Acer Launch – Spencer House

I don’t know where I would be without the web. If there was no web there would be no blog and that for me is a daunting thought.

I remember when I first started using a computer, I’d be there for what seemed like forever searching for every key I needed on the keyboard (it wasn’t unusual for it to take up to 5 minutes to complete a three letter word)! Likely it didn’t take long for me to get used to typing and using the Internet. Within months I had launched the blog, finding myself writing post on a daily basis.

The children share a desktop for homework and creative projects. Little man has gained so much from using it and if anything such technology has provided him with a way to communicate and express himself in a more positive light.

Those who read the blog will know how my child who is diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome amongst other labels, suddenly stopped writing and as a result his ‘then mainstream school’ found the only way to get him to produce and engage in any type of work was to give him access to a computer. Little man is a fast learner and I’ve found that todays world of technology has provided him with great opportunities, a way to show how clever he really is! Little man is 11 and can do just about anything on a computer from spread sheets to presentations, video editing and site building. Like me it provides him with a louder voice, a way to send messages to world. Little man is undergoing OT (occupational therapy) and as part of the programme his learnt varying levels of touch typing. At 11 my son has just started his own blog and discovered the world of twitter (which he loves just as much as his mother)!

So, when one of the big names in technology ‘Acer‘ invited me to the launch of their latest tech products, little man was pushing me out the door armed with a note pad and pen and a camera shoved in my hand.

the launch was also a celebration of their worldwide partnership within the Olympic movement as well as the support it has provided to the ‘London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games’ (LOCOG) during this years London 2012 games.

A few select bloggers and writers were invited to the magnificent Spencer House in Saint James Place London, Where they got to have a play with all the latest releases from acer, before being treated to a delicious 3 course meal set in one truly astounding setting.

Before I begin to write about what’s new with acer I really want to share this beautiful historic eighteenth century mansion ‘Spencer House’ a place I felt so privileged to have been invited.

Image credit Spencer House

I had no idea that the venue for the event was one of such historic beauty. Decked out with vintage furniture & accessories, gold leaf trimming, tall vases and large dangling crystal chandeliers.The walls of every room displayed an array of beautiful painted art and the ceilings are higher than any I’ve seen before. Set over looking Green Park and located just around the corner from Buckingham palace, one didn’t find it hard to be bedazzled.

As you can see from these images, I became a tad obsessional about those stunning chandeliers.

Acer and spencer house put on a beautiful lunch consisting of three wonderfully prepared causes ( and there was me expecting a table of full of nibbles).

Possibly the most beautiful house I’ve ever stood in!

I loved the mix of attendees. I was sat with some lovely people at dinner. Conversation was flowing as all had something interesting to say (there is nothing worse than dinner with a load boring so and so’s so this I was pleased with).

The gadgets were all pretty impressive. I think that most mistake acer as a brand that produces user friendly yet very basic tech products therefore explaining their affordability. I’m guilty in assuming that acer mostly produced consumer friendly net books and tablets. With time its become very apparent that this isn’t the case and it was during my visit to spencer house that I discovered just how much more acer offered its users.

The Acer Aspire 5600U, an all-in-one PC, was the product that really impressed me. Not only does its floating design look fantastic with full HD screen and ability to recline up to a 60 degree angle but it’s also a touch screen which I’ve found to be a fantastic feature for those with certain SEN and disabilities (especially that of autism) because of the simplicity and sensory benefits it provides.

I had a good play on the Acer Aspire 5600U and can therefore report that yes, the 10 point touch technology really does make this an incredibly smooth and highly responsive multi-touch experience.

There were many other reasons for lusting over the system. The semi-transparent enclosure around this PC accommodates the hard drive, blue-ray player and the screen giving it that tidiness.The keyboard and mouse are wireless and it boasts a frameless screen which is an impressive 23″. The PC comes with an exclusive VESA mount kit allowing you to view HDTV on the wall giving u the perfect cinema experience.

Another that caught my eye was this special-edition Olympic tablet, the iconia A510.

The A510 has an extra long battery life of up to 15 hours and built in storage of 32G (can be expanded up to 64G with the use of an SD card). This is a tablet designed for both work and play with its powerful quad-core performance and smart productivity, the A510 is able to multi task with ease.

Superior audio is another great feature that comes with the A510. The Dolby Mobile 3+ with premium 5.1-channel HD output, and two high quality inbuilt speakers, makes both music and movies that bit more enjoyable.

This has been pre-loaded with Eurosport player for a limited time and includes that of the Andriod Ice Cream Sandwhich OS, making the A510 the perfect tool for mobile lifestyle.

This is a great tablet thats not only powerful but also attractive in terms of design. Available in both black and silver and sporting the Acer/Olympics logo that celebrates it’s partnership within the Olympic movement.

The Olympic A510 special edition tablet is available from Carphone Warehouse from £349.99

With little mans birthday fast approaching this tablet has somehow become his most wanted item… Yes, his not asking for those weird but wonderfully cheap items like batteries and padlocks, as his done in previous years (another trait of his Aspergers I’m sure)!

So, there you have it, some awesome Tech products from Acer. Christmas will be here before you know it after all.

This is a review post. I wasn’t asked or paid to write this. I reviewed the items during the Acer launch at Spencer House. Opinions are honest and all words are that of my own.

An Olympic Party with Hornby

Hornby are gearing up for the 2012 Olympic Games and invited myself and the kids to London’s biggest toy store “Hamleys” for a private party.

Having a child with Aspergers syndrome with an interest in transport, one who loves a good old Hornby train set meant it was an invitation to good to refuse.

My daughter had her friend stay over so and spent the day doing “girl stuff” So, this trip was one made by myself and two boys.

We arrived a little later than others, little man was busy checking out the underground, but when we did arrive we were greeted my the funky Olympic Mascot. The party was allocated in a side room and was decked out in British colours and Olympic cheer. Harley had his eye on the balloons as soon as we arrived (Thankfully he got to take one home even if he did let it go flying into the London sky a little after we left)!

Hornby had some fantastic new products on show, all released in celebration of the 2012 games. Little man loved the new Scalextric Velodrome Cycling Set which is the first and only of its kind. This has two miniature cyclist dressed in Team GB outfits that race around a Scalextric track operated by two hand held controllers. Priced at £69.99 it isn’t cheap but one of a kind.

You can only imagine how exciting the range is for my Little man. His had a special interest in transport for as long as I can remember. His 11 now and although his finally acquired some additional interests in the last year (mainly Lego and wrestling) he still loves his transport, especially trains, buses and the underground so he was pretty impressed with these below.

We had an awesome time at Hamleys, both boys were smiling as we were taken on a tour around the store. Sadly little man now hates having his photo taken especially in public but as you can see this isn’t the case for the two year old.

Harley especially, was dead impressed to meet Wenlock (yes, the one eye mascot)! Hornby have been sure to included both the Olympic and Paralympics Mascots within some of its fabulous merchandise. This includes the funky Chocolate vending machine that little man is actually lusting after, as well as some fab 2012 Mascot key rings that are really heavy and well made (we were lucky to receive some of these in our goody bags).

It was a really good day and we all thank Hornby for inviting us. If you want to check out the Official range of London 2012 products, pop over to their website and check it out.

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post, but attended a party with the children to check out the new range and the children received a goody bag.

Failing to regulate one’s own emotions

I’m the type of patent who likes to embrace her son’s diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome, though there are days, when I fail to focus on any positives, these long hard days filled with meltdowns, the explosive type, filled with rage and a good degree of violence!

Violence used to be a huge problem back when Little man was between the ages of 7-9 years old, however, with a lot of work we managed to get his explosive ways under control, and although he has always hit his younger sister, this become less frequent and manageable. I myself used to be his punch bag and with some two years since he had hit out at me, I thought this milestone had been well and truly achieved.

Since Little man turned 11 on the 1st October 20211, things have once more turned nasty and have progressively become worse since. Having seen the huge reduction of such violent and challenging behaviour outbursts over these past 2 years, their return has simply knocked me sideways and I’m completely at a loose on how to fix this!

His violent ways often spring without warning, leaving myself or his little sister in the firing line. Strangely, since leaving the mainstream school and receiving a full education alongside his peers, in a place he is far more happier, this violence has grown worse at home! he went through so much at mainstream, he was isolated, excessively excluded and sadly discriminated against, yet despite this he didn’t become violent towards me, though he did self harm on a few occasions! So why now? School life seems good, it is terribly frustrating that he is now in the right educational setting, yet another issue as serious and worrying as this should arise! There is no bullying and I know that he happy at his new independent special school, so why?

His not 7 anymore, his a reasonably sized 11-year-old boy who can pack a pretty impressive punch! This is a child who despite his nick name, ‘Little man’ is now almost as tall as myself! My son is now, taller, stronger and about to experience a flood of hormones… if not already!

Lately, meltdowns have been highly explosive, his jackle and Hyde personality takes over without warning and my usual tools of redirection that I’ve created over the years, are sadly little use, if any at all! The Switch in mood is so sudden that I now struggle to see it coming, I cannot decode a trigger, something I would have once described as one of my talents! I usually see the forming of a dark cloud building and as a result, I am often able to clear it quickly! Sadly once more, myself and his sister have become his target when frustration reaches its limits… I have found myself jumping in the path of his blows to protect my daughter and regrettable, just recently she tries to return the favour 😦

Thursday the 9th February 2012, Little man was sat at the PC, writing yet another one of  his business plans for when he reaches adulthood, a calm presence filled the air and everything was… well, fine!

Suddenly, Little man unplugs my iPhone which happens to be charging, I tell him this and politely requests he replugs it in to the extension lead, while reminding him he should ask if he can use the extension in the future! This didn’t go down well, shouting and screaming he tells me to F#*k off and plug it in myself as it’s my charger!  I actually did this in the end, as not to fuel this any further! However two minutes later and for no apparent reason whatsoever, little man randomly switches of the TV which his sister is watching! I ask why, to which he states, “if I can’t do what I want, she can’t watch TV” This was all the crap I needed! Already feeling quite unwell, as if a ton of bricks lay on my chest, I told him I wasn’t in the mood as I felt reasonably unwell, to which he continued to refuse. Getting up, I head to the TV , Little man runs off to which I presumed he was heading for the extension lead to once again remove my charger… Like this was now a game! Though actually, I couldn’t have been more wrong! Suddenly as the TV screen flicked on, I felt a pain fly up my back… No bloody way! Turning my head slightly, my fears were confirmed, stood behind me was little man who had just punched me in the centre of my back! Feeling so angry I ordered that he went to his room, now I know I should have persisted, but given the fact… my 2-year-old toddler was becoming increasingly distressed and I didn’t want my 9-year-old daughter getting hit, I scooped the toddler up from his chair and ordered my daughter to follow me to the bedroom where she could finish watching her film.

Little man would now stay out the way, downstairs and hopefully become much calmer, he could finish his business plan before settling down on the sofa or heading to bed! Again… could I have been anymore wrong? He followed us upstairs swearing all the way  and at one point he even beat the hell out of my bedroom door… AGAIN! Losing the will to live, I informed him, I’d call the school and see if they could help me fix this, he flipped out, telling me to stay away from school before once more setting himself upon me like some frenzied lion! I know that this was partly my fault now as he then felt threaten. Although I normally reframe from such behaviours, it should be understood that by now I was close to breaking point, tears quite literally streaming from my eyes as I tried to think of a way to turn the situation around.

It got to the stage where the little man needed to be carried into his bedroom, I must have incurred super human strength as I lifted him, ignoring the thumps and pinches, I placed him in his room making a bee line for  the door, though I wasn’t quick enough as I found myself being hit by a number of heavy flying objects. Before I knew it he had taken up to running at me inflicting an array of high flying kicks directly to my body, seriously consumed with anger, sadness and sheer frustration, I told him that if he laid another finger on me I’d call the police! Again this wasn’t the best choice of words because 1) He felt threaten, 2) I pointed in his face, 3) he kicked me instead… well, feet do not have fingers do they!

I  was actually now extremely exhausted by the whole experience that had been continuing on for some 2 hrs now, not being able to bear a minute more of this, I turned to leave the room when he gave me one final blow in my back which  just happens to be the act that pushed me over the edge, giving me an intense desire to hit him back (which I don’t do, and don’t want to do)! I spun around and instead of hitting him I began screaming the words “No…… more, please no more!” as I proceeded in kicking toy boxes that resulted in them flying across the room, I also found myself knocking books from their shelf… I had lost it! Suddenly there was silence… stood shocked little man stared through me, he then lowered his eyes to the ground and started to cry as he asked me, “Mum why have you done this?” Then he very cheekily said out loud, ‘ Mum, you really should control your anger’ He no longer chased me just sat scrapping Lego bricks back in their rightful boxes, I retreated to my bedroom only to surprisingly discover the toddler and his sister were now spread out across my bed sleeping! Closing the door behind me I sat with my back against the door, tears filling my eyes as I looked at my bruised arms and legs, I cried, not due to the physical pain but the emotional one, plus the uncertainty and unanswered questions left me feeling isolated and alone! Should I be calling the police, what would make him stop! I couldn’t allow him to grow up with this approach to a problem, it wasn’t a solution! I love him and have that understanding… What if he hit someone else who then turned around and battered him, would he be behind bars by his teen years or even fall in love and beat his wife! Consumed with worry and knowing it was my responsibility to avoid any of the above happening! I grabbed the iPhone and visited my A boy with asperger’s Facebook page where everyone was so brilliant helping me find answers, making suggestions or just giving me a virtual hug!

The house was now silent, looking around his bedroom door I notice his laid out on the floor surrounded by a mass of Lego, I quietly pick up what seems like thousands of Lego bricks, I then slip a pillow under his head and place a cover across his body, kissing his forehead I then turn of the light (they is no way, I’ll even try to move him, if he wakes it could be an even longer night than it has already)!

I didn’t sleep for the remainder of that night, a host of things crammed my mind inducing a type of dull headache! What now? We have asked for help, but what with a massive waiting list for a CAMHS behavioural therapist, an LEA that avoid me like the black plague, I’m running out of options! Is there any respite? No! Do I look like it would help? Of course! With a Government only interested in throwing money at the 2012 games, I sadly hold little hope, after all our family situation isn’t as important as a sporting event is it? Well, it’s not every year we host an oympics…. but it’s everyday I host a meltdown, so…. I guess we will have to wait, after all we’re good at that, wouldn’t you agree?

Related articles

• Our worse ever meltdown & coping with little sleep (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• Questioning your coping mechanisms (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• Wait a second she did what?! (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• What Makes a Bully? (education.com)
• Mainstream And Special Needs Schools (growingupautistic.wordpress.com)