~The Blue Room Forum - Aspergers-uk.org ~ - Blogs http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/ en Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:26:16 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.theblueroomforum.org/smooth/misc/rss.jpg ~The Blue Room Forum - Aspergers-uk.org ~ - Blogs http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/ Autism and Design. http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/autism-design-10/ Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:55:23 GMT :idea: I have been contacted by a group of design students that have set themselves the task of designing "something" that will make a difference to the lives of youngsters with a learning disability,the austistic spectrum being one of the fields they are investigating.

You will find their posts within the forum here :

http://www.theblueroomforum.org/f29/...rs-design-711/

http://www.theblueroomforum.org/f21/...oduct-you-712/

There is a set of questions they require answers to and also a request for ideas.

This is a challenge and a half,given the huge range of abilities and differences across the spectrum, how do you design something that will make a difference to all or do you single out certain aspects and try to help there?

Perhaps that "something" could be a product that will change the publics perceptions of people on the spectrum and help educate the rest of society about the spectrum, and all its positive aspects?

What do you think,what would you like to see made available? What do you think would make a difference ?

The challenge is laid down,the questions have been asked it is now over to you to give these young designers some input.:jiggy::jiggy: ]]> Carey2 http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/autism-design-10/ This disturbs me somewhat......... http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/disturbs-me-somewhat-5/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:30:12 GMT Over the last year we have seen some successes and breakthroughs with the government and local authorities responding to pressure and campaigns by... Over the last year we have seen some successes and breakthroughs with the government and local authorities responding to pressure and campaigns by the National Autistic Society and it's members.

Now I have seen on various forums a number of posts by professionals asking for help and advice dealing with people that are on the autsitic spectrum. These have come about as the posters have no knowledge,experience or training relating to autism in any form.

Full credit to them for asking rather than the approach many of us have experienced in the past ,where ,frankly they talk total BS and pretend to know what they are doing.

On this forum in the last 6 months I have seen an increasing number of visitors from local authorities and NHS departments spending quite a lot of time reading our posts and information ( they show up clearly on the admin logs),again I have also received via the "Contact Us " system more than a dozen appeals for help and advice from professionals that are in the position of having to work with or supply services to a client with an autistic spectrum disorder of some kind,I am glad to help in any way I can that is what this site and forum are for, but what really disturbs me here is the fact that there are professional workers in these situations in the first place.

Social workers and NHS professionals are still being expected to carry out their given duties and yet many have absolutely no training, knowledge or experience of autism/Asperger's syndrome and also appear to have no internal information structure to gain access to this information.

Clearly something is very much wrong here,we are 75% through 2008 and this is still going on?

Is it any wonder then that so many families have to fight continually for the rights of their children, is it any wonder that there is still so much ignorance and discrimination being met by young parents when they try to do the best for their child.
If there are people that are not correctly trained and informed is it any wonder at all that things still go so very badly wrong?

This lack of knowledge causes untold harm and misery and also increases costs for the government later in a persons life when problems that should have been addressed at the earliest stages after diagnosis manifest in severe reactions to stress/distress and an inability to deal with life. An early intervention,where a child learns better communication skills means a much higher chance of a worry free education and successful and rewarding life and career. ]]> Carey2 http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/disturbs-me-somewhat-5/ Holidays nearly over,are you ready for the new term? http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/holidays-nearly-over-you-ready-new-term-4/ Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:56:06 GMT Well the summer seemed a long one without a lot of decent holiday weather,this resulted in a surge in bandwidth usage as a delighted son declared... Well the summer seemed a long one without a lot of decent holiday weather,this resulted in a surge in bandwidth usage as a delighted son declared that being on the computer playing Halo and Runescape is better than going out anyway.
Listed amongst the reasons : It's what I want to do anyway,going out stops me having fun with my friends,(online friends) going out means dealing with too many people and who wants to sit in a car anyway. etc. etc.

So the trips out this year have been few and far between and looking at the costs involved in a day out now perhaps it is just as well he is happy to entertain himself more.

Getting ready for the next term has meant a whole new wardrobe of clothes and uniform as nothing (and I mean nothing) from last year fits at all.So it was off to the shops and several sessions trying to find and check sizes of clothing that he will wear,everything needs to "tested " to make sure it is not " itchy" etc. being hyper sensitive to touch makes a lot of clothing unbearable,school uniform that is uncomfortable will result in not staying in class as he is distressed by discomfort,all of this makes the shopping trips hours longer and he hates the shops with a passion (unless it is a shop full of Lego Bionicles :rolleyes: ) does anyone else go through this each year? Answers on a post card please. ]]> Carey2 http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/holidays-nearly-over-you-ready-new-term-4/ Well it is that time of year again........ http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/well-time-year-again-3/ Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:48:13 GMT The summer holidays are fast approaching and while for many that means looking forward to 6 or 7 weeks of relaxation for many other families it is... The summer holidays are fast approaching and while for many that means looking forward to 6 or 7 weeks of relaxation for many other families it is the beginning of several weeks of possible stress and anxiety.

All these weeks without the routine of school or residential setting can be very traumatic for many on the autistic spectrum , this is of course made worse by worry over changes of class/teacher/rooms etc.

In the last couple of weeks my son has already been through a period of extreme anxiety as members of his peer group are moving on to other areas of the school and this basically means his world is suddenly totally different. He is also aware that new pupils will be joining the floor and this again is a major change and beyond his control.

So for weeks to come we have the probability of him worrying continually about these changes and this will mean he is in a state of high anxiety throughout his summer break.:goofy::cry:

So what are other parents going to do to try and keep their special ones happy and relaxed during the holidays?

Do you have any special strategies to cope with this situation? ]]> Carey2 http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/well-time-year-again-3/ St. Lucie teacher has students vote on whether 5-year-old can stay in class http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/st-lucie-teacher-has-students-vote-whether-5-year-old-can-stay-class-2/ Sun, 25 May 2008 10:38:34 GMT http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/may/...er-5-year-old/

Quote:
PORT ST. LUCIE — Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.

After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.

By a 14 to 2 margin, the class voted him out of the class.

Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Aspberger's, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February for an official diagnosis under the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marsha Cully.

Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disabilities, Barton said. The school and district has met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan, she said. His teacher, Wendy Portillo, has attended these meetings, she said.

Barton said after the vote, Alex's teacher asked him how he felt.

"He said, 'I feel sad,'" she said.

Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office, she said.

Barton said when she came to pick up her son at the school on Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.

"He was shaken up," she said. Barton said the nurse told her to talk with the child's teacher, who told her what happened.

Alex hasn't been back to school since then, and Barton said he won't be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.

Thursday night, his mother heard him saying "I'm not special."

Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.

They said he was "disgusting" and "annoying," Barton said.

"He was incredibly upset," Barton said. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."

The child's mother filed a complaint with the school resource officer, who investigated the matter, said Port St. Lucie spokeswoman Michelle Steele said. But the state attorney's office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said. Port St. Lucie Police is no longer investigating, but is documenting the complaint, she said.

Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident did occur.

St. Lucie School's spokeswoman Janice Karst said the district is investigating the incident, but could not make any further comment.

Vern Melvin, Department of Children and Families circuit administrator, confirmed the agency is investigating an allegation of abuse at Morningside, but said he could not elaborate.
This has got to be one of the most disgusting and sickening stories of the last few years.

Any teacher that could do this to a child,especially one with special needs should be banned from teaching for life.

This is a truly dreadful story of abuse of postion and trust and I believe that it is chhild abuse of the worst kind.

Apart from the damage done to an already vulnerable child , what about the other children here in this case, is this the way to educate and teach understanding and tolerance for those with special needs?

What sort of values are these children going to have as they grow older? This just goes to show that ignorance is still very much rife in the world of education .

And where are the school management? Since when did a teacher have the right to make decisions like this?

I know we all say there is too much private litigation and the world has gone lawsuit crazy but in this case I really do hope that the boys mother does take legal action and gets a very big award from the courts for this outrageous treatment her son has suffered. ]]> Carey2 http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/st-lucie-teacher-has-students-vote-whether-5-year-old-can-stay-class-2/ <![CDATA["So why did you start The Blue Room ? " I was asked.]]> http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/so-why-did-you-start-blue-room-i-asked-1/ Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:58:50 GMT :rolleyes: Well ........... 7 years ago I was in the situation of being faced with a new diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome for my son.

"What ?" I had never heard of Asperger's Syndrome and all I really knew of autism was from what I now know to have been very biased and badly written documentaries that left everyone with the impression that all autistic people were non verbal,largely incontinent and had nothing to look forward to in life.
They did not express any hope of improvement and also left you believing that all on the spectrum were affected equally and within a limited set of traits or expressions, ie. flapping,rocking,self absorbed and non communicative.

So having been given an A4 sheet of traits and little else I looked to the internet for help.

Yes there was a vast amount of material out there ,but it was largely the same set of statements repeated again and again or sites by professionals that were unintelligible to the lay person, the one shining light being Tony Attwood,his website and books were and still are the clearest and easiest to read ,here was someone that truly knew his subject,understood the spectrum and the people on it and could also explain things in a plain and straightforward manner.

Over the years since his diagnosis my son has been through some pretty bad times and a lot of that was caused by sheer ignorance on the part of so called experts and educators who seemed hell bent on making things worse.

Of course there were many excellent professionals involved too but the stress caused by the negative experiences had taken its toll and my son basically trusted and believed no-one by this point.

Things came to a head after a move to a new area and the headteacher of his new school soon came to the conclusion that mainstream school was just not the right place for my son to be. A battle then ensued as the LEA were adamant that they would not provide anything but a normal mainstream setting and even insisted that there was zero evidence of a problem........ :goofy:

So despite the formal diagnosis and reports from all involved in that process,letters from chartered clinical psychologists,educational psychologists and 3 schools all saying the same thing suddenly there was "nothing wrong with the child".

Well the battle continued till the LEA backed themselves into a corner and were in breach of the laws relating to SEN code of practise and statements .
Having confirmed that legal action was about to be taken against them we suddenly had a total reversal of the position and a special needs placement ,out of county was agreed.

Since then things have slowly improved week by week , the school have worked continuously to reduce anxiety and all the problems that had made life in school unbearable.
My son is now enjoying life, he has friends at school,he looks forward to going back for the week and has joined clubs there,this is what can be achieved in the right environment.

So again you ask why the forum?

Well, all through these last few years I have met dozens of parents who have the same (or worse ) sad story of stuggling to get what is the legal right of an appropriate education for their children and also the daily problems of not having any support or services to rely on.

It was also obvious that many people were lost as to what they should do,where they could get help and for many it was also true that they were not able (or equipped) for many reasons to deal with LEA's, and Social Services etc. the task of taking these agencies on is very daunting indeed.

So,having looked around at what the internet had to offer I decided to set up a forum/website where people could get the links and information that would help them on their journey.

So, here we are, a slowly growing community where members can come for help,mutual support and advice, somewhere they know will try to help them through their problems.

There is a library of links to information , services,news,books and local help groups from around the globe,while this site is UK based we welcome members from all parts of the world.
All are welcome to join and share their experiences and knowledge, success stories and all the positive things that so many sites fail to tell you about, they are always such a pleasure to read.

Here it is, "The Blue Room Forum " come on in and make it your community. ]]> Carey2 http://www.theblueroomforum.org/blogs/carey2/so-why-did-you-start-blue-room-i-asked-1/