The Real Rain Man

Just in case you still don’t know who the real inspiration for the 1988 film The Rain Man is yet, watch the videos below. This documentary is about an Autistic Savant named Kim Peek, who had an exceptional memory. He loved reading most of his life. It has been known that he was capable of reading and memorizing books very quickly. Some said that he could speed read a whole book in about an hour, and remember most of the important details in it.

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Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

More on Autism:

Never EVER say these things to people iwth Autism!

He flaps his hands and screams a lot but he doesn’t mean to annoy you

Optimum Outcomes for people with Autism

DSM 5 and its implications to ASD diagnosis

Diagnosing Autism: What you need to know

Vote for Miss Montana 2012, Alexis Wineman

What does Autism mean?

What is PDD-NOS?

Communication difficulties in Autism

Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper: Asperger’s Syndrome’s Poster Boy?

Still unsure if Sheldon has Asperger’s?

DSM-V and Autism

The Autistic Me: BBC Documentary

Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds

Autism in the classroom:

Guide to parents of students with ASD on coping with the first day back to school

Common signs of Autism in the classroom

First day back to school: Top tips for parents of children with Autism

Practical tips to make your classroom Autism-Friendly

Inspiring People with Autism:

Dr. Temple Grandin

Jessica-Jane Applegate (British Paralympian)

Satoshi Tajiri (Pokemon creator)

Carly Fleischmann

More on Savants:

The Psychology of Savants: Memory Masters

Artists with Autism

The Einstein Effect: Is there a link between having Autism and being a genius?

Advertisement

Why do Alzheimer’s disease sufferers remember songs from distant past?

Alzheimer’s disease, the 6th leading cause of death in America, is a form of dementia, commonly associated with memory loss in later life. It affects different areas of people’s lives such as planning, organisation and co-ordination. Despite being widely known as a condition of the elderly, it is not uncommon for people in their 40s or 50s to develop Alzheimer’s. At the time of writing, the causes of this disease is unknown, and hence, there is very little known about its treatment and prevention.

 

SYMPTOMS

Brain imaging studies have shown that little by little, the brains of people with Alzheimer’s are getting thinner and are losing their connections to each other. Such degeneration of the brain causes significant memory loss, particularly of newly presented items. Symptoms also include a decline in organisation skills, planning and co-ordination, as well as having (unfounded) suspicions over significant others.  These symptoms will gradually worsen over time- the progression varies from one person to another.

 

THE EFFECT OF MUSIC

There has been some cases where Alzheimer’s sufferers who were non-responsive and were unable to communicate suddenly awakens when they hear a piece of music which they liked in the past (before they had Alzheimer’s). A case in point is that of Henry, which as you will see in the video, was unresponsive to other therapies and interventions. But after being given an ipod which played music from his era, he began to respond to simple questions. Here’s the video:

 

 

One of the reasons why people such as Henry is able to respond to music is because our medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC) is one of the last parts that are affected by Alzheimer’s. A recent fMRI study conducted by Dr. Janata of the University of California-Davis has shown that the mPFC is the part of our brains which processes music and interlinks it with memory and emotions. As long as the mPFC is still intact and relatively undamaged by Alzheimer’s disease, significant pieces of music will still be able to evoke emotions and memories.

 

For an abstract of Dr. Janata’s research, click HERE

What does AUTISM mean to me?

The Diagnostic and Statistical manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)‘s definition of Autism is as follows:

ASD is a spectrum of disorders characterized by impairments in three areas (also known as the ‘Triad of Impairments’):

1. Communication- delays in language development; impaired ability to initiate and/ or sustain conversations
2. Social skills- lack of typical eye-contact when communicating; failure to display and/or identify and express appropriate emotions; limited peer relationships
3. Repetitive and stereotyped behaviours and interests- inflexibility to routine changes; intense preoccupation to objects

Having worked with students and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorders for years, it comes to no surprise that people often ask me what Autism is, probably expecting a simplified version of the one offered by the DSM-IV. However, my response often pleasantly surprises most people. I believe that Autism represents a great personal and societal responsibility to learn, understand and embrace the different ways in which human beings are.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition which affects between 1/88 to 1/100 individuals. Compared to those without the condition, each individual with Autism is observed to have unique developmental trajectories particularly in the areas of language and social skills. To understand how different their language and social interactions can be, watch the Youtube clip below which features Amanda Baggs, a young woman with Autism:

Amanda made a very important point there when she asked why her “failure to learn our language is seen as a deficit while our failure to learn hers is seen as natural”. This to me highlights one of the deficiencies of the DSM’s definition stated above. The DSM states that people with Autism’s ability to initiate and sustain conversations is impaired. However, I feel that this does not take into consideration the various different ways in which people with Autism attempt to communicate with us. I believe that half of this communication difficulty lies within us Neurotypicals. We need to figure out whether or not a person with Autism is communicating with us and what they are trying to tell us.

Dr. Thomas Armstrong pointed out in his book that individuals with Autism are normally viewed in terms of what they can’t do instead of what they can. This can be seen in the definition above- individuals can’t do this, can’t do that, and they are impaired in this and that areas of development. As mentioned, I prefer to think of Autism as a different developmental trajectory. Not impaired; not disabled. If we take a closer look at the way they process visual information, we will notice that they have a phenomenal eye for detail. some of them also have amazing memories.An example of how great a person with Autism’s memory could be is the case of Kim Peek, also known as ‘The Real Rain Man’, as he was the inspiration behind Dustin Hoffman’s move, Rain Man.

A person who demonstrates both the ability to keep an eye for detail and memorizing is Stephen Wiltshire. Stephen, who is diagnosed with Autism at an early age, is a British artist capable of drawing detailed and accurate depictions of cities and landmarks from memory. Take a look:

Stephen Wiltshire draws Rome from memory:

It is important to keep in mind that people with Autism are not one and the same. As Francesca Happe stated, ‘when you meet one person with Autism, you’ve met one person with Autism’. Stephen Wiltshire, Kim Peek and Amanda Baggs are in no way representative of every single person with Autism. Nevertheless, they represent the different ways in which Autism manifests. More importantly, their cases highlight the fact that a diagnosis of Autism marks not the end of the road to life, but the beginning of the road to understanding and acceptance. People with Autism may not be the same as you and I, but that does not mean that they should be ignored, avoided or be pitied. We have an enormous responsibility not only to help and support them, but also to help other people understand what Autism really is. We have to start viewing Autism in the light of what they CAN do, not on what they can’t.

More on Autism:

He flaps his hands and screams a lot but he doesn’t mean to annoy you

Optimum Outcomes for people with Autism

DSM 5 and its implications to ASD diagnosis

Diagnosing Autism: What you need to know

Vote for Miss Montana 2012, Alexis Wineman

What is PDD-NOS?

Communication difficulties in Autism

Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper: Asperger’s Syndrome’s Poster Boy?

Still unsure if Sheldon has Asperger’s?

DSM-V and Autism

The Autistic Me: BBC Documentary

Temple Grandin: The world needs all kinds of minds

Autism in the classroom:

Guide to parents of students with ASD on coping with the first day back to school

Common signs of Autism in the classroom

First day back to school: Top tips for parents of children with Autism

Practical tips to make your classroom Autism-Friendly

Inspiring People with Autism:

Dr. Temple Grandin

Jessica-Jane Applegate (British Paralympian)

Satoshi Tajiri (Pokemon creator)

Carly Fleischmann

More on Savants:

The Psychology of Savants: Memory Masters

Artists with Autism

The Einstein Effect: Is there a link between having Autism and being a genius?

My 2011 in pictures

I spent the first hours of 2011 with my partner, our family and friends.

A few weeks later, my partner celebrated her birthday again, with friends and family…

In April, me and my friends played a benefit gig for the people suffering Aplastic Anemia, which sadly was the cause of why one of our friends is no longer with us.

The gig was a success as it raised quite a bit of money and the people seemed to have had a good time.

We also said goodbye to two of our friends who moved to Den Haag. These guys warmed our hearts with their generosity, whilst inspiring us at the same time with their continuing success in their lives.

Dr. North is a magician on the grill

One of the prettiest moms-to-be I’ve seen:

I visited Pistyll Rhaeadr falls in North Wales during the spring. This place was breath-taking. I didn’t realise that there is such a lovely view in Wales!

A milestone has been reached by my partner in 2011. After 3 years of hard work and dedication, she graduated with flying colours!

I then went back home to the Philippines for a while with my partner. One of the first things we did was watch basketball- courtside! This game between UST and Ateneo was a really good one.

We visited Singapore, the tidiest and one of the most friendly cities I have ever visited…

Look at this for food choices:

And of course, we shopped at Bugis Street:

We then went to Boracay, Philippines, the greatest, most beautiful and relaxing beach I have ever been into…

When we got back to the UK, we moved to Manchester in preparation for the start of my Master’s Degree. Manchester is amazing. The city feels so alive and vibrant. I love how multi-cultural the city is. I also like how the buildings look.

This is a bonus: Old Trafford Stadium, the home of Manchester United Football Club:

Made new friends in uni…

Friends visited me for my birthday…

Remember our friends who moved to Den Haag? We visited them just before Christmas, and look, they have a baby! Thanks again for letting us stay at your place…

We then visited Amsterdam. Most of the pictures we took may offend people so, these are the only ones I will show you…

PS. Thanks, honey for the birthday gift!

My girlfriend and I spent Christmas at our place with our families. Our parents ended up cooking everything and doing everything for us, which was great! Family times are the best times!

Lastly, we had a meal at Wagamama on New Year’s Eve. We decided against cooking and staying in because that’s what we have always done for the past few years.

All in all, 2011 was a fantastic year for me. This is the reason why I do not have a New Year’s resolution this year. I think all I have to do is carry on what I have done. Here’s to another year of awesomeness!!!