People who work in the education industry need to be reflective, regardless of the length and wealth of their experiences. Being able to pause and think about one’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviours can greatly help both professionals and students alike. However, evaluating your own actions and philosophies should also be coupled with the willingness to change.
In this light, I urge you to conduct the following reflective exercise (adopted from Bartolo et al., 2007):
Think of two of your current or previous students- one who was very successful in school and one who was not. Consider the impact on them of their:
The above was Johnny Galecki’s response when he was asked to address the rumours about his sexuality, a few years ago (fast forward the clip below to 4:10). This is definitely the best response I have ever heard from anyone regarding homosexuality. There is so much stigma against being a homosexual, and responses like this can help extinguish them. Johnny’s attitude about homosexuality can be extended to many different things such as one’s race, mental and physical (dis)abilities and socio-economic statuses.
Remember: eing who you are is not a bad thing. It’s others’ attitude towards you that’s the problem!
During the 1990s, a group of Italian researchers discovered that a group of neurons in the brains of macaque monkeys fire (or are activated) not only when they perform an action, but also when they watch other monkeys do the same. However, subsequent studies have found that mirror neuron activation is not correlated with actions but with specific goals. Over the years, research into these ‘Mirror Neurons’ have found that humans also possess the same mechanisms.
Although the function of mirror neurons may seem simple enough, they really have an important function in our daily lives. Mirror neurons allow us to be able to know what another person is thinking or feeling, i.e. it is possible that the development of mirror neurons are a major component of empathy. Indeed, renowned researchers such as Prof. Ramachandran and Prof. Simon Baron-Cohen believe that this is the case. Mirror Neurons have been associated with Autism– a neurological condition which is characterised (amongst other things) by difficulties in understanding other people’s actions, intentions and thoughts.
Albert Bandura (1977) proposed that we learn through observing others performing different tasks (Social Learning Theory). For instance, (most) children copy most of what their parents are doing. It is possible that Mirror Neurons and related circuitry allow for this to happen. This proposal can be extended to the possibility that Mirror Neurons are partly responsible for the development of language and culture. If this is the case, it could explain how humans survive challenging situations. Culture helps us adopt to new environment, know what food to avoid and access better nutrients.
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:
As a person who works with children with Autism and their family, this is deeply alarming and I wish to straighten this out, once and for all. Why am I so passionate about this? Well, I don’t want Autism to be WRONGFULLY associated with extreme acts of violence and psychopathy. Attributing Adam Lanza’s (and the likes) crime to having Asperger’s Syndrome could lead to devastating effects. People with Autism are misunderstood enough. Students with Autism are being bullied in schools due (in part) to the lack of understanding of other kids. Don’t make this any worse.
THERE ARE NO EVIDENCE WHICH SUGGESTS THAT VIOLENT ACTS SUCH AS MURDER IS CAUSED BY AUTISM. Yes, I have worked with students who were violent in the sense that they have punched, kicked or pushed their classmates and teachers, but none have ever turned into a psychopath. Here’s Simon Baron-Cohen talking about violence, lack of empathy and Autism:
I’ve previously covered why I think Sheldon Cooper has Asperger’s Syndrome (click here). Despite a multitude of support to my claim in the show, I’ve been told that the producers refuse to comment on this issue. Below are some more clips which I think further shows why Sheldon has Asperger’s:
Sheldon’s hair:
In the clip below, Sheldon is a couple of dates late for his haircut because his barber is ill. The clip below shows how Sheldon prefers routines and predictability- a characteristic common with people with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. He gets his haircut from Mr. Denafrio, and Mr. Denafrio alone.
Sheldon gets a date:
Sheldon struggles to understand the unwritten rules of communication- another characteristic exhibited by people with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. In this scene, he was trying to get a date for Penny, but ends up getting a date for himself because of his lack of grasp of social conventions:
Amy is angry at Sheldon:
Sheldon here was faced with a dilemma: shall he choose his girlfriend, Amy or his new found friend, Will Wheaton? Amy became angry at Sheldon because he did not defend her. This shows how difficult it could be for people with Asperger’s to maintain social relationships. This further highlights how important a role Sheldon’s friends and mother plays on his life.
Sheldon and Amy on a date:
Another scene which shows his lack of social understanding:
Number 43:
In this episode, Howard and Raj stalked Sheldon due to their curiousity about what he does at 2.45pm. What was missing in the clip below is Sheldon’s explanation of why he escapes to that old storage room. He told Raj and Howard:
“…you may not realise it but I have difficulties navigating certain aspects of real life. Not understading sarcasm, feigning interest in others, not talking about trains as much as I want to. It’s exhausting! Which is why for twenty minutes a day, I had to go down to that room, turn my mind off and do what I need to do to recharge… You don’t need to know; you don’t deserve to know and you will never know (what 43 is and what I do)!”
To me, this room is very similar to a quiet room or a sensory room, which some people- especially young ones, use to calm down.
Sheldon asks Penny not to break up with Leonard:
In this last clip, Sheldon shows his good side, asking Penny not to break up with his best friend, Leonard. This shows that despite his struggles with social rules and conventions (he went into Penny’s apartment in the middle of the night), he can still show compassion in his own unusual ways. People with Asperger’s Syndrome may have find a lot of social situations challenging, but that does not mean that they are incapable of feeling emotions that neurotypicals do. They may not express these emotions in the ways that we are accustomed to, but they sure have their ways.
When asked the question who are you, what would your reply be? Would you say your name? Your gender? Your job? What about when asked to describe yourself, what would your response be? There has been many attempts by psychologists, philosophers and even religious authorities to define who we really are. In my opinion however, none of them have successfully defined and explained what the Self consists of.
In the Ego Trick, Julian Baggini described and dissected existing theories of what the Self is. Topics such as gender, memory, personality amongst others were discussed in his aim to find what the core of the self is. This book was written in accessible language and the arguments are presented in logical sequence. There is a balance between empirical and anecdotal evidence althroughout the book. What made me like it even more is that almost every point raised more questions than it answered.
Whether you’re a psychology/philosophy/theology student or teacher or maybe someone who is looking for a good read, I highly recommend this book.
Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) is a form of Autism that is in the mild end of the autism spectrum. Similar to other forms of autism, AS is characterized by deficits in social communication, social interaction and imagination, but usually have average or above average IQ levels. People with AS always think literally, have little to no clue about facial expressions, tone of voice, and gestures. They find other people difficult to ‘read’ (Theory of Mind), hence may view others’ actions as confusing and also fail to behave in socially appropriate ways. Most conversations with them are one-sided, with them leading and rarely taking your opinions. Finally, they stick to their routines and have a special interest that they may excell on.
Anyone who is familiar with the show ‘Big Bang Theory’ will know that all of the characteristics mentioned above describe Dr. Sheldon Cooper, played by Jim Parsons (pictured). In the show, Sheldon is a top physicist who works in a university and hangs out with his friends Leonard (who is also his roommate), Raj and Howard. Being a physicist is an ideal job for people with AS due to the literality of the subject (as supposed to social sciences). Most of Physics are underpinned by mathematical equations which are perfect for AS-affected individuals, as supposed to, say Sociology or Psychology which are founded on researching human-beings in ways that Sheldon will find repulsive.
Sheldon also does not understand sarcasm (see video below). To be able to get sarcasm requires abstract thinking, knowledge of varying tones of voice and a firm grasp of the social situation one person is in. Sheldon does not possess any of these- Leonard actually ended up putting a ‘sarcasm sign’ for him to understand. As seen in the video clip below, Sheldon struggles to understand the consequences of his actions and also Penny’s and Leonard’s emotions.
Also, he is incapable of ‘faking’ his emotions in order to avoid hurting other people’s feelings. In the video below, Sheldon does not agree that Raj is getting featured in Time Magazine’s 30 under 30 issue. As a result, he insulted Raj. His friends then decided to invite Raj to dinner. Notice how Sheldon asks how he can fake his happiness. Children who have AS are often given social stories which teaches them how to behave appropriately in different social situations.
Sheldon also voices his dislike in a change in his routines. The first video below shows Sheldon explaining why he sits in a specific spot in the couch and what difference it made when he tried to sit on a different space. In the second video, the group decided to eat Thai food instead of pizza, which Sheldon is used to. He explained how he likes consistency and in order to accept ‘anything can happen thursday’, he persuades the others to go to the comic book store. Getting others to agree to what they want is a common tactic employed by people with AS.
Although there was no mention that Sheldon was diagnosed with Aspergers’ Syndrome and even Sheldon reasoned that ‘his mother had him tested’, all signs point to AS. We should note however, that even though Sheldon may have AS, he is managing to live significantly comfortably. He has picked a profession that suits his condition and most importantly, allows him to excel. He has surrounded himself with people who not only tolerates him, but teaches him how to behave in particularly difficult situations. His friends mostly agrees to what he likes, and even though they usually find being with him a challenge, they still see the positive side of him.
I believe that Sheldon’s situation in the Big Bang Theory shows us a good example of living with and being around people with Asperger’s Syndrome. It shows both the fun side and the difficult side of being with individuals with AS. Granted, not every episode shows the gang’s good side in terms of dealing with Sheldon, but never the less, it shows that people with AS can be brilliant and at the same time, a good friend to be with. Whether they purposely did it or not, I think the makers of the show is doing a good job.
After the horrific events that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, it is understandable that people will look for reasons why Adam Lanza and people like him can and have done such things. It is terribly sad and alarming, however, to find that despite the 
Understanding and Embracing Diversity 