Homeschooling Children with Autism 5 Reasons Why It Works

September 28th, 2009

As a homeschooling parent of a child with autism, I am often asked, “How do you do it?” It takes dedication, planning, and research, of course, but I find that it is not all that difficult when I remember why I do it.

There are 5 primary reasons why homeschooling is the best option for my child:

1. One-to-one instruction provides for optimal learning. It is a generally-accepted educational principle that the lower the teacher-to-student ratio, the more effective the teaching can be. Most parents realize that the more students a teacher has, the less attention and direct instruction each student will receive from the teacher. One-to-one instruction is always preferred for private lessons or tutoring because the lessons can be customized to the student’s ability in order to maximize their progress in the shortest amount of time.

Homeschooling or private tutoring offers a child with autism the opportunity to make the most of their learning potential. The child receives more direct instruction time, immediate feedback, and teaching that is tailored to their learning style and strengths. Due to the individualized instruction he or she receives, the child with autism is able to experience success on a daily basis which helps improve their self-esteem. Feelings of success are something that many children with autism do not experience in a typical school setting.

2. The environment can be adapted to the child’s sensory needs. In a home setting, it is much easier to control the learning environment. Unlike a classroom situation where other students can be a big distraction from learning, homeschooling parents can structure an environment that is best suited to their child’s needs. Whether it is a quiet room, special lighting, background music, or breaks for sensory issues, the home can be an ideal educational setting.

3. Homeschooling offers flexible scheduling. With fewer distractions and more direct instruction, home-schooled students require less of their time to be spent on schoolwork. There is no time wasted on the taking of attendance, class announcements, student reprimands, repetitive teaching on a subject the student has already mastered, etc.

The school day can also be planned around the child’s best time for learning. Some children with autism are “night-owls” by nature and have a difficult time going to bed early and getting up early for school. We can adjust our hours of instruction to correspond with the times that the child is naturally most alert and able to focus. We can also schedule shorter learning sessions throughout the day with plenty of breaks as needed. Shorter sessions also promote greater intensity and concentration on academic tasks resulting in the child retaining more of the material being taught.Most parents quickly realize that another benefit of homeschooling is the fact that you can plan field trips during the week when places are less crowded. This is a big advantage for children with autism who may not do well with large groups of people.4. The child has a better opportunity for positive socialization. All socialization is not beneficial for our children. In schools, you must take the bad with the good. In a home setting, parents have more say in determining when their children are ready for specific social situations. For more on the topic of schools and socialization, see my article entitled, “Social Skills and Autism – Where’s the Best Place for Socialization?”

5. The child’s interests can be incorporated into their schoolwork. Anything that your child is interested in can form the basis for their studies. In homeschooling circles, this is referred to as unit studies. You take any topic of interest and design a complete educational program around that topic. This approach works well for reluctant learners who say that school is boring.

For my family, homeschooling is a great time-saver that allows us to focus our attention on constructive social opportunities, educational field trips, and practical daily living skills. We don’t have to worry about which teacher our child is going to have every year nor do we have to spend most of the year trying to help the teacher “get to know” our child and their needs. We don’t have to fight the school district for services or for the correct implementation of services that were promised. We don’t have to waste our time going back and forth to school or to school-related meetings. Simply put, homeschooling offers my son with autism a method of instruction that works efficiently and effectively to enable him to achieve his highest potential.

Mary Gusman is an educational consultant and an expert in the area of home-schooling children with autism. With over 8 years of personal experience home-schooling her own son with autism, she offers nationwide educational and home school consulting services to families with special needs children. Mary can be contacted via her website at http://www.ochomeschooling.com/specialneeds

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The Different Methods Of Home Schooling

September 11th, 2009

There are a variety of methods that can be applied in the area of homeschooling. The method you select will have an impact on the curriculum and style of teaching. The following are some of the most popular homeschooling methods.

The Charlotte Mason method is named after Charlotte Mason, who is known as the originator of the homeschooling movement. She herself was a homeschooler, and she wanted to establish a basic plan for a complete and effective homeschooling program. The Charlotte Mason method emphasizes poetry, fine arts, classical music, crafts, and classical literature. This method is designed to encourage an awareness of literature and involves reading to the child every day. The child is then asked to tell what he or she has heard. This starts at the age of six. By the age of ten, the child is expected to write narrations in a book. Mason encouraged the use of nature diaries as well. The child writes observations of nature in the book as well. This creates a sense of respect for the environment in the child. Mason thought that good behavior and character were critical for a child’s complete personality development.

The Eclectic Homeschooling method is a combination of several techniques. Innovative parents rely on their own judgment to select topics that make up the curriculum for their own child. These parents are always looking for the best products they can find to help them meet the needs of their home schoolers. Many of the curricula in this method are improvised. This means that, while the basic curriculum is established, parents change it to adapt to the individual needs and interests of their children. The curriculum is generally established according to the temperament, learning style, and interests of the children. These programs typically include visits to libraries, factories, and museums.

John Holt, a public educator in Boston, developed the ‘unschooling’ method. Holt believed that children learn best when they learn at their own pace and are guided by their own interests. He wanted to ‘unschool’ the child by requiring parents to take their cues from the children. This approach has no set curriculum, schedules, or materials. It is the most unstructured of the homeschooling techniques.

The Montessori method had its start in Italy. It was found that children go through extremely sensitive periods in which they experience periods of intense concentration. In these phases, children will repeat an action until they receive some measure of self-satisfaction from it. This method relies on prepared environments to facilitate learning. All materials utilized in this method are meant to satisfy the child’s interior desire for spiritual development. Materials for this method range from simple to complex, and they are relatively costly.

Whatever method is selected, the underlying concept is flexibility and a strong interest in the child’s own desires. The key is to use children’s desire for knowledge to further their education.

To learn more about education and learning visit http://total-education.com

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Intuition

August 25th, 2009

I. The Three Intuitions

IA. Eidetic Intuitions

Intuition is supposed to be a form of direct access. Yet, direct access to what? Does it access directly “intuitions” (abstract objects, akin to numbers or properties – see “Bestowed Existence”)? Are intuitions the objects of the mental act of Intuition? Perhaps intuition is the mind’s way of interacting directly with Platonic ideals or Phenomenological “essences”? By “directly” I mean without the intellectual mediation of a manipulated symbol system, and without the benefits of inference, observation, experience, or reason.

Kant thought that both (Euclidean) space and time are intuited. In other words, he thought that the senses interact with our (transcendental) intuitions to produce synthetic a-priori knowledge. The raw data obtained by our senses -our sensa or sensory experience – presuppose intuition. One could argue that intuition is independent of our senses. Thus, these intuitions (call them “eidetic intuitions”) would not be the result of sensory data, or of calculation, or of the processing and manipulation of same. Kant’s “Erscheiung” (“phenomenon”, or “appearance” of an object to the senses) is actually a kind of sense-intuition later processed by the categories of substance and cause. As opposed to the phenomenon, the “nuomenon” (thing in itself) is not subject to these categories.

Descartes’ “I (think therefore I) am” is an immediate and indubitable innate intuition from which his metaphysical system is derived. Descartes’ work in this respect is reminiscent of Gnosticism in which the intuition of the mystery of the self leads to revelation.

Bergson described a kind of instinctual empathic intuition which penetrates objects and persons, identifies with them and, in this way, derives knowledge about the absolutes – “duration” (the essence of all living things) and “

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Early Childhood Education Programs It’s Never to Early to Start Learning

August 8th, 2009

Is there young children around your home right now? Running playing, making a mess sometimes, it is a wonderful time in a child’s life. They’re not old enough to have to attend school, yet they are developing the ability to be able to do so much. You should embrace this stage while it’s here, because before you know it it’s gone. Something that I wish I would’ve researched when my daughter was younger was childhood education programs. There are more common today then when my girl was younger. Today parents often pounce on the chance to provide their child with a head start. By placing your kids in an early childhood program they are given the chance to get a feel for what’s coming in kindergarten.

If you’re one of those parents that is considering an early childhood education program good for you. It’s a great way to propel your son or daughter. The more they learn at an early age the better off they are as they progress into public of private schools. They’ll be introduced to curriculum’s, and the different learning processes. There are a lot of kids that enter the public school system when they are four or five and have trouble adjusting to what’s exactly going on. Of course this is because they’re only interaction each day has been with their parents, now suddenly there are hundreds of other children, and only one teacher to instruct. Often kids don’t take well to this scenario right away.

If you enroll your child in an early childhood education program you will help show your children exactly what to expect when they do reach public school. You’ll likely have a greater success rate of your child adjusting well when they enter school as well.

Now if you don’t want to place them in early childhood education programs there are other options. Another wonderful way for your child to get a head start is with the Internet. The online world is loaded up with educational games to help teach your child new things in a fun way. I encouraged my daughter to play these games when ever she wanted from age four on. Some of these games she still enjoys playing today even at age eight.

If you are considering enrolling your son or daughter in early childhood education programs I recommend you do some research online to see what is available in your area. You’ll likely find numerous websites and find the perfect program for your child close by. It’s never to early for them to start learning, and hopefully they’ll never stop.

For more articles and tips on children and child recreation take the time to visit our website at Child Enjoyment.

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Beware of the Five-Minute Break! (From A Slice of A Homeschool Life)

July 22nd, 2009

Do your children ask during school hours if they can take just a little, teeny five-minute break? Mine do. I’m not sure how they came up with the idea that they are entitled to do this (probably the first time they tried it, and it worked!), but they insist that five-minute breaks should be a part of every home-schooling day. Lunch and recess? No problem. Five-minute breaks? Beware!

So,what’s terrible about a little five-minute break? The problem is, they somehow turn into fifteen-minutes or more, and then you find out that in addition to growing longer (all by themselves), they are also addictive! Yes, first it was just one five-minute break a day. But soon the requests changed to “When I finish my math can I take a five-minute break?” “When I’m done with spelling, can I?” And then reading, and on and on. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if I opened a teacher’s manual and saw the instruction: “STOP NOW FOR A FIVE-MINUTE BREAK.” Why not? They seem to be everywhere.

Okay, five minutes is not a lot of time. I realize that. The problem is that kids do not. Really. To them, being granted permission for a break is like getting a key to a magical door to another world: they step into it hoping they will never have to come back. Take my oldest son, for instance.

Hungry for his next five-minute “fix,” Brian’s eyes, which are large anyway, suddenly take on beagle proportion, and he puts on all the puppy-dog pathos he can muster. (Please, Mom, p-l-eeease, can I take a 5-minute break?) And despite the five minutes stretching into ten or more, I am then subjected to a barrage of complaints such as, “Oh, already! I just started playing with Matt! It can’t be five minutes already!”

ME: Well, actually, it’s FIFTEEN minutes!

BRIAN: (laughingly) Fifteen minutes? No way! No way!

Despite his blossoming skills at telling time, he just cannot fathom the realities of a sixty-second minute. Somewhere in the mysterious regions of his just turned seven-year-old brain, he thinks of five minutes in terms of seconds (300 of them) and then expects to live them out in years; What else can account for his daily baffled expression when I inform him that his time is up?

Once, losing all patience, I made the radical move of threatening to abolish five-minute breaks from our school. My children were in arms instantly:

ME: Where is it written that you must have five-minute breaks?!

THEM: Mom! EVERYONE has five-minute breaks!!

ME: I don’t! I never get a break! What about that?

(For some reason, this morsel of truth never evokes anything other than sheepish smiles: It’s true, but they don’t care!)

Of course, I do take breaks. I nurse the baby when she’s ready for it, but I keep within ear shot of the “classroom”–just close enough to keep up my stream of “Okay, no more talking! That’s enough! Be quiet, you two! Brian, did you finish ALL those spelling words? Kaitlin, I thought you were reading!!”

(It seems the closer we get to the end of the school year, the more my children suddenly have to say to each other across the table during school. It’s actually a law of the universe, like gravity: The closer kids are to being DONE with something, the more they drag it out.)

Are you thinking that our methods are not enough fun, that school shouldn’t be such a drag that kids can’t wait to get away from it? I agree. I just haven’t figured out, yet, how to complete all the requirements of the school year in a way that is always fun.

Learning, let’s face it, is sometimes hard work. Perhaps in some ideal world (and maybe in some ideal homes), it’s always fun, but that isn’t the case in my experience or our school. My kids show me they enjoy learning by all the spontaneous inquiries they make, reading they do, and so on. The trick, I suppose, is to encourage their natural curiosity with the right amount of work, while trying not to overwhelm them in the areas in which they are not naturally inclined.

Until I get that right, however, I’ll just have to live with the five-minute break. Only for now on, I’m setting a timer!

Linore Rose Burkard writes Inspirational Regency Romance as well as articles on Regency Life, Homeschooling, and Self-Improvement. She publishes a monthly eZine “Upon My Word!” which you can receive for FREE by signing up at her website quickly and easily. For her latest short story check Here Ms. Burkard graduated from the City University of New York with a Magna Cum Laude degree in English Literature, and now lives in Ohio with her husband and five children.

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Small Business 101 Deadly Ignorance

July 5th, 2009

American small business is again in transition. Many employees, now working from home, are no longer tied to a geographic office and the woes of commuting. This is a relatively new phenomenon with hints of explosive sector growth in the days ahead. As this turbulent economy has forced downsizing, offshore restructuring and closures in large companies, many new entrepreneurs have been born. These are people, who instead of tirelessly attempting to find new employment and possibly enduring the same fate as previously experienced, are now starting small businesses and enjoying the benefits and perils of self-employment.

There’s an old story telling of an Admiral’s decision to fight a battle against overwhelming odds. It seems that he was approaching the coast of an enemy land, with a larger naval force closing in from behind and a great army approaching from the land ahead. He prayed and then addressed his men. He announced that their battle weary forces would land on the beach ahead, dig in and prepare for the upcoming battle. There was no turning back and no other alternative. He ordered their ships burned after they landed. Their only choice was to fight to win or perish. They defeated their enemy because he eliminated any other escape route. They were fixed on the goal of survival and none other.

That is the same attitude we as entrepreneurs must take. We can not afford to be denied. We must grow and prosper or our business will surely perish. We must constantly be looking for ways to cost-effectively market our business and increase sales. We must control costs and have sufficient cash flow for daily operations. Each of us must be persistent, relentless and vigilant. As CEO, we are the manufacturer, the sales team, the marketing department, legal office, accounting office, human resources manager, IT manager, the webmaster and so on. We can’t afford to be all these positions. Our job is to sell! We must locate cost effective resources to help us grow and protect our investment in our business.

The growth of the internet has changed our marketplace as well. Years ago, a small business owner decided upon a geographic chunk of the market and set up shop. Today, that shop is typically located in an office at the entrepreneur’s home. The marketplace is now the world. The costs of marketing products and communicating worldwide are so low that almost anyone can take part in this revolution. Sophisticated voice mail, cell phones, email and effective ecommerce web sites now provide the illusion of size and grandeur for even the smallest home-based business. The end customer typically has no idea whether their supplier is local or across the world. He may be dressed in a shirt and tie or in his pajamas! All that typically matters is that the exchange of product and services is successfully made for a profit.

It is critically important for the small, home-based entrepreneur to be aware of resources available to her as she makes this great leap. Too many people leap prematurely into business only to fail because of poor planning and insufficient financial resources. Do not get caught in this trap. Don’t quit your day job until you have enough cash on hand to pay the bills for at least a year into your new venture. Become aware of and develop the resources available to you. You want everything possible going for you as you make this leap of faith into the entrepreneurial world.

Here in South Carolina, we have the outstanding Women’s Business Center (http://www.scwbc.org), a division of the SCMEP, South Carolina Manufacturers Extension Partnership (http://www.scmep.org), one of the best kept secrets available to businesses at all levels in our State. Other States have similar programs modeled after ours. These are incredible resources, partially funded by the State and private resources, available at little to no cost to entrepreneurs, with the purpose of aiding the successful growth of small business. Some additional national resources are:

http://www.nationalbusiness.org

http://www.nase.org

http://www.gosmallbiz.com

http://www.empoweringbiz.com

http://www.nfib.org

http://www.qualitybusinessdirectory.com

There are also numerous magazines devoted to small business, home-based business, marketing, sales, accounting, etc Get tuned in to these and other resources available to you. Read your industry publications to stay abreast of competition and other facets of your business interests.

A single legal issue, FACTA problem, accounting error or marketing miscue can put you out of business. In the case of FACTA, insufficient security or poor record-keeping these days could find you legally responsible for a single employee’s identity fraud issue, which may end up being very costly. A single lawsuit or vendor dispute can shut you down. Many entrepreneurs are ignorant, ill-prepared and under-schooled with regard to these and other issues. Do not get caught in the deadly ignorance trap.

There is more opportunity available today than ever before for the wise entrepreneur. Get all you ducks in a row before you make the fateful leap into the new world marketplace. Be smart, learn all you can as quickly as possible and take action on your ideas. Like the Admiral, be determined to win in the face of what may appear to be overwhelming adversity.

Daniel Sitter is the author of the breakthrough e-book, Learning For Profit, the revolutionary how-to book providing simple, step-by-step instructions to teach people exactly how to learn new skills faster than ever before. It’s currently available from c|net’s download.com, the author’s web site http://www.learningforprofit.com/ and a variety of online book merchants. Mr. Sitter is a contributing writer for several online and traditional publications. His expertise include sales, marketing, effective learning techniques, self-improvement and general business interests.

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An Easy Cure For “Math Phobia”

June 18th, 2009

Why is it that one person enjoys math, while another person hates it?

Why does one child happily and quickly calculate a simple sum, while another won’t even attempt it because they’re convinced they’re simply “no good with numbers”?

The problem certainly isn’t caused by lack of intelligence.

In fact there are many examples throughout history of seemingly “stupid” people who could do amazing things with numbers.

Take the case of Jedediah Buxton (1702-1772), an illiterate laborer who became famous for his number skills. His employer once asked him:

“In a body whose 3 sides are 23,145,789 yards, 5,642,732 yards, and 54,965 yards, how many cubical eighths of an inch are there?”

Before giving the answer, Buxton asked “which end” of the 28-digit answer he should start at, as he could recite it just as easily forwards or backwards!

Of course, mathematical prodigies are born, not made. But it does beg the question:

“If somebody who can’t even read or write is able to perform these kinds of breathtaking calculations, what stops other people from doing even simple sums?”

Clearly, something went wrong along the way.

Young children naturally enjoy numbers. And even people who now have an intense dislike for math often say they once enjoyed it.

What has happened to them is generally an unfortunate event in their past.

Perhaps they were ridiculed for a mistake they made with numbers, in front of the entire class.

Maybe they missed some crucial math lessons and never really caught up.

Or perhaps they were taught to handle numbers mechanically – when what they really needed was some explanation of why the numbers work the way they do.

Whatever the specific reason, bad experiences with numbers left an emotional scar, which developed into a phobia to keep the sufferer safe from further harm.

The point here is that if you have “math phobia” or “math block”, it isn’t a permanent state of mind.

As a perfectly normal, healthy human being, you can do math and enjoy it as much as anyone.

You can make this change yourself, anytime you want. You just need to ignore the disliking attitude and actually try manipulating a few numbers from time to time.

Start with something easy, like adding small numbers in your head, or on paper if you prefer.

Next time you get some change in the shop, check it’s correct. Or better still, reckon up the change you expect while you are waiting to pay.

Avoid perfectionism, especially in the early stages. Realize there are two ways of working with numbers: approximate and exact. Often, an approximate answer is all you need.

For example, when you pick up a grocery item priced at $3.98, just call it “four dollars”. The next thing you pick up in the shop is priced at $7.95, so call that “eight dollars”. Add them together and you now expect to pay “nearly twelve dollars”.

Try it and you’ll see how easy it is.

The cure for math phobia is to allow a few numbers back into your life. Don’t make a big thing of them, just do whatever you feel comfortable with.

To summarize:

1. Recognize you have an aversion to math, whether it’s full-blown math phobia or just a few math blocks here and there.

2. Make a conscious decision to do something about it.

3. Give yourself a regular math workout, however small to start with.

You’ll find it all gets easier, and you’ll soon enjoy math once again.

Kenneth Williams is author of “Fun With Figures”, which shows you a completely different and much easier method of doing numbers in your head. Check it out here:

http://FunWithFigures.com

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The Education Loan Is It Worth The Cost

June 1st, 2009

You cannot ignore the fact that the cost of a college education has soared through the roof. This threatens to make a higher education for pursuing a dream career an impossible task. Therefore, students and their parents are compelled to opt for education loans.

Student loans have become a part of life. This is no wonder, considering the facts and figures that clarify the earning potential of college graduates. There has been a series of nationwide surveys on student loans and their implications. The fact is that each college graduate ended up earning $1 million (according to the United States Census Bureau) more throughout his/her career than a high school graduate.

The Advantages

Many people are confused as to whether they will be ever able to repay their loans completely, given the high rates of interest on various student loans. However, the advantages of taking out a student loan may far outweigh the costs:

1. College educated people advance higher and faster in their careers.

2. The average earnings of the college educated are $2.1 million and this figure is $1.2 million for high school graduates. Still, considering one takes out a Federal Perkins Loan (current interest rate of 5% per year), and borrows the maximum amount permissible, which is $40,000, the total repayment you would make over a 10-year term would be somewhere close to $51,000.

3. Contrast this against average salaries of college graduates. A nursing job would get you $38,788; Chemical engineering $53,659.

4. Salaries are increasing steadily at a healthy pace from 11.2% for elementary school teachers to 5.3% for civil engineers and 2.1% for chemical engineers.

How does it all add up? Considering again the Federal Perkins Loan, which allows you to pay back the entire amount with interest in 10 years, it will take away 1 – 2 years of your starting salary but spread over a 10-year term. The monthly payment would not be over $430 for the whole term, while your salary keeps going up.

How Can You Plan Your College Education Loan?

Well, how can you plan for the loan? Before you decide on a loan amount, you need to assess your different options:

1. Grants and Scholarships: Grants and scholarships are referred to as free money, as they are not expected to be repaid. They fund education completely depending on certain criteria. In this case, you would hardly opt for loan if you have a choice.

2. Work-Study Programs: On- or-off-campus Federal programs let students work part-time to offset their expenses. Depending on your savings, your loan amount can be reduced up to 50%.

3. Tuition Payment Plans: Spreading out of tuition and fees eases the burden of a one-time payment for families who have discretionary income.

4. Home Equity Loans: This can possibly eliminate the necessity to take out a student loan.

5. Funding Through Assets: Through the sale of stocks and/or 401 (k) plans, families cab fund their children’s education in order that they reduce the student loan component.

With planned self-financing, you can strengthen your position to fund your higher education and reduce your student loan debt. By utilizing student loans to either partly or completely fund your education, you will ensure yourself a lifetime of income long after the loan is repaid.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions – Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

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Why is It So Important to Hire Exceptional People

May 15th, 2009

The people we hire for our business become our goodwill ambassadors. We, as owners, are sometimes predisposed, and the people we employee represent the image of our business, the brand we are developing, and the standards our business is based on.

As business people, we need to protect ourselves and incorporate security measures regardless who we hire. We will be able to track any theft in money or merchandise. That’s just good business!!

The snag might be that we can’t always check all the time if our customers are being served properly, or standards are being kept in place during our absence. Just think how nice it would be at times to have exceptional people watching the shop, making money for us, while we are having some enjoyable time away. This means we should not ignore our business every day; by owning a business, at times we take advantage of that freedom. So, by hiring exceptional people with the right work ethic, we might reduce some of what we might refer to as the slack factor.

How do we choose the right person?

Do we pick someone because we like him or her? They’re funny, and, even though they only have a few of the desired characteristics, we probably could be great friends.

Let’s keep in mind this is a working relationship. Clearly defined, we are employers and therefore must keep personal feeling out, and criteria in. This should not mean we do not care about and like the people who work for us.

In a business forum their confidence will come from us, a good, fair, and firm employer that they can trust to do what we promise. To accomplish this, it is vital to pick our employees based on the characteristics we have put in place for exceptional people.

We need to review their resume, look again how they answered the interview questions, and how they would fit in with our other employees. Remember, everyone has a unique and different personality. By putting criteria in place, we can choose our employees fairly and without prejudice. It is important to remember that if someone should not meet our criteria we must let them down gently and with respect. The same applies when firing. Besides, these people could even become loyal customers in the future.

Hire right, or manage hard!!!

Arnold Nadler is a long-time entrepreneur and founder of The Startup Business Doctor, a private company specializing in helping new and small businesses get their company off the ground. Programs include professional coaching, franchise opportunities and inexpensive advertising packages. You can get more information at StartUpBusinessDoctor.com Feel free to send me your comments on this article.

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Life Centered Career Education

May 14th, 2009

Life centered career education address the needs of students with learning disabilities, students with mild mental disabilities and students at risk. The curriculum includes various training programs that provide education and training to develop skills useful to this challenged segment of society. These programs teach students to function independently and productively as family members and citizens. The process of learning incorporates training in liaison with family members or available friends.

The first step in the training process is to assess individuals and determine whether such training would be beneficial to them. For this purpose, there are various verbal and non-verbal tests.

On the basis of these assessments and certain observations, a student is accepted in the correct type of training program. The present level of competencies is determined and an individual educational program (IEP) is prepared with a set of objectives. This plan is a program of education for the particular student. Systematic instructional content is prepared and elaborated into a curriculum in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Life centered career education allows society to address the needs of the physically or mentally challenged segment of population. The main components of this training are daily living skills, personal-social skills, occupational guidance and preparation.

The curriculum focuses on reaching the goals with a lot of flexibility provided to the trainer and the student.

Daily living skills segments teach students to manage day-to-day tasks such as personal activities, food preparation, household management and personal finance management. “”Personal social skills”" segments focus on relations with other people. These enhance the self-confidence of the student and hence improve his decision-making skills. Lastly, a very important part of the training is to find a suitable job for the candidates. Life centered career education addresses this concern by training students and providing occupational guidance according to the specific competency skills.

Assessment is a very important part of life centered career education. It includes various assessment devices along with the requirements for testing. Overall, life centered career education opens up opportunities for growth and personal satisfaction to the people who participate in these programs.

Career Education provides detailed information on Career Education, Career Education Online, Life Centered Career Education, Career Education Programs and more. Career Education is affiliated with Adult Continuing Education.

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