Articles written by Jim Mcfalls

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About me - Jim Mcfalls

I'm a psychologist with experience in individual, group and family therapy, behavior intervention and planning and administration of programs and services for people with mental health and developmental disabilities (including autism spectrum) issues. I also

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Education > Special Education The dangers of labeling a child: 2 of 55
Labeling children is a double-edged sword. Unfortunately, as with handling any sword, particularly one with two edges, it is likely to result in bloodletting. On the one hand,it is impossible to get needed educational or psychological services in today's world without being assigned a label which allows you access and funding... More..
Education > Education (Other) Should the education system allow teachers and principals to "hit" students if they are misbehaving in class?: 9 of 42
If there were no other reason NOT to use physical discipline to "teach " children to behave in the classroom, it would be because it doesn't work. There are many other reasons, but the fact that it doesn't decrease misbehavior should be sufficient to point us in another direction. There is a lot of research that shows punishm... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US News Latest campus shootings: Are violent TV, movies and video games to blame?: 12 of 54
Violent TV, movies and video games are not the cause of campus shootings. They are, however, an expression of the same cultural bias towards allowing acceptance of idiosyncratic behaviors in everyone. Our culture, particularly in the United States, not only allows, but at some level, expects people to "do their own thing." Th... More..
Travel > Travel Planning & Advice Should US citizens be allowed to travel to Cuba?: 7 of 23
China, Russia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia...Want to go to the Olympics in Beijing? How about the museums in St. Petersburg or the Kremlin? Mecca is nice this time of year. How about a scenic cruise of the Mekong Delta or walk the Ho Chi Minh trail? Guess what?...you can. These great enemies of the United States, those who would bu... More..
Education > Education (Other) Should schools give BMI index scorecards for their overweight students?: 12 of 39
To what end would schools do this? Do we think that kids who may be overweight don't notice or that their families aren't aware? NO. Have schools thought about giving every student their BMI (Body Mass Index) ? NO! Have schools thought about developing curricula that teach responsible health and diet management? NO! Do school... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Parenthood The changing role of the father: 9 of 29
One way to characterize this role evolution would be to say that "Fathers" have changed to "Dads." As a Baby-Boomer I've experienced the alpha and omega of the father's changing role during the last two generations. I was taught to be a father early on, mostly by my mother by the way, but have ended up a Dad. From a social p... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Self-Healing Easy ways to learn to meditate: 26 of 67
As a psychologist who does counseling with people with developmental disabilities and behavior problems, I have found that the stress management qualities of meditation are without equal. Because the people I work with often have a cognitive and/or neurological deficit, I need to have an approach that is easy to understand, e... More..
Creative Writing > Memoirs Testimonies: Losing a baby to still birth: 2 of 5
It's been almost 30 years and that moment has never lost its intensity. The power of that one event in my life continues to surprise me. He was my first child, long waited for and planned for with great exquisiteness. My wife and I did everything right: the Lamaze classes, eating healthy, no drinking...everything right. But t... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Social Values & Norms Is the slang use of the word "retard" or "retarded" discriminatory?: 14 of 33
O.K., here's the easy way to decide; would you want to be called a "retard" or "retarded"? Of course not. Why? Because it's offensive and inherently discriminatory. When children really want to hurt someone, you'll hear the word "Retard" as the severest epithet. The field of developmental disabilities, which includes those pe... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Pulitzer Center What is the responsibility of American companies and consumers for unsafe working conditions in Chinese factories?: 43 of 97
Only when an issue directly affects us do we Americans respond. What happened when we received tainted children's toys from China? We boycotted those stores and made them take them off the shelves. What happened when toxic dog food from China killed our pets? We boycotted those stores and made them clear the shelves of the pr... More..