This is perhaps one of the best TED Talks I have ever watched.
Tag Archives: USA
How to raise a Black Son
And the Top 10 Picks of the 2014 NBA draft are…
So the wait is over. Andrew Wiggins has been confirmed as the NBA’s Number 1 Draft Pick this year. He was picked by the Cavaliers but will he stay there? I don’t know…
Jabari Parker was picked no. 2 by Milwaukee. Parker is exciting. He’s my favourite player out of all the draftees this year. I hope he does well.
The Sixers then selected Joel Embiid, who I thought would be the number one pick. He is very highly rated but his recent foot injury puts a huge, huge question mark on his future. He’s out for at least 4 months. Goodness knows when he’d be healthy and productive. I wish him well, too.
The Orlando Magic selected 6’8″ forward Aaron Gordon. Gordon’s a world-class athlete who can run and defend any position. He’s a bit of an enigma for me.
The fifth pick by the Jazz was the 18 year-old, 6’6″ Autralian point gurad, Dante Exum.
The 6th pick, Marcus Smart , is going to Boston to play for the Celtics. Smart is a point guard that drives harder than anyone. He has a 6’9″ wing-span, he is a great defender, but a bad shooter. Would he be a good fit with Rondo? Hmmm…
Julius Randle joins the LA Lakers as the 7th ovrall pick. He’s a great rebounder who kind of reminds people of Zach Randolph in the way he works in the paint.
Nik Stauskas goes 8th with the Kings. Stauskas is a great, great shooter.
The New Orleans HORNETS (no longer the Pelicans, remember!), selected Noah Vonleh as the 9th pick. He has a 7’4″ wing-span!
The 10th pick (Philly) pick was Elfrid Payton.
GOOD LUCK TO THEM ALL!!!
Violence and Karma
Autism ‘is not just about kids anymore’- Prof. Francesca Happe
A lot of research, news articles and publicity about Autism in the past have focused mostly on children and young people. In recent years, research has focused on the transition to adulthood by people who are on the Autism Spectrum. In her recent article for the CNN, Professor Frnacesca Happe reported on an Autism conference she attended, which focused on the said topic. Researchers have begun to recognise the ever-increasing importance and need for services for adults who are on the spectrum. Numerous research have suggested that the transition from school-age to adulthood can be one of the most challenging times for people with Autism. Prof. Happe also reported findings from Hilda Geurts et al.’s study of 200 adults in the spectrum which indicated that the:
quality of life is lower in adults with autism, and cognitive problems were higher, but in their group of 19- to 78-year-olds, age did not predict these difficulties.
However, some studies have also found that symptoms can be reversed in some cases.
Please note that in the UK, the National Autistic Society (NAS) provides help and advice for individuals with Autism and their families regarding education, employment, general living, support and transitions.
More needs to be done for adults on the spectrum. Children with Autism will grow up to be adults and elderly people with Autism. Support should not stop when they leave school.
An Eye-Opening Documentary About The Different Ways of Torturing Humans For Information
The documentary below exposes the many different ways in which interrogators tortured fellow human beings for information. It shows the history behind physical (electrocution, sex, etc.) and psychological ways of torture. What is interesting to me is how twisted the minds of the interrogators are. They really believed that what they were doing was right and should be done.
Vote for Miss Montana 2012 Alexis Wineman!
Alexis Wineman is the first ever Miss America contestant who has Autism. Being Miss Montana has helped her reach out to more people, informing them about what Autism is and how they can help. She once said, “Being on the (autism) spectrum is not a death sentence, but a life adventure, and one that I realize has been given to me for a reason”.
To vote for Alexis, click HERE
More on Autism:
Communication difficulties in Autism
Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper: Asperger’s Syndrome’s Poster Boy?
Still unsure if Sheldon has Asperger’s?
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:
Jessica-Jane Applegate (British Paralympian)
Satoshi Tajiri (Pokemon creator)
More on Savants:
The Psychology of Savants: Memory Masters
The Einstein Effect: Is there a link between having Autism and being a genius?
Practical Tips to Make your Classroom Autism-Friendly
A few weeks ago, I wrote a list of typical characteristics exhibited by students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In this post, I will provide a list of interventions and strategies to help teachers make their classroom Autism-friendly. As with all of my other articles, I must remind my dear readers that students with Autism are very different from each other, hence some of these strategies may not apply to all of them. My advice is to ‘personalize’ each of these strategies based on your students’ personalities, skill-set, social and academic abilities. It is also helpful to keep a written record of the interventions you have put in place and their effectiveness (or lack thereof). This will help you plan future interventions, and will also serve as evidence for annual reviews and/ or school inspections.
RULES AND REWARDS
- Define classroom rules as early as possible. Boundaries should be clear and concise. Make sure that all rules are fair to everyone in the classroom and that are any ‘special’ arrangements made for students with ASD are explained to mainstream students. Click here for a useful explanation of fairness.
- Reinforce rules with pictures and words that are clearly visible to the students.
- Establish a reward system. Rewards could be visible for everyone, or only to individual students.
(See also: Useful tips for teachers meeting students with ASD for the first time)
PLACE IN THE CLASSROOM
Students with Autism need to sit away from distractions as most of them find it difficult to ‘tune-out’ sensory stimulations.
- Keep them away from the classroom doors as they may be distracted by people coming in and out of the class (more than your average student).
- Keep them away from windows – passers-by are distracting enough for others.
- If you are in a mainstream school, especially primary school, your classroom may be full of colourful posters and displays which could be very distracting to students with ASD. Make sure you place students with ASD in a seat where they are not in front of any colourful displays.
- Make sure that they sit next to a good role model. Being seated next to a student who is hyperactive, talkative or just generally unpredictable can be very unsettling to students with ASD.
- Establish a permanent space or spot for your students with ASD would sit everytime your class have Circle time and Carpet time. This aids predictability.
VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS
- Most people with Autism prefer visual representations, especially of timetables. It is useful to have individual Visual timetables for students with ASD. It helps them organize their day and it helps them predict what will happen next. Physically putting pictures on visual timetables at the start of every school day helps students prepare themselves for the day ahead. Below are a few examples of how visual timetables could look like (taken from asdteacher):
- Make sure that any change in the students’ or the class’ routine is represented in their timetables. Make sure that such changes are explained, too.
- Non-verbal students may be helped by introducing PECS, or Picture Exchange Communication System. In simple terms, PECS is communication through pictures, i.e. students show their teachers a picture of what they want (e.g. the toilet) and the teacher honours that request.
COMMUNICATION
- Make sure that you have their attention before communicating with them. Make sure you call on their names everytime you
want to speak to them. - Do not demand eye contact. People with Autism struggle to give eye-contact for various different reasons. It has been suggested that quite a lot of them are not able to process Auditory and Visual stimuli simultaneously. Others found that eye-contact is avoided when people with ASD are thinking and/ or concentrating.
- Use concrete language. Keep it simple and straight to the point.
- Be careful with metaphors, sarcasm and irony. People with ASD have a very literal understanding of language (a good example of this is Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper– videos). Most of them may not get phrases like ‘Pull your socks up’, or ‘Toast the Bride’. I remember this one student of mine a few years back who was extremely puzzled when I told him to ‘Hold that Thought’.
- Explain everything that has a double meaning.
- Allow extra processing time. The National Autistic Society recommends practitioners to wait at least six seconds before repeating an instruction (Six-second rule).
TEAM APPROACH
- Teachers, parents and students should all be involved in planning interventions. A healthy relationship between schools and parents are an excellent platform for success.
- Keep a home-school diary to increase communication with parents and to ensure that interventions are followed-through.
More on Autism:
Vote for Miss Montana, Alexis Wineman
Communication difficulties in Autism
Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper: Asperger’s Syndrome’s Poster Boy?
Still unsure if Sheldon has Asperger’s?
The Autistic Me: BBC Documentary
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
Inspiring People with Autism:
Jessica-Jane Applegate (British Paralympian)
Satoshi Tajiri (Pokemon creator)
More on Savants:
The Psychology of Savants: Memory Masters
The Einstein Effect: Is there a link between having Autism and being a genius?
Managing Tourette’s Syndrome through sports and will-power: The story of USA and Everton FC’s goalkeeper, Tim Howard
Tourette’s Syndrome is a neurological condition that is characterised by nervous, involuntary tics, which can manifest in several forms. People who have Tourette’s Syndrome (TS) may display sudden muscle twitches such as rapid blinking, twisting of their limbs, or sometimes, hitting themselves. Some have verbal tics, such as repetitive utterances of words, meaningless sounds or at times, swearing. I should point out that only about 5-10% of people with TS actually have ‘swearing tics’, despite the widely held belief that all of them do. One can only imagine how challenging everyday life must be for these people.
One of the people who can overcome his tics is Everton FC and American International goalkeeper Tim Howrard. Diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome at the age of 9, Howard has not let his condition get in the way of his passion for sports. He excelled at basketball and football (soccer). In one of his interviews, he said that he suppresses his tics through sheer willpower and determination- a tactic proven to have worked for him throughout his successful professional career. Howard, now playing for Everton FC, have played for four professional football teams including Manchester United. He has also played over 72 games for USA.
Here are some of his career highlights:
Here he is, scoring the farthest ever goal in football history:
I should emphasise that Tourette’s Syndrome manifests in different ways. The type and severity of tics vary from one person to another. Additionally, one person (like Howard) may be able to suppress his or her tics whilst another may not. Nevertheless, Tim Howard’s story once again shows how a diagnosis is not the end of everything.
For more information on Tourette’s Syndrome, click the links below:
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
People with disabilities, not disabilities with people
Inspiring people with ADHD:
Inspiring People with Autism:
Understanding and Embracing Diversity 
