Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Manual communication
Use of expressive gestures of hands, face, and body to communicate with others, whether as part of a “private language,” fingerspelling, or a widely taught and used SIGN language. Some people believe that children with ear and hearing problems should not be allowed to use any form of manual communication but should instead be trained…
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Malignant hyperthermia
A genetic disorder of the autosomal dominant type in which a person has an often-fatal reaction to anesthesia. In those affected, the temperature rises dangerously (sometimes to 110°F or higher), metabolism is speeded up, and the muscles become rigid. Treatment involves attempting to bring down body temperature and right resulting imbalances. Parents with MH in…
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Majority
In family law, adulthood. The age of majority is the age at which a child is no longer considered a minor and can legally act and be treated as an adult, set by state law but usually around 18.
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Locational skills
A set of reading skills necessary for a child to be able to find information in printed sources; these are prerequisite skills such as understanding how to find an item in an alphabetized dictionary or index, how to find material using the page numbers in a table of contents, or how to find a book…
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Liver problems
Disorders in the complex internal organ in the upper right abdomen, which has hundreds of functions, mainly to produce key proteins and other chemicals, to regulate the chemistry of the blood, to store the sugar glucose as glycogen until needed, and to clear drugs, poisons, and other unwanted substances from the blood, excreting these waste…
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Lien
A legal claim on someone’s property, to prevent sale or transfer until a debt is satisfied; in certain cases, as to satisfy unpaid child support, the property may be sold to pay the debt.
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Liberal arts
Traditionally, the courses that made up the classical curriculum, such as literature, art, philosophy, history, music, and foreign languages, usually referring to COLLEGE-Ievel education. Today the term is more widely used to refer to a broad, general, “liberal” education, including study of the humanities, the social sciences, and the sciences, as opposed to a narrowly…
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Learning style
The way a child most readily receives and processes new information, a general term used in many different ways, depending on how educators and psychologists them¬ selves approach the question; also called cognitive style.
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Learning block
A general term for anything that might hinder a student’s gaining of new knowledge and skills, including handicaps of various kinds and lack of the necessary skills, such as reading.
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Late bloomer
Informal term for a student thought to be an underachiever who, somewhat later than other students, begins to fulfill the expected potential indicated by previous performance on standardized tests of ability; sometimes called latent achiever. An adolescent who develops physically at a late age, after most other adolescents.
Got any book recommendations?