Parental Consent Form Form K Activities And Day Visits: Fill & Download for Free

Hey,For all Permanent Commission entries and Short Service Commission entries there is no written examination. These applications are short listed as per the criteria laid down by the Naval Headquarters, Directorate of Manpower Planning & Recruitment. Selection is through merit alone.You can apply for Permanent Commission(Logistics)CRITERIAB.E/B. Tech in any discipline,Minimum (%)-first classAge -191/2 - 25 YrsSELECTION PROCEDURE(a) The candidates will be issued call up for Services Selection Board (SSB) based on their performance in Degree Course. If a candidate possesses higher qualification with better percentage, his higher qualification will be considered for cut off. Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) reserves the right to shortlist applications and to fix cut off percentage. No communication will be entertained on this account. SSB interviews for short listed candidates will be scheduled at Bangalore/Bhopal/Coimbatore/Visakhapatnam.(b) Shortlisted candidates will be informed about their selection for SSB interview on their E-mail or through SMS (provided by candidate in their application form).(c) SSB interview will be conducted in two Stages. Stage I test consisting of intelligence test, Picture Perception and Discussion test. Candidates who fail to qualify in Stage I will be routed back on the same day. Stage II tests comprising of Psychological testing, Group testing and Interview which will last for 04 days. Successful candidates will thereafter undergo Medical Examination (approx duration 03-05 days).(d) Candidates recommended by the SSBs and declared medically fit, will be appointed for training in order of All India Merit depending on the number of vacancies.(e) Change of SSB venue for interview is not permissible.(f) Any correspondence regarding change of SSB dates be addressed to the Call up Officer of the concerned SSB on receipt of call up letter. Award of fresh dates for SSB would be subject to availability.(g) No compensation will be paid in respect of any injury sustained as a result of tests.(h) Return 3rd AC rail fare is admissible for the SSB interview, if appearing for the first time for this entry.HOW TO APPLYCandidate can submit only Online (e-application) for this entry Online (e-application). Whilst filling up the e-application, it is advisable to keep the relevant documents readily available to enable the following:- (a) Correct filling up of personal particulars. Details are to be filled up as given in the Matriculation Certificate (b) Fields such as e-mail address, mobile number are mandatory fields and need to be filled.Filling up of e-application: - For filling up application Online visit the website Join Indian NAvy and proceed as follows:- (a) Click on the ‘Officer Entry’ button under the option 'Apply Online' on the Home Page. (b) Fill the online registration form. Tips to assist in filling up fields have been provided as you highlight each field. (c) After filling the form click on Preview and check if all the information entered by you is correct. (d) Before clicking the Print Application button it should be checked whether all the details entered in the form is correct as you will not be able to make any corrections after saving the record. Candidates can take the print of the application form by entering the relevant details. (e) Before clicking the instructions for SSB Button, it should be checked whether all the details entered in the form are correct as you will not be able to make any corrections after saving the record. Candidates can read the instructions on conduct of SSB by clicking on the instruction for SSB button and can take the print of the application form by entering the details from the download sections under officer entry. (f)Print two copies of the online Application Form having the system generated Application Number. (g) Paste recent passport size colour photograph at the space provided and self attest the same. (h)One copy of this Application Form is to be duly signed and mailed (posted) to Post Box No. 04, R K Puram Main PO, New Delhi - 110 066 along with the following documents:- Self attested photograph, Self attested photo copies of 10th & 12th class certificates along with Mark Sheets, other educational certificates and mark sheets of all semester/years. In case CGPA, candidate is required to attach certificate issued by the University for Conversion of CGPA in to percentage. Application to be sent by ordinary post only. Speed post/courier and Registered post will not be accepted. (j) A superscription is to be made on envelope: ONLINE APPLICATION NO. ________ APPLICATION for PC (Log)/SSC (Log & NAIC) JAN 2017 COURSE Qualification______ Percentage _____%. NCC ‘C’ Yes/No. Application and requisite enclosures must be properly tagged/stapled; IHQ MoD (Navy) will not be responsible for loss of enclosures, if sent loose.2. You can also get through the Graduate Special Entry Scheme- (GSES). It is through UPSC.CRITERIAB.Sc(Physics & Maths) / B.E.(Any Discipline)Age:-19-22 yearsUnion Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts Combined Defence Services (CDS) Examination for recruitment of various vacancies under Indian Naval Academy twice a year.UPSC Selection Procedure consists of three stages.1. Written Exam2. Interview/ Intelligence Test/ Personality Test3. Document Verification4. Medical Examination1. Written Exam:i. Written Exam consists of Objective Type questions and time duration 2hrs and maximum marks is 100 for each subject.ii. For the candidates who are appearing for Indian Military Academy, Naval Academy, Air force Academy written test comprising of English, General Knowledge and Elementary mathematics subjects and for candidates who are appearing for officers training academy the written test comprising of English and General Knowledge.iii. Candidates who are declared successful in the written exam will be detailed for intelligence and personality test at the Service Selection Board based on their preference, by the respective service HQ.2. Interview/ Personality Test: The candidates who are selected in written test are called for interview. The SSB procedure consists of two stage selection process-Stage I and Stage II. Only those candidates who clear the stage I are permitted to appear for Stage II.a. Stage I comprises of Officers Intelligence Rating (OIR) tests are Picture Perception Description Test (P&DT). The candidates will be shortlisted based on combination of performance in QIR Test and PP and DT.b. Stage II comprises of Interview, Group Testing Officers Tasks, Psychology Tests and the conference. These testes are conducted over 4 days .The personality of candidate is assessed by three different assessors viz. the interviewing Officer (IO), Group Testing Officer (GTO) and the Psychologist. There are no seperate weightage for each test. The marks are allotted by assessors only after taking into consideration the performance of the candidate holistically in all the test.3. Document Verification: Document Verification will be conducted only after the candidate has qualified for Interview/Personality Test.4. Medical Examination: A Candidate recommended by the Services Selection Board will undergo a medical examination by a Board of Service Medical Officers. Women candidates will undergo Medical Examination by a Medical Board comprising male/ female doctors/ specialists/ Gynaecologist. There will be a Lady Medical Officer as member of Board. Only those candidates will be admitted to the Academy who are declared fit by the Medical Board.3. You can also apply through NCC Special Entry Naval Academy, Goa.B.Sc(Physics and Math.) or BE and Naval Wing, Senior Division, NCC 'C' CertificateAge:-19-22 yrsUniversity graduates possessing NCC 'C' certificate with minimum 'B' grading and 50% marks in the graduation degree examination are inducted in the navy as regular commissioned officers. These graduates are exempted from appearing in the CDSE conducted by the UPSC and are selected through the SSB interview only. They join the Naval Academy for NOC along with the CDSE cadets.4. You can also apply through University Entry Scheme (SSC)-Final year engineering students are eligible for induction into the technical Branches/ Cadres of the navy. Naval selection teams from the IHQ of MoD (Navy) and Command Headquarters visit AICTE approved Engineering colleges across the country to shortlist the candidates. The short listed candidates, based on all India Merit, are called for interview at the Services Selection Board. The successful candidates, thereafter, are put through the medical tests. Final selection is based on all India merit on the basis of marks obtained in the SSB interviews.Age:-19.5 -25(Pre-Final year), 19 – 24(Final year)Educational Qualifications. Applicant should be studying in the final year (4th / 5th year) in an AICTE recognised university with one of the following disciplines and should have obtained a minimum of 60 % aggregate marks (till VIth semester for BE/BTech and VIII semester for 5 years Integrated Degree CourseSelection ProcedureThe eligible candidates will appear before a Naval Campus Selection Team for interview. The candidates qualifying the campus interview will be shortlisted for SSB interview based on the merit.There is no written examination for the Non-UPSC entries. In this case the applications are invited and short listed at Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Navy) [IHQ of MoD (Navy)] on the basis of marks secured in the qualifying educational exams ie 10+2, Graduate or Post graduate. The short listed candidates are sent for SSB interviews. Thereafter, a merit list, comprising of qualified candidates, is prepared as per the availability of vacancies.Interview & SelectionThe SSB selection consist of a 5 days testing schedule that has 5 stages. The following documents should be presented while attending SSB interviews.Original Matric, BE/B Tech degree certificate/ mark sheet.Ten passport size un-attested photographs.One pair white PT shoes, two pairs each white socks, white shorts, white T-shirts and two pairs of formal trousers & shirts (any sober colour)Copy of the telegram/ print out of the relevant webpage.Risk certificate duly signed by parent/ guardian to state "candidate (name) attending SSB with parent's/ guardian's consent and at his own risk. Parent/guardian is not entitled to claim any compensation or relief from government for injury sustained during SSB interview"Stage I (Day 1) - Stage I selection system includesOfficer Intelligence Rating Test (OIRT).Picture Perception and Description Test (PDPT):Picture is flashed for 30 Seconds. The candidate have to broadly note down seven basic parameters viz number of characters, age, sex, mood, action relating to past, present and future for each character in one minute.Discussion of the Picture - 30 Minutes.In this phase batch is divided into different groups. Strength of group is around 15 candidates. Each candidate narrates his individual written story verbatim. Subsequently, in Part - II all the candidates have to come to discuss amongst themselves and achieve a common consensus about the characters and theme of the story. Once all candidates have undergone this stage the results for stage one testing are declared. Successful candidates are retained for stage - II testing and the balance are asked to leave after a short brief on general shortcomings.Stage-II (Day -2) - In the IInd Stage, Psychological Tests are performed that includes :Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)12 Pictures including one blank are shown for 30 sec each. Candidates are asked to write a story around what led to the situation? What is going on and what would be the outcome? Picture is shown for 30 seconds and they are asked to write it in 4 minutes. In the blank slide, they have to think a picture of their own choice and to write a story around that.Word Association Test (WAT)In this test, a series of 60 words are shown to the candidates one after another for 15 seconds each. The candidate is required to write down the first thought or idea comes to his mind.Situation Reaction Test (SRT)This test consists of 60 routine life situations regarding day to day activities. The situations are printed in a booklet and the candidate is asked to write his reactions by completing the sentences, as to how they would feel, think and act up these situations.Self Description-15 Mins.Candidate is asked to write five separate paragraphs on each context about the opinion of his parents/guardian, friends, teachers/ superiors.Stage III (Day 3) - Stage III selection process includes :Group DiscussionTwo topics of common interest (social issues and current events) are discussed. It is an informal discussion and not a debate. Each topic is allotted 20 minutes each. No definite conclusion is required to be deduced.Group Planning Exercise (GPE)It comprises of five stages viz, explanation of the model, reading of the narrative by GTO, five minutes for self reading by candidates, 10 minutes for individual written solutions and 20 minutes for group discussion. Narration of the group solution and definite conclusion is required.Progressive Group Tasks (PGT)It is the first outdoor task. A set of four obstacles with progressively increasing level of difficulties are to be completed in 40 to 50 minutes. Structures, helping material and load are provided to the group.Group Obstacle Race (GOR)In this task the group is pitched against each other over a set of six obstacles with a snake like load to carry.Half Group Task (HGT)It has one obstacle similar to progressive group task with helping material and load to be carried. Group is divided into two Sub Groups and assigned the same obstacle in turn in such a way that when one group is working, the other is not allowed to watch it. Time allotted to each sub group is 15 minutes.LecturetteIt is an individual task and the candidate is required to give a short talk to the group. Three minutes are allowed to prepare any chosen topic from the four given in the Lecturette Cards for the talk.Stage IV (Day 4) - Stage IV selection process includes :Individual ObstaclesA Set of 10 obstacles is set to be tackled individually. Obstacles are numbered from one to ten, denoting the points each one carries. Each individual will be given three minutes.Command TaskEach individual is nominated as commander for one task consisting of one obstacle similar to the Progressive Group Task Time given is 15 minutes.Final Group TaskTask consisting of one obstacle similar to the progressive group task. Time given to complete this task is 15-20 minutes.Personal interviews are conducted by Interviewing Officer (IO) from Day 2 to Day 4Stage V (Day 5) - Stage V includes :Closing address by Deputy President of the BoardConferenceAnnouncement of resultsDispersalThe candidates recommended by Service Selection Board (SSB) has to undergo a medical examination at nearest Service Hospitals. The medical examination procedure for candidates is as follow :• Special Medical Board (SMB)Special Medical Board (SMB) of officer candidates will be held at designated hospitals over duration of five to six days. Candidates will be declared Fit/ Temporary Unfit or Permanent Unfit. Candidates declared Temporary Unfit are to report back to the hospital for examination after the specified time. Candidates who still do not qualify will be declared Permanent Unfit.• Appeal Medical Board (AMB)Candidates who are declared Permanent Unfit by Special Medical Board are eligible for Appeal Medical Board after depositing a sum of a requisite amount in the Government Treasury. No fees will be charged from Temporarily Unfit candidates. Unfit candidates get a maximum of 42 days to report for AMB at designated Command Hospital. Candidates declared unfit by Appeal Medical Board are eligible to appeal for Review Medical Board.• Review Medical Board (RMB)The President of Appeal Medical Board will intimate the candidate, the reason of his/ her unfitness through a leaflet and guide him / her for Review Medical Board. However, he will explain to the candidate that holding of the Review Medical Board is at the discretion of DGMS(Navy) and DGAFMS based on the merits of the case and it is not his/her right. RMBs are conducted at Army Research & Referral Hospital Delhi and Armed Force Medical College Pune.The selected Officer candidates, inducted into the Indian Navy under various schemes are given basic training at Naval Academy Ezhimala (NAVAC). The period of initial training for cadet entry and direct entry graduate candidates is 4 years and 22 weeks respectively. Branch specific training is subsequently imparted at other naval establishments.Good Luck.Cheers.:)

Table of Contents1. Introduction 32. Need Analysis 43. Action Plan and Implementation 54. Methodology 5a) Surveys 6b) Interviews 6c) Observation 65. Post Test Findings 66. Analysis and Discussion 7Action Plan 1: Examining a Child’s Interest and Focusing on their Learning Styles 7Action Plan 2: Examining a Child’s Inter Focusing on their Learning Styles 997. Conclusion 9Tabulation of Results for K2 10Graph 108. Reflections 11Recommendations 129. References 1310. Appendices 15Teachers’ Interview Sample Questions 15Children’s Observation Checklist Table Sample 16Parent’s Survey Sample 19IntroductionYoung children often struggle with crucial motor skills such as grasping pencils and utensils, moving items with their fingertips and using common tools such as scissors. In adopting these exceptional motor skills, kids develop them at different rates (Bruni, 2006). If a child has difficulty in such crucial skills, they may need extra assistance to promote facilitation of such skills. Therefore, it is essential to introduce, show, teach them and provide as many opportunities for practice during their early childhood. When a child develops these abilities, they may achieve independence at an early stage which will save parents and teachers’ time from close supervision.Children possessing the gross and motor skills are adventurous, and they always explore the environment which progresses the cognitive abilities. The distinction between fine and gross motor skills lies in the number of muscles the two movements trigger in a kid. Exceptional motor skills entail the smaller muscles such as the wrist and hand while gross motor skills involve the larger muscles groups which include the arm and leg. Self-help skills help a teacher when teaching the kindergarten students to have minimal errands in observing the students. Bruni (2006) expounds further that avoidable accidents such as spillage and toileting can be evaded if the cultivation of motor skills starts at an early age with the support from kindergarten teachers and parents. According to a literature review from Ali, Clarke, & Mclachlan, (2017), the physical activity and motor skill proficiency of young children may be a vital predictor of physically active behaviors in their later life. Ruling out interventions in early childhood education could support their academic performance including physical skills and behaviors.Owing to the immense contribution of motor skills coordination, I developed a research question on how to plan activities that improve motor skills coordination in children. My primary focus is to enhance the self-help skills through specific activities which need the involvement of the three parties; parents, teachers, and students at the kindergarten 2 level. Teachers need to modify or adapt activities and select props or equipment that is appropriate for kindergarten age. Teachers will teach the kids and make them learn skills from simple to complex tasks and break down the instruction into smaller steps. I realized the lack of exercise in particular activities led to poor motor skills coordination. Hence, the original essence for this research is to develop an action plan for children which will, in turn, improve their motor skill coordination and reduce dependency on adults. The timeline of the action plan is to be completed before 5 August 2018 and the parents meet up event day is carried out on 24 July 2018, workshop date for teachers is set at 30 July 2018.2.0 Need AnalysisDuring the initial findings that were performed through surveys, interview, and observation. The data collected indicated that parents did not have adequate knowledge on how to support their kids in developing motor skills. They do not know the importance of their role and the general development of their kids. There was a lack of standard abilities and aptitude tests which teachers attributed to their inability to determine the progress of motor skills. Evaluation of the skills was a difficult task since there was no in-between, it is either the child knew how to perform the skill or not. From observation, other children performed better than the others who were still learning. With all the above fundamental flaws, there is a need for training and awareness else it will reduce the effectiveness of motor skill intervention.3.0 Action Plan and ImplementationPlan 1: Examining a Child’s Interest and Focusing on their Learning Styles with a parent’s event.The administrative department started calling all parents two days ago before the event to remind them. The central planner is in charge of the preparation and the overall event. The family room that is centrally placed should be the one to offer a place that is comfortable, where meetings can be held. On the other hand, the conference should be started with positive information about the kid’s development and progress. The parents' event is designed specifically to equip teachers to enhance their understanding of children with motor skills developmental issues and the strategies to work effectively with parents. To understand each child’s interest, some activities will be set up to discover the child’s abilities; parents will be able to explore and get their child to engage in a wide variety of dramatical activities. The parents are expected to engage in meaningful discussion during the 7-hour event, while on the other hand making sure that they set up various activities that are required in the process. Additionally, for effective communication, the parents should come up with ways that would enable them to work with the teachers effectively.The event content covers:1. Comprehending the development issues of the motor skills and their causes.2. Understanding the challenges faced by parents with children having developmental issues when it comes to the motor skills.3. Strategies that could be used in engaging the parents effectively, for them to learn how they could support their children’s motor skills development. This may include the activities conducted at home, between the child and the parent.In the process of motor skills development and learning, it is critical to note that some kids would depend on their other children to learn effectively. It is also vital to indicate that at least every child has the primary sensory learning modality, which is quite significant in the process of learning new skills. Therefore, this means that the kids may entirely depend on the visual sense, in order to acquire information, and most importantly, to interpret the world accordingly. Other children may also do the same without necessarily learning from their colleagues. Such categories of kids are likely to make use of their feeling of sense, auditory, or the physical abilities, in order to learn most of the required things while growing.Some of the characters that build out of such a process include the personality, the learning styles, and temperance. Most of these characters are to be noticed at the point when the child is at the continuum’s extreme. Therefore, when this is the case, the teaching strategies should be adjusted accordingly, to make the children learn appropriately. Majority of the kids are also said to be having at least one specific interest, whereby some are fascinated by the trucks, certain sports, machines, and others by particular activities, which they undertook in kindergarten. Once the teacher has identified one of the interests, he/she should ensure that they incorporate the activities in such a way that would enable the kid to learn effectively. Sometimes children express and pursue their interests only at home, so it is necessary to ask parents during the event.Plan 2: Parents and Teachers Partnership with a workshopThis approach aims to provide the preschool educators to build fundamental motor skills in young children that include loco-motor, object control, and stability skills. In this 8-hour hands-on practical workshop, it offers the teachers fun activities throughout the session to integrate motor skills development and the other learning areas. Through hands-on activities, participants will get to identify strategies for successful execution of gross (fundamental) motor skills activities. Participants will plan games and activities that develop fundamental motor skills in young children.At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:• Identify the importance of (fundamental) motor skills in young children• Ages & stages: how children develop motor skills• To plan integrated activities to help young children develop motor skills• Effectively and efficiently manage a classroom during lesson using various appropriate teaching strategies to support gross motor skills development in young children• To recognize and identify at least one movement difficulty in skill executionLed by a physical therapist, the workshop would be quite crucial as it would give the teachers a more in-depth and new perspective on the kid’s motor skills development. This can also be described as an informative and practical session, which is designed in a way that would help boost the teacher’s awareness of the various stages that are involved in the motor skills development. Through this move, the teachers would be able to analyse and address the lags in each person’s development.Through the application of an appropriate set of strategies, information, and various extension activities, it would easy on the teachers’ side to ensure that the kids’ motor skills development needs have been addressed. Teachers should also realize when to monitor and when to refer to a visit that appears more professional specifically. Additionally, the symptoms of the Motor Coordination Disorder (MCD) should be carried by the teachers. By identifying, planning and integrating the entire needs of the students, the teachers are likely to become more confident.Post FindingsTo compare the effectiveness and results before and after action plan, the same methodologies were utilized during the process for data collection:a. SurveysData collected was from the kid’s parents. This method of data collection was in writing form, and there was no contact between the researcher and parent. All parents have indicated improvement motor skills of their children at home settings in the survey. Some of the skills that their children do not know how to do, they have acquired it now. The pamphlets, leaflets, and brochures act as a resource kit for the parents. The results of the survey are better than the previous one as most parents called in to the school for the feedback that the resource kit provided tips in addressing to the child’s learning needs. They understand their role to keep monitoring their child to the next milestone and is a reasonable response of the awareness of the parents.b. InterviewsThe participants were the teachers. The results collected were the average percentage based on the primary curriculum from the two sets of 8 questions. The teachers will be asked to name the potential barriers that can prevent the child from achieving after the workshop. The feedback received that partnership with parents’ aid in the motor skills development is very successful in the workshop. The teachers can better evaluate and have a right track of the children after inflicting the skills on them are divided into three phases. The Teacher’s response to highly confident with children in nurturing motor skills based on their new knowledge and skills gained from the workshop. The results collected from the interview is better before the event.c. ObservationThis method of data collection entailed children who were observed using the standard motor skills development checklist. Additional complex activities were set up to be examined in the study after the purchase of new equipment. Teachers managed to describe the behaviors they record accurately, without subjective interpretation or labelling. When teachers have observed that several children have difficulty using scissors, they have plan activities that use small muscles, such as fishing for objects with tongs or placing pegs in a board, then move to tear paper and, finally, to use the scissors. Teachers use many techniques to record and organize their observations. The first technique, in this case, is to ensure that one keeps a pad of paper and a pencil to put down the critical sets of information in the entire interaction. Later on, the short notes would be used in making a clear and coherent notebook, which could be stored in files for future reference. Some of the teachers are also likely to spend most of their time putting down particular observations and the impressions, which they made during the sessions.If all these information is put down into a diary, it will become advantageous for future reference. Another strategy that could be used correctly by the teacher is that of rotating the cards for different students. If such cards are rotated, this will make the teachers work easier as he/she would be able to assess every student in the class. On the other hand, the teachers could try and place some checklists on the walls of the classes, which would enable them to track the choices that the kids made during the day. By setting obstacle courses outside the classes, the teacher would be able to observe the children more appropriately, while using the developmental checklists. The checklists are essential as they would help individual kids to showcase their various capacities. The photographs and the tape recorders do offer long-lasting records of the children, which would help in the tracking process of how the children are developing.Teachers' observations, assessment data, and information provided by parents can be used to understand and plan for each child now.Post Findings AnalysisAfter the implementation of the action plan, 80% of the children in the study reported significant improvement in their motor skills coordination. From the graph above, it shows how the K2 students made a tremendous improvement in their abilities as time went forward. The children began to develop motor skills such as catching a ball after it had bounced. They also exhibited the ability to run around obstacles which they were unable to perform before the study. Besides, since during observation some students did not interact fully with others since they preferred solitude, the action plan enabled them to start doing things with others such as jumping in a row. Moreover, they were able to walk in a line and tiptoes which proved the action plan was successful.The kindergarten teachers became more involved in motor skills development in coordination with their parents. A collection of drawings, arts and attempted writings done by the children have been pasted on the walls. Teachers have since started to review the works with the children after attending the workshop. Most children enjoy reviewing work and getting praise from their teachers. It builds up their confidence and may even work harder to get noticed by the teacher. The classroom is filled with photographs of children doing activity in class, and it provides a visual picture of the children. Parents can look at the diversity of their child's work when teachers share the portfolios during the parent’s meeting. Teachers increased their time to build these crucial fine and motor skills which made the children more independent than before. After successful setting of a specific way of measuring the aptitudes and the abilities of children as aforementioned in the action plan, parents and teachers could track the progress of their children without any difficulties. The teacher noticed that majority of the children could button their shirt and learning to wear shoes themselves. Parents’ feedback that they have signed up further professional training course and seek advice from non-profit organization hotline found in the pamphlets.Analysis and DiscussionWhen comparing the baseline data findings and post action findings, a similar programme and activities are used in the intervention of study. Children examined during the play and study times; the programme is showed to have slight improvement with extra activities added to the new action plan. The results from this study provide evidence that the Primary Movement programme, similar to the motor skills improvement programme had a significant effect on improving the motor skills of the children. This research provides further evidence to support the use of the programme within the Early Years curriculum (Brown, 2010). While differences after the implementation, the parent’s reported improvement in the survey after participation in motor skills development. Instead of leaving a child to undertake a specific motor skill independently, the guardian should help the child (Marcon, 1999). When we watch someone acting, our brains may simulate the performance of the action we observe (Jeannerod, 1994). With the pamphlets, leaflets, and brochures were given out to parents to teach the kids at home. The repetition of practice and assistance of parents is the key to success.According to Mahoney, Perales, Wiggers & Herman (2006), the role of parents in early childhood learning are the people with the most significant opportunities to promote children's motor learning. Parents should be active participants in their children's motor intervention. When the first observation where most children were unable to do essential activities such as climbing the ladder and peddling a tricycle, most of them can achieve now. Previously the procedure is not divided into stages as a teacher has limited knowledge. Now, the children are divided into three stages where they will be grouped in cognitive stages, associative stage and autonomous stage have a better way for evaluation. This article covers the growing evidence that motor skill learning advances through stages, in which different storage mechanisms predominate. The acquisition phase is characterized by fast (within a session) and slow learning (between sessions). Evidence for stages in motor skill learning is provided by experiments using behavioural, electrophysiological, functional imaging, and cellular/molecular methods (Luft & Buitrago, 2005). After the teacher finished attending the workshop, they had a specific way of measuring the aptitudes and the abilities of children; they were able to identify and recognize correctly that children had motor skills difficulties.Additionally, after the workshop, the teachers should be able to highlight the areas, which he/she needs to be improved. Through such an action, it would be possible to make the necessary changes that are required. Further data analysis revealed that there was no significant correlation between years of previous work experience and specific knowledge. Studies expressed their belief that they would benefit from specific ongoing education and training (Anastasiadis, Kourtessis & Zachopoulou, 2017). According to the statistics collected, it can be concluded that when teachers and guardians put their efforts together in developing motor skills in children, the results are significant. As a product of their collaboration, children will have the confidence to undertake their activities independently (Ulrich, 2013). The communication between the teachers and parents was critical in ensuring that they were conscious to allow the children to develop these self-help skills. The action plan provides a guide for parents to ensure their role in promoting motor skills. The parents commenced giving tasks such as grooming and toileting to their kids as well as giving them time to finish up.The best thing about communication between the teachers and the parents is that it would bring about an effective way of handling the children. Through this action, children are more likely to develop the motor skills more appropriately, considering that the teachers and the parents to understand them fully. It should also be noted that apart from the schools, research has that most of the kid’s activities do rely on the parents. Out of this, the parents should be able to understand their children well, even before taking them and handing them over to the teachers.Gross Motor Development ChartAge GroupMilestoneBirth- 3 monthsWhile being moved, they hold firmlyLifts their heads up only when lying on the belly4-6 monthsSits with support, rolls from belly to back, starts to crawl gradually, and tries to stand while holding the parent’s hand.7-9 MonthsStarts to pull towards a proper sitting positionAttempts to walk while holding parents hands.Takes coordinated but small steps.10- 12 monthsBegins to stand aloneBends downwards in order to pick thingsStarts to walk alonePushes small obstacles out of their way.13-15 monthsMoves around even the large obstacles22-24 monthsBegins to squatTabulation of Results before and after for K2GraphEthical ConsiderationsThe parents have informed the objectives of the research which was to develop an action plan that promotes motor skills coordination in children. In addition to the objectives, the guardians were briefed on the expected duration of the study which could enable them to incorporate a specific time in the study. Bunker (1991) mentions that procedures in the study should be clearly outlined before the actual process. As the survey entailed data collection from their opinions, consent was first sought before any assessment. They were allowed the right to withhold or withdraw their opinions from the research in case they felt any uneasiness.Their parents legally approved the observations which involved children since they were below the legal age. All the participants in the study were given full anonymity, and the information collected away from the central point of discussion was to remain confidential (Grissmer et al., 2010). Moreover, the views offered by the parents were respected and not biased by the researcher’s perception. All the parents were handled in a fair and justified manner as well as the researcher collected their information truthfully with no alterations. Additionally, the participants were told how the study would benefit other people in the community.7. ConclusionConclusively, most of the kids who possess the gross and motor skills are said to be quite adventurous, and should, therefore, be given the opportunity to explore the environment. It is vital to state that by virtue of these children being given the opportunity to explore the environment, they would be able to acquire more skills, compared to those who are not offered the same opportunities. Teachers and parents have the responsibility of ensuring that the kids’ motor skills have developed exclusively. Self-help skills help a teacher when teaching the kindergarten students to have minimal errands in observing the students. It should also be noted that most of these strategies should be laid down when the child is at his/her tender age, with the maximum age being 2.ReflectionReflecting on this action research, I was able to investigate how motor skills coordination could be enhanced in kindergarten two children. The time needed to carry the research is a big challenge while struggling with work and family. Eventually, I managed to overcome by setting up a schedule with at least 2 hours every day to do the assignment. The actions of setting up the schedule were quite significant since it would bring about a better way of training the children.On the other hand, if proper research is carried out, it would be easier to come up with better techniques that would be used in ensuring the learning process is smooth. Through this action, it was possible to drive towards the goals that have been set. Learning the best approach when it comes to the motor skills development was quite advantageous as I believe that this would enable one to train the children adequately. On the other hand, the entire set of notes that were taken during the interaction were quite useful. If every step is taken as it had been indicated in the conference, it would be able to achieve the goals of training the children more appropriately. Additionally, I realized that since most of the children had different capacities, which they could operate under, it was vital for every teacher to focus on this before embarking on the training sessions.LimitationsAs the research is not based on the longitudinal study, the cross-sectional study cannot help to determine the cause and effect. The study used in the sample size is small, so we cannot use the same results to represent for a larger population. Thus it increases the risk of sampling error. The findings used is based on self-report data so, not all the information provided is 100% accurate. Some parents might even think that giving the correct information will admit their child is having problems. Another challenge emanated from the difficulty when it came to parents-teachers cooperating. Since a majority of parents would give excuses for how busy they were, it, therefore, became a difficult task trying to make the processes go through. Some of the parents did not trust that the process would enable their kids to achieve the motor skills significantly, therefore making the process quite tedious. Lastly, the biggest challenge came as a result of the young age of the children. Most of them could not comprehend what was being carried out at the time, therefore making the entire process to be challenging.Recommendations and ImprovementMy recommendations based on the research is that teachers should identify these K2 children’s needs in every academic year. The teachers should utilize observable prompts to facilitate better listening and sitting abilities as well as set specific activities to be carried out both at home and in schools. The teacher could also ensure those who are strong in one skill to partner with the ones who are weak in those skills which will reinforce their ability to learn the new skill. Besides, there should be close monitoring of the children’s activities and their progress. The exceptional motor skills which seem a little challenging to undertake should also be developed along with the gross motor skills. Hence, I would like to suggest action research which is explicitly based on exceptional motor skills to enable the children to attain full motor skills coordination. Half yearly home visits are also recommended because they give teachers some insight into family and culture.8.ReferencesAli, A., Pigou, D., Clarke, L., & Mclachlan, C. (2017). Literature Review on Motor Skill and Physical Activity in Preschool Children in New Zealand. Advances in Physical Education, 07(01).Anastasiadis, M., Kourtessis, T., & Zachopoulou, E., (2017). Educator’s ability to identify students with coordination disorders: A review of literature. Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise (AJNE), 2(3), 139.Barnett, L., Van Beurden, E., Morgan, P., Brooks, L., & Beard, J. (2008). Does childhood motor skill proficiency predict adolescent fitness?. Medicine+ Science in Sports+ Exercise, 40(12), 2137.Bruni, M. (2006). Fine Motor Skills for Children with Down syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals (Topics in Down syndrome). Woodbine House.Bunker, L. K. (1991). The role of play and motor skill development in building children's self-confidence and self-esteem. The Elementary School Journal, 91(5), 467-471.Clark, J. E. (2007). On the problem of motor skill development. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 78(5), 39-44.Gabbard, C. P. (2016). Lifelong motor development. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.Grissmer, D., Grimm, K. J., Aiyer, S. M., Murrah, W. M., & Steele, J. S. (2010). Fine motor skills and early comprehension of the world: two new school readiness indicators. Developmental psychology, 46(5), 1008.Luft, A. R., & Buitrago, M. M. (2005). Stages of Motor Skill Learning. Molecular Neurobiology, 32(3), 205-216.Marcon, R. A. (1999). Positive relationships between parent school involvement and public school inner-city preschoolers' development and academic performance. School psychology review, 28(3), 395.Mahoney, G., Perales, F., Wiggers, B., & Herman, B. B. (2006). Responsive Teaching: Early intervention for children with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Down Syndrome Research and Practice, 11(1), 18-28.Russell, D. J., Rosenbaum, P., Wright, M., & Avery, L. M. (2002). Gross motor function measure (GMFM-66 & GMFM-88) user's manual (Vol. 159). London: Mac Keith Press.Ulrich, D. A. (2013). The test of gross motor development-3 (TGMD-3): Administration, scoring, and international norms. Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 24(2), 27-33.Appendix 1PARENTS SURVEY SAMPLEDear Parents,The use of the survey is to collect data from the parents will be crucial in ensuring that statistical data is collected about the motor skills development of their children. Thank You for your participation and support!Survey Questions1. What of the parents/guardians below are you?Single ParentFather Male GuardianMother Female Guardian2.Do you have good knowledge of the specific roles after the participation with the school on handling with regards to your child motor skills development?Yes or No3. Do you think your help has assisted your child for the improvement, which positively assists them to advance their motor skills?Highly HelpfulHelpfulDoes not offer any help4. Did you noticed any improvement areas about the development of your child's motor skills at home? Yes or No5. How confident are you to bring your child to the next milestone in supporting their motor skills development process?Highly ConfidentModerately confidentConfidentLowly Confident6. Do you view your roles in the child development of the motor skills as important after the workshop? Yes or No7. Do you keep a record of your child’s performance after each activities performed at home to keep track of their motor skills development?Yes or No8. Does the pamphlets, leaflets, and brochures help you understand and assist to train your child at home?Yes or NoTeachers’ Interview Sample Questions1. How engaged are you in K2 class motor skills activities after the training?Highly EngagedModerately EngagedEngagedNot Engaged2.Are you able to name the potential barriers that can prevent the child from achieving their potential after the training?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3.How confident are you to help the child reach to their full potential during the class?Highly ConfidentModerately confidentConfidentLowly Confident4. How does the partnership with parents aid in the child motor’s skills development.________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4.Does the center new curriculums, social climate, and the organizational structure with additional new equipment match the needs of the child? Yes or No5.What specific improvements have you seen the children develop which have shaped their motor skills development?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6. Do you have a good track of the motor skills development of the children after inflicting the skills to them are divided into three phases? Yes or No7. Do you understand the new specific ways of measuring the abilities and the aptitudes of the children to guide adapted education? Yes or No8. How do you use the knowledge and skills gained from the workshop to stimulate the child to learn and to work hard?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________PamphletsDual Colored Laces Can Help Your Child Learn How To Tie Shoelaces!·Parents can try Bean bag games and activities at home with kids to develop gross motor skills.·Beanbags is easier to handle than a ball as they don’t roll away, It is less frustrating for the child with poor coordination skills.StepsGet your child to balance a bean bag on the head while walking along a balance beam, a length of rope, or along a line marked out on the ground.Increase the challenge by asking your child to keep the bean bag on their heads while:doing a heel-toe walkwalking around obstacleslowering the body to touch an object on the ground!Put a pile of beanbags at one side of the yard and a bucket at the other, and have your child hop, run, jump, crawl or skip to take the bean bag to the bucket – your child can either hold the beanbag, balance it on the head, or balance it on an outstretched arm or even a spoon!

Gender. Either of the two divisions, designated female and male, by which most organisms are classified on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions; sex.Well science now says it isn’t binary and we didn’t understand it as much as we thought we didThis article by Claire Ainsworth at nature. com may explain it better‘As a clinical geneticist, Paul James is accustomed to discussing some of the most delicate issues with his patients. But in early 2010, he found himself having a particularly awkward conversation about sex.A 46-year-old pregnant woman had visited his clinic at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia to hear the results of an amniocentesis test to screen her baby's chromosomes for abnormalities. The baby was fine — but follow-up tests had revealed something astonishing about the mother. Her body was built of cells from two individuals, probably from twin embryos that had merged in her own mother's womb. And there was more. One set of cells carried two X chromosomes, the complement that typically makes a person female; the other had an X and a Y. Halfway through her fifth decade and pregnant with her third child, the woman learned for the first time that a large part of her body was chromosomally male1. “That's kind of science-fiction material for someone who just came in for an amniocentesis,” says James.LISTENClaire Ainsworth discusses the spectrum between male and female.00:00Sex can be much more complicated than it at first seems. According to the simple scenario, the presence or absence of a Y chromosome is what counts: with it, you are male, and without it, you are female. But doctors have long known that some people straddle the boundary — their sex chromosomes say one thing, but their gonads (ovaries or testes) or sexual anatomy say another. Parents of children with these kinds of conditions — known as intersex conditions, or differences or disorders of sex development (DSDs) — often face difficult decisions about whether to bring up their child as a boy or a girl. Some researchers now say that as many as 1 person in 100 has some form of DSD2.When genetics is taken into consideration, the boundary between the sexes becomes even blurrier. Scientists have identified many of the genes involved in the main forms of DSD, and have uncovered variations in these genes that have subtle effects on a person's anatomical or physiological sex. What's more, new technologies in DNA sequencing and cell biology are revealing that almost everyone is, to varying degrees, a patchwork of genetically distinct cells, some with a sex that might not match that of the rest of their body. Some studies even suggest that the sex of each cell drives its behaviour, through a complicated network of molecular interactions. “I think there's much greater diversity within male or female, and there is certainly an area of overlap where some people can't easily define themselves within the binary structure,” says John Achermann, who studies sex development and endocrinology at University College London's Institute of Child Health.These discoveries do not sit well in a world in which sex is still defined in binary terms. Few legal systems allow for any ambiguity in biological sex, and a person's legal rights and social status can be heavily influenced by whether their birth certificate says male or female.“The main problem with a strong dichotomy is that there are intermediate cases that push the limits and ask us to figure out exactly where the dividing line is between males and females,” says Arthur Arnold at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies biological sex differences. “And that's often a very difficult problem, because sex can be defined a number of ways.”The start of sexThat the two sexes are physically different is obvious, but at the start of life, it is not. Five weeks into development, a human embryo has the potential to form both male and female anatomy. Next to the developing kidneys, two bulges known as the gonadal ridges emerge alongside two pairs of ducts, one of which can form the uterus and Fallopian tubes, and the other the male internal genital plumbing: the epididymes, vas deferentia and seminal vesicles. At six weeks, the gonad switches on the developmental pathway to become an ovary or a testis. If a testis develops, it secretes testosterone, which supports the development of the male ducts. It also makes other hormones that force the presumptive uterus and Fallopian tubes to shrink away. If the gonad becomes an ovary, it makes oestrogen, and the lack of testosterone causes the male plumbing to wither. The sex hormones also dictate the development of the external genitalia, and they come into play once more at puberty, triggering the development of secondary sexual characteristics such as breasts or facial hair.Related storiesDiversity: Pride in sciencePolicy: NIH to balance sex in cell and animal studiesEthics: Taboo geneticsMore related storiesChanges to any of these processes can have dramatic effects on an individual's sex. Gene mutations affecting gonad development can result in a person with XY chromosomes developing typically female characteristics, whereas alterations in hormone signalling can cause XX individuals to develop along male lines.For many years, scientists believed that female development was the default programme, and that male development was actively switched on by the presence of a particular gene on the Y chromosome. In 1990, researchers made headlines when they uncovered the identity of this gene3, 4, which they called SRY. Just by itself, this gene can switch the gonad from ovarian to testicular development. For example, XX individuals who carry a fragment of the Y chromosome that contains SRY develop as males.By the turn of the millennium, however, the idea of femaleness being a passive default option had been toppled by the discovery of genes that actively promote ovarian development and suppress the testicular programme — such as one called WNT4. XY individuals with extra copies of this gene can develop atypical genitals and gonads, and a rudimentary uterus and Fallopian tubes5. In 2011, researchers showed6 that if another key ovarian gene, RSPO1, is not working normally, it causes XX people to develop an ovotestis — a gonad with areas of both ovarian and testicular development.These discoveries have pointed to a complex process of sex determination, in which the identity of the gonad emerges from a contest between two opposing networks of gene activity. Changes in the activity or amounts of molecules (such as WNT4) in the networks can tip the balance towards or away from the sex seemingly spelled out by the chromosomes. “It has been, in a sense, a philosophical change in our way of looking at sex; that it's a balance,” says Eric Vilain, a clinician and the director of the Center for Gender-Based Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. “It's more of a systems-biology view of the world of sex.”Battle of the sexesAccording to some scientists, that balance can shift long after development is over. Studies in mice suggest that the gonad teeters between being male and female throughout life, its identity requiring constant maintenance. In 2009, researchers reported7 deactivating an ovarian gene called Foxl2 in adult female mice; they found that the granulosa cells that support the development of eggs transformed into Sertoli cells, which support sperm development. Two years later, a separate team showed8 the opposite: that inactivating a gene called Dmrt1 could turn adult testicular cells into ovarian ones. “That was the big shock, the fact that it was going on post-natally,” says Vincent Harley, a geneticist who studies gonad development at the MIMR-PHI Institute for Medical Research in Melbourne.The gonad is not the only source of diversity in sex. A number of DSDs are caused by changes in the machinery that responds to hormonal signals from the gonads and other glands. Complete androgen insensitivity syndrome, or CAIS, for example, arises when a person's cells are deaf to male sex hormones, usually because the receptors that respond to the hormones are not working. People with CAIS have Y chromosomes and internal testes, but their external genitalia are female, and they develop as females at puberty.Conditions such as these meet the medical definition of DSDs, in which an individual's anatomical sex seems to be at odds with their chromosomal or gonadal sex. But they are rare — affecting about 1 in 4,500 people9. Some researchers now say that the definition should be widened to include subtle variations of anatomy such as mild hypospadias, in which a man's urethral opening is on the underside of his penis rather than at the tip. The most inclusive definitions point to the figure of 1 in 100 people having some form of DSD, says Vilain (see 'The sex spectrum').The sex spectrumA typical male has XY chromosomes, and a typical female has XX. But owing to genetic variation or chance events in development, some people do not fit neatly into either category. Some are classed as having differences or disorders of sex development (DSDs), in which their sex chromosomes do not match their sexual anatomy.ChromosomesGonadsGenitalsOther characteristics/ examplesTypical maleXYTestesMale internal and external genitalsMale secondary sexual characteristicsSubtle variationsXYTestesMale internal and external genitalsSubtle differences such as low sperm production. Some caused by variation in sex-development genes.Moderate variationsXYTestesMale external genitals with anatomical variations such as urethral opening on underside of penis.Affects 1 in 250–400 births.46,XY DSDXYTestesOften ambiguousThe hormonal disorder persistent Müllerian duct syndrome results in male external genitals and testes, but also a womb and Fallopian tubes.Ovotesticular DSDXX, XY or mix of bothBoth ovarian and testicular tissueAmbiguousRare reports of predominantly XY people conceiving and bearing a healthy child.46,XX testicular DSDXXSmall testesMale external genitalsUsually caused by presence of male sex-determining gene SRY.Moderate variationsXXOvariesFemale internal and external genitalsVariations in sex development such as premature shutdown of ovaries. Some caused by variation in sex-development genes.Subtle variationsXXOvariesFemale internal and external genitalsSubtle differences such as excess male sex hormones or polycystic ovaries.Typical femaleXXOvariesFemale internal and external genitalsFemale secondary sexual characteristicsMoreBut beyond this, there could be even more variation. Since the 1990s, researchers have identified more than 25 genes involved in DSDs, and next-generation DNA sequencing in the past few years has uncovered a wide range of variations in these genes that have mild effects on individuals, rather than causing DSDs. “Biologically, it's a spectrum,” says Vilain.A DSD called congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), for example, causes the body to produce excessive amounts of male sex hormones; XX individuals with this condition are born with ambiguous genitalia (an enlarged clitoris and fused labia that resemble a scrotum). It is usually caused by a severe deficiency in an enzyme called 21-hydroxylase. But women carrying mutations that result in a milder deficiency develop a 'non-classical' form of CAH, which affects about 1 in 1,000 individuals; they may have male-like facial and body hair, irregular periods or fertility problems — or they might have no obvious symptoms at all. Another gene, NR5A1, is currently fascinating researchers because variations in it cause a wide range of effects10, from underdeveloped gonads to mild hypospadias in men, and premature menopause in women.Many people never discover their condition unless they seek help for infertility, or discover it through some other brush with medicine. Last year, for example, surgeons reported that they had been operating on a hernia in a man, when they discovered that he had a womb11. The man was 70, and had fathered four children.Cellular sexStudies of DSDs have shown that sex is no simple dichotomy. But things become even more complex when scientists zoom in to look at individual cells. The common assumption that every cell contains the same set of genes is untrue. Some people have mosaicism: they develop from a single fertilized egg but become a patchwork of cells with different genetic make-ups. This can happen when sex chromosomes are doled out unevenly between dividing cells during early embryonic development. For example, an embryo that starts off as XY can lose a Y chromosome from a subset of its cells. If most cells end up as XY, the result is a physically typical male, but if most cells are X, the result is a female with a condition called Turner's syndrome, which tends to result in restricted height and underdeveloped ovaries. This kind of mosaicism is rare, affecting about 1 in 15,000 people.The effects of sex-chromosome mosaicism range from the prosaic to the extraordinary. A few cases have been documented in which a mosaic XXY embryo became a mix of two cell types — some with two X chromosomes and some with two Xs and a Y — and then split early in development12. This results in 'identical' twins of different sexes.There is a second way in which a person can end up with cells of different chromosomal sexes. James's patient was a chimaera: a person who develops from a mixture of two fertilized eggs, usually owing to a merger between embryonic twins in the womb. This kind of chimaerism resulting in a DSD is extremely rare, representing about 1% of all DSD cases.“Surgeons discovered that the man had a womb. He was 70.”Another form of chimaerism, however, is now known to be widespread. Termed microchimaerism, it happens when stem cells from a fetus cross the placenta into the mother's body, and vice versa. It was first identified in the early 1970s — but the big surprise came more than two decades later, when researchers discovered how long these crossover cells survive, even though they are foreign tissue that the body should, in theory, reject. A study in 1996 recorded women with fetal cells in their blood as many as 27 years after giving birth13; another found that maternal cells remain in children up to adulthood14. This type of work has further blurred the sex divide, because it means that men often carry cells from their mothers, and women who have been pregnant with a male fetus can carry a smattering of its discarded cells.Microchimaeric cells have been found in many tissues. In 2012, for example, immunologist Lee Nelson and her team at the University of Washington in Seattle found XY cells in post-mortem samples of women's brains15. The oldest woman carrying male DNA was 94 years old. Other studies have shown that these immigrant cells are not idle; they integrate into their new environment and acquire specialized functions, including (in mice at least) forming neurons in the brain16. But what is not known is how a peppering of male cells in a female, or vice versa, affects the health or characteristics of a tissue — for example, whether it makes the tissue more susceptible to diseases more common in the opposite sex. “I think that's a great question,” says Nelson, “and it is essentially entirely unaddressed.” In terms of human behaviour, the consensus is that a few male microchimaeric cells in the brain seem unlikely to have a major effect on a woman.Scientists are now finding that XX and XY cells behave in different ways, and that this can be independent of the action of sex hormones. “To tell you the truth, it's actually kind of surprising how big an effect of sex chromosomes we've been able to see,” says Arnold. He and his colleagues have shown17 that the dose of X chromosomes in a mouse's body can affect its metabolism, and studies in a lab dish suggest18 that XX and XY cells behave differently on a molecular level, for example with different metabolic responses to stress. The next challenge, says Arnold, is to uncover the mechanisms. His team is studying the handful of X-chromosome genes now known to be more active in females than in males. “I actually think that there are more sex differences than we know of,” says Arnold.Beyond the binaryBiologists may have been building a more nuanced view of sex, but society has yet to catch up. True, more than half a century of activism from members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has softened social attitudes to sexual orientation and gender. Many societies are now comfortable with men and women crossing conventional societal boundaries in their choice of appearance, career and sexual partner. But when it comes to sex, there is still intense social pressure to conform to the binary model.This pressure has meant that people born with clear DSDs often undergo surgery to 'normalize' their genitals. Such surgery is controversial because it is usually performed on babies, who are too young to consent, and risks assigning a sex at odds with the child's ultimate gender identity — their sense of their own gender. Intersex advocacy groups have therefore argued that doctors and parents should at least wait until a child is old enough to communicate their gender identity, which typically manifests around the age of three, or old enough to decide whether they want surgery at all.This issue was brought into focus by a lawsuit filed in South Carolina in May 2013 by the adoptive parents of a child known as MC, who was born with ovotesticular DSD, a condition that produces ambiguous genitalia and gonads with both ovarian and testicular tissue. When MC was 16 months old, doctors performed surgery to assign the child as female — but MC, who is now eight years old, went on to develop a male gender identity. Because he was in state care at the time of his treatment, the lawsuit alleged not only that the surgery constituted medical malpractice, but also that the state denied him his constitutional right to bodily integrity and his right to reproduce. Last month, a court decision prevented the federal case from going to trial, but a state case is ongoing.“This is potentially a critically important decision for children born with intersex traits,” says Julie Greenberg, a specialist in legal issues relating to gender and sex at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. The suit will hopefully encourage doctors in the United States to refrain from performing operations on infants with DSDs when there are questions about their medical necessity, she says. It could raise awareness about “the emotional and physical struggles intersex people are forced to endure because doctors wanted to 'help' us fit in,” says Georgiann Davis, a sociologist who studies issues surrounding intersex traits and gender at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, who was born with CAIS.Doctors and scientists are sympathetic to these concerns, but the MC case also makes some uneasy — because they know how much is still to be learned about the biology of sex19. They think that changing medical practice by legal ruling is not ideal, and would like to see more data collected on outcomes such as quality of life and sexual function to help decide the best course of action for people with DSDs — something that researchers are starting to do.Diagnoses of DSDs once relied on hormone tests, anatomical inspections and imaging, followed by painstaking tests of one gene at a time. Now, advances in genetic techniques mean that teams can analyse multiple genes at once, aiming straight for a genetic diagnosis and making the process less stressful for families. Vilain, for example, is using whole-exome sequencing — which sequences the protein-coding regions of a person's entire genome — on XY people with DSDs. Last year, his team showed20 that exome sequencing could offer a probable diagnosis in 35% of the study participants whose genetic cause had been unknown.Vilain, Harley and Achermann say that doctors are taking an increasingly circumspect attitude to genital surgery. Children with DSDs are treated by multidisciplinary teams that aim to tailor management and support to each individual and their family, but this usually involves raising a child as male or female even if no surgery is done. Scientists and advocacy groups mostly agree on this, says Vilain: “It might be difficult for children to be raised in a gender that just does not exist out there.” In most countries, it is legally impossible to be anything but male or female.Yet if biologists continue to show that sex is a spectrum, then society and state will have to grapple with the consequences, and work out where and how to draw the line. Many transgender and intersex activists dream of a world where a person's sex or gender is irrelevant. Although some governments are moving in this direction, Greenberg is pessimistic about the prospects of realizing this dream — in the United States, at least. “I think to get rid of gender markers altogether or to allow a third, indeterminate marker, is going to be difficult.”So if the law requires that a person is male or female, should that sex be assigned by anatomy, hormones, cells or chromosomes, and what should be done if they clash? “My feeling is that since there is not one biological parameter that takes over every other parameter, at the end of the day, gender identity seems to be the most reasonable parameter,” says Vilain. In other words, if you want to know whether someone is male or female, it may be best just to ask.Nature 518, 288–291 (19 February 2015) doi:10.1038/518288aReferencesJames, P. A., Rose, K., Francis, D. & Norris, F. Am. J. Med. Genet. A 155, 2484–2488 (2011).ArticleShow contextArboleda, V. A., Sandberg, D. E. & Vilain, E. Nature Rev. 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