Sunday, June 14, 2015

ADD /ADHD

We all know kids who can’t sit still, who never seem to listen during class lectures, who choose not to follow instructions no matter how clearly you, as the teacher, present them, or kids who may blurt out inappropriate comments at inappropriate times. Occasionally these children are called defiant and/or troublemakers. They are sometimes criticized for being lazy and undisciplined.  When in fact, they may simply have a disability. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that appears in early childhood. You may also know it by the name attention deficit disorder, (ADD).
 
ADD/ADHD is a general inability to pay close attention to detail or to filter out irrelevant information causing limited focus on the task at hand.  This disorder begins in childhood and does carry over into adulthood.

Here are a few tips to help you navigate and plan
 
Symptoms
·         high activity levels
·         difficulty remaining still for long periods of time
·         limited attention spans

 
Warning Signs and Possible Characteristics within the Classroom
  •  A sense of underachievement, of not meeting one’s goals (regardless of how much one has accomplished)
  • Difficulty getting organized
  • Chronic procrastination or trouble getting started
  • Many projects going simultaneously; trouble with follow-through
  • Tendency to say what comes to mind without necessarily considering the timing or appropriateness of the remark
  • An ongoing search for high stimulation
  • A tendency to be easily bored
  • Easy distractibility, trouble focusing attention, tendency to tune out or drift away in the middle of a page or a conversation, often coupled with an ability to focus at times
  • Often creative, intuitive, highly intelligent
  • Trouble going through established channels, following proper procedure
  • Impatient; low tolerance for frustration
  • Impulsive, either verbally or in action, as in impulsive spending of money, changing plans, enacting new schemes or career plans, and the like
  • Tendency to worry needlessly, endlessly; tendency to scan the horizon looking for something to worry about, alternating with inattention to or disregard for actual dangers
  • Sense of impending doom, insecurity, alternating with high risk-taking
  • Depression, especially when disengaged from a project
  • Restlessness
  • Tendency toward addictive behavior
  • Chronic problems with self-esteem
  • Inaccurate self-observation
  • Family history of ADD, manic-depressive illness, depression, substance abuse, or other disorders of impulse control or mood

Wednesday, June 3, 2015


The hourly wage it takes to afford a 2-bedroom apartment in every state


OKLAHOMA CITY – A recent study is showing us the hourly wage needed to rent a two-bedroom apartment in every state in the U.S.

Can you guess how much Oklahoman's need to make to afford a two-bedroom apartment?

In Oklahoma, the Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom apartment including utilities is $716, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual housing report “Out of Reach.”

In order for someone to afford this level of rent and utilities without paying more than 30 percent of income on housing, a household must earn $2,387 monthly, or $28,639 annually.

Assuming a 40-hour work week, 52 weeks per year, this level of income translates to an hourly wage of $13.77.
Out of Reach data for Oklahoma in 2015, Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition

According to the study, no one who is working full-time making minimum wage can afford a two-bedroom apartment at market rent.
In fact, a person making minimum wage would need to work 76 hours a week in order to afford a two-bedroom unit.
Keep in mind that number shows how much hourly employees would have to make in order to avoid spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent.
Financial experts say 30 percent is roughly the amount most Americans should spend on rent or mortgage payments so they don’t get over their heads.
Two-bedroom rental unit housing wage, Source: NLIHC
Two-bedroom rental unit housing wage, Source: NLIHC
NLIHC also created a map that shows how many hours per week a person would need to work to afford a one-bedroom apartment on minimum wage.
According to the study, a person making minimum wage would have to work 59 hours a week in order to afford a one-bedroom apartment.
Hours at minimum wage needed to afford a one-bedroom rental unit, Source: NLIHC
Hours at minimum wage needed to afford a one-bedroom rental unit, Source: NLIHC
The Fair Market Rent varies for different counties across the state.
The results were published in a study entitled “Out of Reach,” which focused on how affordable housing was not available for low-income renters.