births occurring before 37 weeks gestation.
This is a significant breakthrough as the 48,000 premature babies each year in England and Wales are more at risk of serious health problems, learning difficulties and disabilities. Women who are at risk would be closely monitored and preventive measures could be taken such as hormone supplements to delay delivery.
This study is the first time lower saliva concentrations of progesterone have been investigated in women known to be at higher risk of premature birth. The experts are unable to explain why a low level of progesterone may lead to premature birth.
This is a huge breakthrough however, this is simply a test to identify women who are at risk of delivering prematurely. It can’t eliminate premature births but measures can be taken in some cases, at present this test is not readily available to women, hopefully it will be soon
Parents are always ecstatic when their child is the first to do something before their peers whether it is potty training or learning to walk. So you can imagine the joy when Georgina became the youngest member of Mensa! She has an IQ of 152 which puts her in the same category as Professor Stephen Hawking.
Due to her age Professor Freeman, a specialist educational psychologist applied standard Stamford-Binet Intelligence Scale test but was amazed to find that this test was too limited for her creative abilities.
Here is a list of some of the things she can do:
- Do Ballet
- Can differentiate between a square and a rectangle
- Draw an almost perfect circle
- Use words such “arrogant” correctly in conversation
- Explain complicated words to her friends
- Can distinguish between pink and purple
If you think that’s impressive she was walking by the time she 9 months, and was able to dress herself and put her shoes on the right feet by the time she was 14 months. In Mensa there are only 30 under the age of 10. With an IQ of 152 she is in the top 0.2% of the population as a result her parents are worried about her education as she is well above the ability of her peers.
This child was raised as any normal 2 year old with 4 older siblings. So it just goes to show that you shouldn’t underestimate your child they are brighter than you think.
Private schools, also known as independent schools are funded in whole or in part by charging their students tuition, instead of being funded by the public (state). Schools claim that the high tuition fees pay higher salaries for the best teachers and also used to provide enriched learning environments, including a low student to teacher ratio, small class sizes and services, such as libraries, science laboratories and computers. Some private schools are boarding schools and many military academies are privately owned or operated as well.
Special assistance schools aim to improve the lives of their students by providing services tailored to very specific needs of individual students. Such schools include tutoring schools and schools to assist the learning of handicapped children.
This week the Charity Commission issued reports on the first batch of test cases since the law was changed to require private schools to show they are bringing “real benefit to the public”. For the schools that failed the test this is serious. They will have to address quickly what they must do to hold onto the significant tax advantages of charitable status. If they lose the charitable status they may have to increase their fees thus alienating the middle class.
It would seem that private school is the way to go but they exclude a large percentage of the population, which can limit your child’s interaction a broad spectrum of people. However it has its advantages
- Smaller classes
- Latest text books
- Up to date technology
- Better facilities