To learn more about the effects of teratogens on the developing person and the Internet resources available to prospective parents, pick a teratogen from among those mentioned in the text and surf the Web to find brief answers to each of the following questions. (Hint: One URL you might consult is http://web.u.washington.edu/terisweb

1. Which teratogen did you choose? Why?

2. What are the potential short- and long-term effects of this teratogen on the developing person?

3. Are other risk factors associated with damage from this teratogen? What is, who is most (and least) likely to suffer teratogenic damage?

4. Has this teratogen become more of a problem in recent years as a result of technological advances? Explain.

5. What steps can prospective parents take to minimize the effects of this teratogen?

6. State the Internet address (i.e., the URL) of at least one relevant Web page, other than the one identified above.

1. What is the significance of the "albino sparrow" in Jean Piaget's scientific career?

2. Where did Piaget grow up? What was his childhood like?

3. What did Piaget mean by "The American Question"?

4. When and where was the Jean Piaget Centennial conference held? What was the focus of the conference?

5. Piaget's theory has been criticized on many grounds. Can you find ten common criticisms of Piaget's theory?

6. Name at least two URLs, which you used to find information to answer the above questions.

1. List and briefly describe each of the members of this family.

2. What factors make this family "vulnerable to crisis'"? Why isn't the family classified as supportable, restorable, or inadequate?

3. Find and describe at least one Web page that is a professional resource for clinicians, counselors, and others who provide support for families involved in child maltreatment.

4. Find and describe at least one Web page that is a resource for family members involved either as perpetrators or as victims of maltreatment.

5. On the basis of information gathered from the World Wide Web, what specific, practical advice would you offer to your hypothetical family?

1. What are the addresses of three national or international Web sites that provide information regarding dyslexia?

2. What local resources, support groups, and testing facilities does your community (indicate the community) provide for victims of dyslexia? Be specific in your answers.

3. What is the "American with Disabilities Act"? What rights does a person with dyslexia have under this act?

4. Are there specific educational techniques that are helpful in preventing the development of dyslexia?

5. Is there a positive side to dyslexia?

6. Identify two well-known, a12-0997-12

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs has established the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education (NCBE) to disseminate information relating to the education of the increasingly diverse population of students in the United States. As part of its mission, the NCBE provides information through its World Wide Web server http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu/

 1. What recent court rulings have influenced the way minority students who speak a second language are educated in the United States?

 2. How has the student population with limited proficiency in English shifted in recent years?

 3. What are the most common language groups available for students with limited proficiency in English?

 4. Which school districts in the United States have the highest enrollments of students with limited proficiency in English? List (name and location) the top five.

 5. Use the Web to visit a bilingual school (perhaps one concerning a subject matter of interest to you or one devoted to a certain language or multicultural program). Then answer the following questions.

  a. What is the name of the school? Where is it located? Whom does it serve?

6. Identify two well-known, accomplished personalities who were diagnosed with dyslexia as children (for example, the TV-series creator, Steven Cannell).

  The World Wide Web contains a wealth of information for teens and their families who are struggling with serious problems, such as suicide ideation and delinquency. In this activity you are to search the Web to find and explore some of these resources. Two interesting (and more importantly, credible) starting points are the homepages maintained by The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (http://www.psych.med.umich.edu/ web/ aacap/) and the Youth Crime Watch of America (http://www.ycwa. org/). The Academy publishes dozens of fact sheets that provide concise and up-to-date material on a variety of adolescent problems. The Youth Crime Watch is a nonprofit, award-winning association that has assisted youth in reducing crime and drug use in schools and communities since the late 1980's.

1. What percentage of all crimes in the United States are committed by teenagers?

2. How many crimes occur on school campuses each year? Each day?

3. How does the prevalence of suicide among gay teenagers compare with its prevalence among heterosexual teenagers?

4. What are several verbal clues that are often revealed by adolescents who are contemplating suicide?

5. Give the addresses of at least two other Web sites maintained by reputable organizations that could be consulted as resources by troubled adolescent or their family members.

  For some, the question, "Who's in your family?", is difficult to answer. Although many people continue to form close-knit nuclear families consisting of a mother, a father, and one or more children, the predominance of the traditional nuclear family is being eroded by rising rates of divorce and remarriage. The changing composition of American families has created new notions about the words family, mother, and father. And with the increasingly complicated family relationships that come with step- and single-parenthood come additional sources of stress. Fortunately, there are many helpful resources available for family members. (Hint: Parent's Place is an excellent Web site that will help you begin your search. Find it at http://www. parentsplace.com/index.html.)

  To learn more about Alzheimer's disease and the Internet resources available to individuals affected by it, surf the net to find brief answers to the following questions. (Hint: The Alzheimer Disease Research Center of Washington University maintains a Web site and search engine that will help you get started (http://www.biostat.wustl.edu/alzheimer/). Another useful Web site is the Alzheimer's page at http://med-amsa.bu.edu/ Alzheimer/home.html

1. What is AD? Is there more than one variety of this disease? Explain.

2. What are the major symptoms of AD?

3. How is AD usually diagnosed?

4. What causes AD? What areas of the brain are affected by AD?

5. What role are free radicals believe to play in AD? Briefly explain one other theory of AD.

6. Describe the typical progression of AD. What is the usual cause of death in AD victims?

7. What are the ten warning signs of AD?

8. List ten simple ways to help an Alzheimer's family

9. Is prenatal diagnosis of AD possible?

10.What resources are available on the Web for AD caregivers?

1. The National Parents's Resource Institute for Drug education recently conducted its ninth annual survey of students in grades 6 through 12. Consult the statistical summary of this study to draw a bar graph depicting the percentage of students in grades 6 through 8 who, in 1996, reported regular use of the following substances: nicotine, beer, wine coolers, marijuana, inhalants, cocaine, uppers, downers.

2. How do the substance use data for 1996 compare to the data reported in 1990? What trends are noticeable for various substances?

3. What aspects of the results have lead some developmentalists to conclude that adolescent drug use increasingly is not merely recreational or experimental?

4. By their report, who most often discusses the hazards of early drug use with teenagers -- peers, parents, or teachers? Are sixth-to-eighth graders more likely to experiment with drugs in their home, a friend's home, at school, or some other place?

5. What percent of twelfth graders report using an illicit drug at least once each week? What percent report using an illicit drug daily?