Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Forming words with the lips or even whispering them during silent reading, a practice that can significantly slow a student’s reading speed but may be useful for those with reading difficulties, such as dyslexia.  

In education, a type of financial aid in which a student is given money to help meet the expenses of attending college or private school; unlike scholarships, loans must be repaid, but federal and other subsidies reduce the interest rate, making these loans very attractive, if taken out in the student’s name, such loans often…

A type of test in which the administrator’s handling of the test, observations, discretion, and rapport with the child very much affect the test score; often there are no “right” and “wrong” answers, and the test is designed to pull out information about the individual’s thinking, knowledge, and functioning. Examples include individual developmental screening tests,…

Problems that affect a couple’s ability to conceive a desired child but are not permanent and absolute infertility, or sterility, which is far more rare. Fertility considered to be less than normal.  

A set of prerequisite skills important in a child’s being able to learn effectively from a course, including knowing how and when to take notes, being able to organize material, knowing how to approach tests, and having the basic locational skills to find the information needed in printed sources.  

A type of word-attack skill necessary for effective, independent reading.  

Darkened streaks on a woman’s abdomen, breasts, and thighs, often because of enlargement during pregnancy, in which case they are called striae gravidarum, but sometimes also during the growth spurt associated with puberty. The marks later fade but do not disappear completely. They are also sometimes associated with hormone disorders. Streaks or lines in the…

A type of genetic disorder, classed as a metabolic disorder, in which the body lacks certain enzymes necessary to break down compounds, the result being abnormal and damaging accumulations of various substances in body tis¬ sues, often seriously affecting the brain. Examples include mucopolysaccharidoses, lipid storage diseases (lipidoses), and mucolipidoses.  

A family that includes children who share one parent, not two.  

An act that is “criminal” only because it is committed by someone having a particular status, such as a minor, and breaks a law applying only to such people. An adolescent who runs away from home or is truant from school is a status offender. By contrast, an act that would be criminal if committed…