How Culture Affects the Spread Of HIV In the United States Essay

How Culture Affects the Spread Of HIV In the United States - Essay Example It is estimated that over 1 million individuals are living with the virus; despite the aggressive prevention and education efforts that are underway to try and curb the spread of this virus. The socio-cultural norms that surround most communities need to be addressed so as to ensure that every individual is well-versed on the issue (Organista 43). This paper will examine the extent to which culture is affecting the spread of this virus, and what is being done to ensure that its spread is curbed before it is too late for all those affected or infected. Issue of concern There is a saying that arises whenever there is the mention of the HIV virus that goes; one is either infected or affected by this strain of infection. It is true to assume that one can be close to someone that has acquired the virus, or one could also be a victim. Among the Latino and African American communities, the spread of the virus is said to be higher than that experienced in other communities in the U.S. This i s especially among the young people who are constantly engaging in risky sexual activities (Organista 52). The unawareness of their status could be one of the main reasons why the spread is much higher in these communities. The spread of this virus is on the rise due to a range of factors, for example; denial, lack of proper medical care, poverty, and even stigma. All these are factors that restrict the prevention efforts aimed at addressing the scourge. Culture, in most ethnic minority groups, plays a major role in the response of the HIV strain among individuals. The diversity that most people of ethnic groups exhibit makes it harder for prevention efforts to have a foothold in most ethnic communities (Dayer-Berenson 76). It is this diversity that makes them engage in behavioral risk factors that differ, hence; increasing the possibility of acquiring the virus. The attitude behind sex and sexual activity among ethnic minority groups is probably one of the main reasons that may lea d to the progression of the virus. The concept surrounding sex and traditional roles in these communities makes the prevention of HIV a complicated topic in countless households. Factors of the problem The problem involved with culture is the fact that people are afraid of talking about sex. This is with either their partners, families, or even their children. In many cases, it is considered as being embarrassing to all the parties involved. This makes it harder for young men and women to understand the importance of communication when it comes to sexual activity with their partners as they grow up, which only works to increase the prevalence rate among these communities (Ray 118). In some instances, the perception that a ‘good’ woman is not supposed to know about sex is the essence that surrounds most homes. Women are, therefore, reduced to remaining ignorant when it comes to sex and their sexuality, which increases the dangers that this virus plays in their lives. Cul ture also plays a vital role in the traditional roles of gender in the U.S. In some minority ethnic groups, for example; the Latino, the men are supposed to be highly sexual individuals. To most of them, abstaining from engaging in sexual activity is an impossible task, and according to some, may even be unhealthy. Such attitudes lead to double standards among these groups, which then allow men to stray from their marriages. In other instances, the role of the man is

Visual Arts - Scuplture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Visual Arts - Scuplture - Essay Example A professional artist ensures that he or she has all the essential materials before commencing into any work of arts. Any person who has ever worked on a newspaper printing station will understand this best. Space is a fundamental factor in sculpture (Slobodkin 118). The same principle applies to sculpture. An artist should also accustom and remind themselves of terms like bottom-heavy and top-heavy. He or she should also be aware if the object in the visual field is correctly and well distributed to easily give a sense of balance. All these fall under composition, that is, the wise use of space and balance in artistic works. The next concept that artists need to know is to move into any position that will distribute the visual information in a wise manner. They may also need to add a background material in order to get everything balancing well (Slobodkin 119). An example is the existence of a pair of slippers beneath every female nude. Another consequence of this is the way with wh ich the shapes of the formed objects line up with each other. They look like a piece of the puzzle. Despite the fact that the object always appear in a 3-dimensional space, much consideration is put on how 3-D visual information manages to impact on a two dimensional plane. Through this, any two dimensional shape can easily interact with a three dimensional form in a perfect manner. Artists sometimes use basic forms of sculpture and ensure that they echo them in various places in the same visual field. Moreover, artists sometimes increase the variations such as a fugue by the Bach. An example of this type of a compositional dance is the great Newberry’s Blithe, in which two-dimensional tapestry behind a woman echoes and reflects the curves on her body. Another important concept of a sculpture is the sweeping forms. Some sculptures look as if they are about to fall or move. Such sculptures make viewers feel as if they will fall or move behind their backs (Slobodkin 120). Such sculptures hold the eyes and make the viewers watch them with a lot of suspicion and probably wait for something to happen. The eyes flow over the cascading limbs and muscles. The key to comprehending this effect is trying to locate the eye-catching points. Such points include feet position, kneecaps alignments, hands location, finger directions, waist and chest axes, limb joint position, hair strands, and the eyes. After the location of these points, they are connected to the sweeping and twisting lane. The intensity of this plane normally varies across figures but it usually grows in a uniform direction of movement. There may be an expansion of twisting lines of contact or intensity, depending on the existing pieces. There is a sequence of events in every sculpture. This sequence exits in time but are sometimes held stationary by the bronze. This movement comes from the viewer’s eye motion, as they tend to follow these striking features. In a very short time, an individual is able to experience subconsciously this sweeping form without the ability to identify and determine the direction consciously. However, taking the eyes and carefully moving them over the piece enables an individual, one is able to watch and see how the sculpture is generated, built up and explodes in denouement, and in a resolution of various interacting forms.

A Contemporary Study of the Relationship between CEO Duality and Dissertation

A Contemporary Study of the Relationship between CEO Duality and Organizational Performance - Dissertation Example This means that the companies which have unity of command, i.e. the same individual is charged with the responsibility of CEO and chairman of the board, perform financially at a lower level. However, these findings and conclusions are representative of the companies operating in Kuwait only, and keeping in view the prominence of family owned and managed companies in Kuwait, the trend of duality is on the larger side. In other countries, this trend may change or there may be no duality at all, and therefore the projection of these findings and conclusion is invalid for such regions.Board duality is a situation where one individual holds both positions of Chairperson and CEO (Kwok 1998). This is a phenomenon that has been commonly observed in countries with weaker regulatory and accounting frameworks. Various studies have been conducted throughout the world regarding differences in duality within boards of directors and the impact on company performance. Company shareholders have assis ted with these studies in order to improve understanding and the relationship between board duality and company performance. Duality in board structure is relevant to corporate governance, and it includes a wide range of disciplines, such as international affairs, economic laws and political science. Duality in the boards of the listed companies in Kuwait and the performance of these companies has become questionable because of the dual function in leadership. There are many reasons behind this research. However, the foremost purpose of conducting the research is that corporate governance is a relatively new subject in Kuwait and few people are aware of its company laws and legislation. Another reason is that the issue of duality is not specified in the legislation of corporate governance (Rechner and Dalton 1991). For example, Kuwaiti company law does not specify whether the CEO of the company can also serve as the chairperson. The dual role of CEO/chairperson creates a problem bec ause it can affect the company’s disclosure. A chairperson who is also acting as the CEO has the liberty and power to conceal from shareholders any information that could damage the standing of the firm. This is a very important issue which has not been addressed before. The aim of this research is to resolve this problem (Al-Sultan and Al-Shammari 2010). A compounding problem is that families run most of the companies in Kuwait. Therefore, it is very difficult to remove dual functioning from these companies, and the dual role of the company’s owner can negatively affect the firm (Omran, Bolbol and Fatheldin 2008). Some studies have shown that a positive relationship exists between duality and its impact on company performance. Corporate governance

Visual Arts - Scuplture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Visual Arts - Scuplture - Essay Example A professional artist ensures that he or she has all the essential materials before commencing into any work of arts. Any person who has ever worked on a newspaper printing station will understand this best. Space is a fundamental factor in sculpture (Slobodkin 118). The same principle applies to sculpture. An artist should also accustom and remind themselves of terms like bottom-heavy and top-heavy. He or she should also be aware if the object in the visual field is correctly and well distributed to easily give a sense of balance. All these fall under composition, that is, the wise use of space and balance in artistic works. The next concept that artists need to know is to move into any position that will distribute the visual information in a wise manner. They may also need to add a background material in order to get everything balancing well (Slobodkin 119). An example is the existence of a pair of slippers beneath every female nude. Another consequence of this is the way with wh ich the shapes of the formed objects line up with each other. They look like a piece of the puzzle. Despite the fact that the object always appear in a 3-dimensional space, much consideration is put on how 3-D visual information manages to impact on a two dimensional plane. Through this, any two dimensional shape can easily interact with a three dimensional form in a perfect manner. Artists sometimes use basic forms of sculpture and ensure that they echo them in various places in the same visual field. Moreover, artists sometimes increase the variations such as a fugue by the Bach. An example of this type of a compositional dance is the great Newberry’s Blithe, in which two-dimensional tapestry behind a woman echoes and reflects the curves on her body. Another important concept of a sculpture is the sweeping forms. Some sculptures look as if they are about to fall or move. Such sculptures make viewers feel as if they will fall or move behind their backs (Slobodkin 120). Such sculptures hold the eyes and make the viewers watch them with a lot of suspicion and probably wait for something to happen. The eyes flow over the cascading limbs and muscles. The key to comprehending this effect is trying to locate the eye-catching points. Such points include feet position, kneecaps alignments, hands location, finger directions, waist and chest axes, limb joint position, hair strands, and the eyes. After the location of these points, they are connected to the sweeping and twisting lane. The intensity of this plane normally varies across figures but it usually grows in a uniform direction of movement. There may be an expansion of twisting lines of contact or intensity, depending on the existing pieces. There is a sequence of events in every sculpture. This sequence exits in time but are sometimes held stationary by the bronze. This movement comes from the viewer’s eye motion, as they tend to follow these striking features. In a very short time, an individual is able to experience subconsciously this sweeping form without the ability to identify and determine the direction consciously. However, taking the eyes and carefully moving them over the piece enables an individual, one is able to watch and see how the sculpture is generated, built up and explodes in denouement, and in a resolution of various interacting forms.

A Jurors Perspective in the Case against Socrates Research Paper

A Jurors Perspective in the Case against Socrates - Research Paper Example Personally, I find nothing wrong with being inquisitive. Inquisitiveness has been the source of great knowledge for a long time. The fact that Socrates has been inquisitive, enquiring the earth and the clouds constitute no crime. If his chosen way of life does not harm anyone, and no one can confirm that he harmed anyone by being curious, then I find no fault at that. Of concern is the substance of which he enquires about. Contrary, Socrates has confessed to the things he enquires. He has said that he enquires about the presence and the nature of knowledge in selected persons. This, he has confessed, is to try to refute the claims of the Delphin oracle, which he claims elevates him as the wisest man in Athens. First, this raises the question of whether it is true that the oracle construed that he was the wisest man. If it is true, then such an important decree from the Athenian god Apollo should have been made known to all Athenians. The fact that this did not happen, is interpretabl e that the accused has put words in the mouth of a god. By claiming that the gods have recognized him as the wisest man, Socrates undermines the power of the Athenian gods by elevating himself as superhuman. He elevates himself to the level that he converses with the gods, though he is not a priest. In this issue, the accused is guilty of heresy and slander against the gods of Athena. His comparison of himself with Heracles is an insult to all Athenians and their integrity. It is an insult to the time-honored belief about the gods and the heroes of our history (Colaiaco 62). Second is the claim that he teaches his inquisitive lifestyle to others. In his defence, the accused has pointed out that he has never been a teacher. He does not take money from anyone in exchange for his perceived teachings. Therefore, if anyone goes to him, it is of his own accord. The teachings gained thereof that are one’s own desire. However, the place where the lessons are offered becomes very diff icult for the citizens of Athena to decide whether to attend or not. The accused has confessed of a tendency to start his teachings in public, where people gather for other purposes. This does not leave any choice to those in such areas, whether to listen or leave. This is so because there are in such places in pursuit of their own affair. Additionally, the accused has a tendency to stop people on the way and start questioning them. This constitutes a disruption of public peace. He propagates dissension and enmity among the people. If one is a teacher, he should let his students come to him on their own will. This is not in the interests of the state. The questioning of people regarding the level of wisdom is also demeaning. This is quite serious when it is considered that some of the subjects of the defendant’s questioning are citizens of high ranking. These people have made a significant contribution to the advancement of the nation. Branding these people as lacking wisdom and knowledge is a dishonor and a disparagement of their good work and sacrifices. On these charges, Socrates is guilty. The next charge brought against Socrates was the claim that he misguides the youth. His accusers have not explained what constitutes misguiding the youth. Using the little information provided to the court by the accusers, this is only interpretable to mean that the teaching of inquisitiveness taught by the accused to the public.

Upsides to Social Networking Essay Example for Free

Upsides to Social Networking Essay Within recent years, internet users have taken to social networking for their various personal needs. Social networks have become much more prominent in our increasingly technological world and the number of users using them are increasing. In Karen Goldberg Goff’s article, â€Å"Social Networking Benefits Validated,† she argues that Social Networking has various benefits for its users that will be essential throughout life. While social networks may show signs of danger to some people, the benefits do outweigh the potential dangers. Not only do social networks provide an online community, they provide users with many benefits and skills they may then use in their lives. Social networks provide great opportunities for socialization. As Monica Villa, founder of theonlinemom.com says, social networking â€Å"is allowing a lot of dialogue among people who may not otherwise have a chance for a lot of dialogue† (Goff). For those who want to be able to communicate with others, social networking is there to help them combat their shyness or there social isolationism by allowing them to connect with other people they can talk to. For those with disabilities, social networking is a useful means of communication to put their â€Å"personality at the forefront† while lessening the focus on the actual disability so that only the words, not the disability, are seen (Holmquist). In a report by the nonprofit child advocacy group Common Sense Media, â€Å"one in five teens said social media makes them feel more confident† (Wallace). It was also reported that more than twenty nine percent of teens report that social networking makes them less shy while twenty eight percent reported feeling more outgoing as a result of communicating through social networks. Twenty percent of the teens reported feeling more confident through social networking (fifty three percent of teens identified themselves as somewhat shy or really shy in general). Not all youths happen to be socially adept and social network provide them with a great virtual place to make friends, speak to friends, and be as vocal as they truly want to be (Social Networking). As for the socialization with friends already made, over half of the teens (fifty two percent) in the report from Common Sense Media said social networking made their relationships better as opposed to the four percent who said that  social networking has negatively affected their relationships (Wallace). With social networks, users can extend friendships and meet others with similar interests. Lisa Tripp, an assistant professor at Florida State University, says that â€Å"technology, including YouTube, iPods and podcasting, creates avenues for extending one’s circle of friends, boosts self-directed learning and fosters independence† (Goff). While many people go on social networking sites to talk to friends they may already know, these sites can also be used to find like-minded people with similar hobbies and interests (Goff). Teens can use social networking to expand their social circle and meet people who they would enjoy speaking too. Before social networking was available to communicate with people across the world, a fan of a certain character or film or even an idea might find himself isolated if there was not a person with the similar interest. In today’s world with social networking being so popular, the once isolated kid can now find himself speaking to m any other people just like him and may come to know that he can go out and seek peers to talk to (Goff). In the study by Common Sense Media, sixty nine percent of the teens said that they were able to know the students at their school better through social networking sites and fifty seven percent of the teens reported that they used social networking sites to make new friends (Social Networking). With the interactions with other people, users using social networks can build up their self-confidence as they share pictures and statuses about themselves and in return receiving positive feedback from their peers (Wallace). A way that one’s social network can be especially useful in the long run is when finding a job. Deborah Leuchovious, coordinator of PACER’s TATRA Project has stated, â€Å"Drawing on one’s own personal networks is one of the most effective strategies for finding employment (Holmquist). Through social networking, various helpful skills can be learned and practiced. The researchers from the Digital Youth Project, conducted at the University of Southern California and the University of California at Berkeley, found that â€Å"the constant communication that social networking provides is encouraging useful skills† (Goff). The study looked at thousands of hours of online observation and concluded that new opportunities are  created, as a result of social networking, for young people to deal with social norms, explore interests, work on ways to express themselves, and develop technical skills (Goff). For adolescents using social networking, they can develop skills needed to become independent, working adults in society as they will make a lot of decisions for themselves while online (Holmquist). The majority of skills learned online would be social skills. These skills give teens the ability to start thinking before they say things and to think about who they are while becoming more independent so that they can form their own personal identity (Holmquist). Other important skills learned would be technological skills that will be â€Å"essential to the digital economy,† as Monica Villa has stated (Goff). Not only will the technological skills be useful when communicating, they will also be of use when making the transition from high school to college and when making the transition of being an adolescent to being a competent citizen. By using social networking websites, one may have a place to go to for help when dealing with life’s problems. Although the place will be a virtual social network, there will still be a greater number of people who will actually show sympathy and provide help or guidance. Not all people will want to speak of personal problems verbally and social network provide a place to seek encouragement from fellow peers. An example of a situation where social networking helped to save a life happened recently when an eighteen year old posted on his Facebook page that he was thinking about jumping off the George Washington Bridge, which connects New York and New Jersey. After seeing his post, Port Authority officers contacted him and encouraged him to not go through with what he wanted to do and to go receive help (Wallace). Social networking can also have positive effects on one’s health. By providing an individual with a large social group, that individual will have an â€Å"impr oved life satisfaction, stroke recovery, memory retention, and an overall well-being† (Social Networking). The friends that one has on a social network also may serve as encouragement when dealing with health related issues such as exercise, dieting, and smoking (Social Networking). There are opportunities to learn about events and even personal interests  through social networking. For teens, social networking sites are second only to newspapers for their top news source and are able to spread information faster than any other source of media (Social Networking). Over fifty percent of the people in the study by Common Sense Media reported that they learned about breaking news from social media (Social Networking). Social networking even plays a large role in politics. Over a quarter of US voters that were younger than thirty reported to have obtained information about the 2008 Presidential campaign from social media (Social Networking). Aside from just learning about events, people can learn about how they can be involved in the world around them. By becoming aware of the world around them, adolescents will also learn about how they may also become involved and what they can do for social good. Social media sites can empower individuals to create meaningful, positive change (Wallace). Groups like Grow Global Citizens use social networks to increase teens’ awareness of the world around them and to allow them to become more â€Å"innovative about how they can get involved† (Wallace). Social media strategist, Elena Sonnino has stated that now teens can do much more in regards to their involvement aside from things like book drives and canned food drives (Wallace). When speaking of social networking, more concerns rather than benefits are mentioned. Since the benefits are not as mentioned as the possible dangers, people tend to believe that social networking may have harmful effects but this is not true. Most of what is told by news outlets is the negatives of social networking, such as how cyberbullying can turn tragic (Wallace). News outlets focus on the negatives without taking into account that â€Å"for every heartbreaking case of cyberbullying, there are many stories of teens using social media for good† (Wallace). Other negatives mentioned about social networking is that it causes teens to be lazy and that what they do online may not be safe. Mizuko Ito, from the Digital Youth Project, has stated that spending time online is essential for young people to acquire social and technical skills that are needed to be competent citizens in the digital age (Goff). Even though there may be risks that may be encountered online by some peopl e, youth who engage in risky behaviors in other parts of their lives are the most at risk (Holmquist). Parents may also become involved with their kids’ social network. They can view their  page at any time and even have their password to see what their kid is doing (Goff). To lessen the dangers of social networking even more, users also have the option to change their privacy settings so that certain details are hidden to others and even so that only people they know may contact them. The benefits of social networking have shown themselves to be useful and helpful in the increasing digital world. Not only do users gain skills of socialization, they also learn more about themselves and the world around them. Social networks are a great place to seek friends with similar interests, news, and also help. Although there may be possible dangers with social networking, they may be taken care of and do not seem great enough compared to the upsides of social networking. The benefits that social networks bring will become useful for other aspects of life. Social networking has achieved a way for users to not only gain essential benefits and skills in their everyday lives, but also throughout their lives. Works Cited Goff, Karen Goldberg. Social Networking Benefits Validated. Washington Times. The Washington Times, 28 Jan. 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. Holmquist, Julie. Social Networking Sites: Consider the Benefits, Concerns for Your Teenager. Impact Newsletter. Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota, Fall 2009. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. Social Networking. ProCon. ProCon.org, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. Wallace, Kelly. The Upside of Selfies: Social Media Isnt All Bad for Kids. CNN. Cable News Network, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.

The impact of aspergers syndrome on everyday life

The impact of aspergers syndrome on everyday life Aspergers syndrome is known to be an intellectual and developmental disorder that impacts an individuals life. Aspergers is often seen as high functioning autism which is associated with impairments in communication and social interactions, and Aspergers individuals often express patterns of repetitive behaviour (Floyd, 2009). Aspergers syndrome is known to be more prevalent within males than females and it is believed to be a genetic disorder (Seung, 2005). This essay aims to highlight the issues experienced by young Asperger males and how Aspergers impacts their lives. It also intends to contrast and explore the differences that exist between young male and female Asperger individuals and aims to highlight the stigmatisation and discrimination that is experienced by these individuals. Furthermore it will illustrate community development activities that have been created in order to address the health needs of Aspergers individuals, as well as provide future suggestions on how to fu rther enhance these childrens quality of life. One of the major impacts Aspergers has on young individuals is their inability to socially interact. Asperger males lack the cognitive ability to understand emotion and see viewpoints and beliefs of other individuals (Floyd, 2009) and as a result, are often viewed as obsessive and egocentric. Sorenson (2009) contends that this cognitive deficit is the primary cause of social and behavioural impairments exhibited by Aspergers individuals. Furthermore, Aspergers individuals have difficulty understanding the intentions of others and are unaware of other manneristic ways other than their own (Sorenson, 2009). This causes interactive issues with their peers as Asperger males are seen to have a primary focus on themselves and do not take into consideration other individuals. Despite this, male Aspergers have a strong desire to form and maintain friendships (Muller, Schuler Yates, 2004). Behavioural issues that are experienced by Asperger males include their inability to express emotion. Due to this, young Aspergers males often become violent and overwhelmed (Koning Magill-Evans, 2001). This highlights the frustration that can be expressed by an individual due to their inability to sufficiently articulate what they wish. Young Asperger males are also known to often be reclusive, however; some exhibit eccentric and inappropriate behaviour (Floyd, 2009). The most obvious behavioural problem expressed by Aspergers males is repetitive and compulsive behaviours (Macintosh Dissanayake, 2006). These individuals often become obsessed with specific topics for an extended period of time. Similarly, Aspergers males are also known to be aggressive and arrogant due to their cognitive deficits (Koning Magill-Evans, 2001). Due to these social and behavioural problems, oral communication and speech difficulties are also an issue that affects young Asperger males. These individuals are unable to hold conversations with others and due to this, young Asperger males can further find it hard to develop friendships with peers and sustain long term friends (Rao, Beidel, Murray, 2007). Although Aspergers males are often highly intelligent, many have learning difficulties. Aspergers males are known to be unable to articulate their thoughts and understandings and often exhibit symptoms of dyslexia (Church, Alinsanski Amanullah, 2000). These individuals struggle to adequately understand what they are learning and become forgetful of basic letters and numbers. Nevertheless, Aspergers individuals are highly logical and have the ability to retain factual and historical information (Floyd, 2009). Furthermore, due to their inability to comprehend other viewpoints and principles, Asperger individuals have a minimal attention span towards others as well as the inability to focus on tasks (Humphrey Lewis, 2008). Due to this, many young Asperger males are known to struggle at school and do not adequately meet the learning requirements or extend their capabilities. Nevertheless, Howard Cohen (2006) highlight that Asperger individuals who have strong friendships with peers ar e more successful at learning what is required and develop greater personal skills due to regular encouragement and inclusion by their friends. Aspergers is a personalised condition as each person exhibits unique symptoms. It is found that often young male Asperger individuals all exhibit variant degrees of symptoms and as a result, currently no universal measure exists to diagnose Aspergers. Due to this, diagnosis is often subjective and individuals are regularly misdiagnosed with learning problems or attention deficient disorders (Farrugia, 2006). Although males have a higher prevalence rate of Aspergers, the condition is also known to affect females (Lord, Scopler Revicki, 2002). Female Asperger individuals are viewed as highly capable and are known to interact and socialise differently than males (Wilkinson, 2008). Asperger girls are found to have less behavioural variants than boys and have better social abilities (Lemon, Gargaro, Enticott Rinehart, 2010). It is known that females overall have better coping capabilities than males and as a result, girls with Asperger can conceal symptoms more easily than boys (Lemon, Gargaro, Enticott Rinehart, 2010). Females that are reclusive are often perceived as shy and timid rather than an individual who potentially has a developmental disorder. This social construction of femininity is often the case many girls are misdiagnosed (Wilkinson, 2008). Girls are often initially diagnosed with anxiety and mental disorders and as a result, obtain a formal Aspergers diagnosis later on in t heir life (Kopp Gillberg, 2002). Due to this, females are often excluded because most intervention and studies have been conducted with a primary focus on male individuals. This is detrimental for female Asperger individuals as their condition may get worse and they are unable to obtain the sufficient support required. Nevertheless, young Asperger females that are diagnosed early in life are seen to perform better overall when compared to males (Kopp Gillberg, 2002). Many Asperger females thrive academically and are more capable of learning social skills and develop personal capabilities than males. As a result, Asperger females are often viewed as seen as better equipped when compared to males, as they are able to comprehend a diverse range of situations and ideas. They are known to often mimic other children and learn adaptability mechanisms to hide their differences (Lord Scopler Revicki, 2002). The most obvious symptom of Aspergers within females in comparison to males is their inability to desire friendships and their regular mood changes (Lemon, Gargaro, Enticott, Rinehart, 2010). Due to minimal exploration by professionals into female diagnosis, it is believed that females are just as likely as males to be affected, however; these individuals are either misdiagnosed or their symptoms are ignored (Lord, Scopler Revicki, 2009). As a result, Aspergers is believed to be more common than thought, nevertheless sufficient research into constructing a specific Asperger diagnosis criteria for both genders is required as well as an in depth analysis on female Aspergers individuals is also needed. Due to their social and behavioural problems, Aspergers individuals are regularly stigmatised. Stigmatisation is the primary form of marginalisation and highlights power differentials that exist between populations (Cook McCormick, 2006). Marginalisation is known to be a socially constructed concept, in which individuals are excluded from mainstream society and these people are often viewed as powerless (Cook McCormick, 2006). Individuals suffering with a developmental disorder are seen as unreliable and incompetent due to their inability to comprehend different ideals (Koning Magill-Evans, 2001). This often further marginalises Asperger individuals as they are seen as inferior to others within the community. Many individuals stigmatise Aspergers people to be the same, and are often unaware that Aspergers symptoms are subjective. This generalised and stereotypical outlook further acts as barriers for Aspergers individuals which increase their chances of being unjustly marginalised and discriminated against (Hughes Paterson, 1997). Messiou (2006) highlights that there are various types of marginalisation that are experienced by Aspergers individuals. The most common marginalisation experienced by Asperger males is social ostracism and exclusion by their peers. Other children are known to ostracise and avoid Asperger individuals due to their inability to associate to their behaviours (Howard Cohen, 2006). Due to this, young Aspergers males often feel the need to conform and try to be similar to their peers (Koning Magill-Evans, 2001). It was found that Aspergers individuals try not to express who they truly are as an individual and attempt to act how they assume society wants them to be like (Koning Magill-Evans, 2001). Muller, Schuler, Yates (2004) expressed that young Asperger males believe that they are limited within rigid societal structures in which they are regularly anxious about. Asperger boys are seen as abnormal and strange due to their inability to socialise and relate to other individuals (Church, Alinsanski Amanullah, 2000). Due to this, Asperger males are further ostracised due to societal members viewing their behaviours and attitudes deviant from the mainstream culture. Aspergers individuals prefer that their diagnosis remained unknown because they believe that people treat them differently when they knew of their condition (Muller, Schuler Yates, 2004). It was found that young Asperger males would rather others view them as extroverted and egocentric rather than an individual who is affected by a developmental disorder due to the possibility of attaching negative assumptions towards them (Muller, Schuler Yates, 2004). Furthermore, Aspergers individuals also have perceived marginalisation in which they believe others are regularly mocking or embarrassing them due to their differences (Messiou, 2006). Many young Asperger individuals express that they are aware of their differences and attach self-blame for their inabilities to be socially included and accepted by their peers (Humphrey Lewis, 2009). This notion of internalisation highlights that psychological manifestation exist within Asperger individuals and that Asperger males have individual identity issues due to feeling inadequate and not being accepted by others (Punshon, Skirrow Murphy, 2009). This often leads to further isolation and exclusion exhibited by Aspergers males as they further have no desire to associate with others because they are ashamed and lack self worth (Punshon, Skirrow Murphy, 2009). Asperger individual tends to become a product of their disorder, which minimises individuality and further stigmatises individuals due to additional ostracism and exclusion (Broderick, Caswell, Gregory, Marzolini, Wilson, 2002). Due to this, alongside negative experiences and societal isolation, it is known that mental health issues such as depression and low self esteem are highly prevalent amongst young Aspergers males (Hedley Young, 2006). Aspergers is known to be an intellectual disability and as a result, inequities towards Aspergers individuals currently exist. Disability is the development of the socially constructed view of what is viewed as normal and furthermore, what constitutes abnormal (Swain, French Cameron, 2003). Currently there is a lack of specific health services that have a strong focus on Aspergers health and wellbeing, and as a result; Aspergers individuals are unable to adequately maintain holistic wellbeing (Rao, Beidel, Murray, 2007). Furthermore, many Aspergers individuals attend mainstream schools and as a result; teachers often feel unable to teach these students (Macintosh Dissanayake, 2006). Mainstream schooling encourages many Aspergers to conform rather than express their individuality which often leads to educational attainment difficulties (Koning Magill-Evans, 2001). Although many mainstream schools facilitate Aspergers individuals by providing integration aids and speech pathologists, this is often a negative experience for Aspergers individuals because it highlights to the other students their needs (Martinez Semrud-Clikeman, 2004). As a result, this often stimulates teasing and ridicule by other students which often negatively impacts the Asperger individual. One of the major reasons these inequities exist for Aspergers individuals, is due to the lack of awareness about the condition (Floyd, 2009). Although over the years, more recognition and analysis about the disorder has been conducted, Aspergers individuals are still being categorised amongst Autism and other mentally handicapped individuals. Due to this, specific needs and requirements of Aspergers individuals are not being addressed and are needed to be tackled in order to successfully allow Aspergers individuals to excel. Although special needs schools exist, often Aspergers individuals are in the same class as individuals with severely mental impairment disorders. This is often detrimental for the growth and development of the young Asperger individual as they do not have the ability to adequately grow and develop as an individual (Church, Alinsanski Amanullah, 2000). In comparison to mainstream schooling Martinez Semrud-Clikeman (2004) found that individuals attending special needs education maintained yearly intellectual growth. Nevertheless, they further highlight that these individuals lacked social and developmental capabilities and were often severely reclusive and did not communicate to others. It is important that specific learning facilities for Aspergers individuals are developed in order for these young people to associate with like minded individuals. If this was created, these individuals would be able to further extend their learning capabilities as well as gain positive friendships w ith their peers due to similar characteristics (Muller, Schuler Yates, 2004). Community development activities that have been successful for Aspergers individuals is the creation of family support groups (Church, Alinsanski Amanullah, 2000). These groups are run and facilitated by family and friends of Aspergers individuals. This enables community members to gain empowerment and associate with other individuals who are experiencing similar issues. Although these groups provide support and resources to families, they do not necessarily have a specific impact on the Asperger individual. These individuals often do not attend the support meetings and as a result, these groups do not necessarily address their health needs (Church, Alinsanski Amanullah, 2000). Similarly, an effective health promotion activity that has been implemented for Aspergers individuals is the creation of a social and behavioural class (Bock, 2007). This specific activity enables Aspergers individuals to learn socially appropriate behaviours and mannerisms (Bock, 2007). Nevertheless, this program has been criticised because it is further requiring these individuals to conform to society, and because the attendees of the classes do not obtain the ability to interact and socialise with other non-Aspergers individuals in order to successfully utilise the skills that they may have learned (Rao, Beidel Murray, 2007). Although there is currently an Autism Awareness Day, more recognition and awareness about Aspergers is required. This can be achieved by local fun runs and the development of regular symposiums about Aspergers syndrome that are primarily run and developed by community members (Rao, Beidel Murray, 2007). This enables parents and community members to advocate on behalf of young Aspergers individuals to help gain equality and access to specific services, as well as expressing to others the diversity that exists within society. Greater awareness will enable a broader understanding of the problem in order to help decrease the marginalisation and discrimination that currently exists towards Aspergers individuals (Hedley Young, 2006). It will also enable societal members to realise that Aspergers also affects female individuals and will provide them the opportunity to create support and services for this population (Howard Cohen, 2006; Hedley Young, 2006). Furthermore, successful integration within mainstream schools is needed to be achieved. Integrating Aspergers individuals into mainstream education is required in order to minimise the current segregation issues that exist (Broderick, Caswell, Gregory, Marzolini Wilson, 2002). This can help eradicate discrimination towards these individuals and enable them equitable access to education. If integration attempts are unsuccessful, the development of peer Asperger workshops can also be a successful way of extending personal and intellectual skills of an Asperger individuals. It is important that these meetings are run by other Asperger people in which these individuals can act as mentors for the young Asperger males (Bock, 2007). This will help empower these young individuals as it is important to work with an Aspergers strengths and assets rather than highlighting what is needed to be achieved. Ultimately, the most important health promotion recommendation for Aspergers syndrome is early diagnosis and intervention. If greater awareness was provided, many parents may be attentive of triggers and behavioural problems whilst their child is young. Early intervention will enable the prevention of Aspergers individuals symptoms to become worse and will encourage the minimisation of Aspergers effects by being addressed early within their life (Rao, Beidel Murray, 2007). Furthermore, it will enable the implementation of a holistic approach to address the problem, by addressing the social and emotional wellbeing of an Aspergers individual.