Help a child with Autism communicate with the world they live in

So, I was on twitter recently (nothing new there I know) when I came across a very interesting tweet from one of my new followers.

The tweet in question contained a link to a very interesting website and article focused around a campaign that is aiming to help children with autism by providing them with a way to communicate with the world they live in! Here’s how.

With your help a child with autism can be given the tools needed to better communicate their needs, making the world a much easier place for them to live in.

The charity making this happen is “Hearts & Minds Challenge”

They don’t need you to give funds, they don’t want your money, all they need is your old mobile phones, even those that are no longer working!

Here’s what the charity had to say!

Once upon a time, a mobile phone was a status symbol, a way to tell the world that you were so important that people had to be able to reach you all the time. Nowadays a mobile is a necessity, but we still like to have the latest model with features that can improve our daily life.

Now; when you want to trade up your old phone, you could be helping someone with Autism to communicate their basic needs and for the first time, truly express what they want. And the phone doesn’t even have to be working to help….

Autism is a developmental disability which typically affects social interaction, imagination and the ability to communicate. Half of all people diagnosed will have severely delayed speech and as a result, can become frustrated, leading to behavioral challenges and social exclusion.

In the past, these individuals could be taught to use picture exchange communication or “pecs” a system of handing over a picture to request an item. Thus replacing that negative behaviour with a vocabulary of different pictures, all of which have a huge value to the individual. They are prompted to try to say each word and can slowly learn to speak independently with the picture system as support.

However, at least a 1/4 of all people diagnosed with Autism will have to use an alternative communication system for life, which can become very unwieldy as their vocabulary grows.
They must also rely on carers and therapists to update and maintain the system, so they never have independent control of what they want to say.

There are electronic picture devices, but the vocabulary is static, the devices bulky and expensive and the individual cannot express exactly what they want.

However, thanks to the development of a simple App, which recreates the picture system in a digital format, so called ‘non-verbal’ people can communicate exactly what they want on an Apple iPod or iPad. The Grace App, named after the little girl who inspired it is a basic picture vocabulary in a digital format which the user selects then shares to communicate what they want. Most importantly, they can actually add to their pictures themselves using the device camera, or google and save an image if they cannot find and photograph what they need.

Lisa, who created the Grace App says:
“Just because someone is not yet talking, it doesn’t mean they have nothing to say”

Lisa said the App has allowed Grace to express herself clearly and her frustration and tantrums, which could last for hours are now vastly reduced.
“Grace is also interacting with us a lot more, and I’m delighted to hear her using her own voice, as her speech continues to improve”

There are a lot of families that could benefit from trying out Grace or one of the many Apps developed to support the needs of people with autism – but they need the device to use it. This is a big commitment for a family who may have limited means, and a lot of demands on their income due to the pressures of raising a child with Autism.

Hearts and Minds are a charity with a mission to raise the quality of life of individuals with autism have come up with a scheme to turn old mobiles into new technology like the Apple iPad, while raising funds towards opening an Education Centre For Autism in Greater Manchester.

To help: Go through your drawers and cupboards and clear out all those old mobiles that are taking up space, contact the school and donate those devices in the envelopes provided. Not only will you be giving a child with autism the chance to communicate, but you will go into a draw to get your mortgage paid for a year – who wouldn’t like that?

Once I read the above I just had to write this post and share this great campaign with my readers.

I also found a great video on the Hearts and Minds website that really does share a strong message with the world on what a difference we can make by donating our old mobile phones. The video shows a selected number of children with autism using their iPad at home or in school. Attached is a message from the families of these children who state what a remarkable difference the iPad has made to their child’s life.

Warning… The video is a real tear jerker! I sobbed all over my iPhone!

I was actually about to write a sponsored post for a company that specialises in recycling mobile phones, saving the environment and making us a bit of extra cash in the process. Then I read about ‘Hearts and Minds’ who are not only saving the planet but helping a child with autism to communicate. Of course it’s Ok to recycle your mobile for cash, especially if you have little… We all need some extra pennies sometimes. But remember this charity are happy to take any mobile phone, regardless of the state it’s in… Broken, old, “a brick” it really doesn’t matter!

Thankfully my son is verbal and actually speaks very well! However he does have an array of communication difficulties and even for him such technology is a godsend. Little man attends a special school and as part of an OT programme he is now learning to touch type, his fine motor skills are very poor and his handwriting hardly legible. An iPad is on the Birthday list and it’s something I’d purchase with the knowledge of knowing that for little man it’s so much more than a fancy handheld tablet.

I hope that others will read this and next time they open a draw to discover an old dusty mobile they remember this post and therefore remember that for a child with autism that dusty mobile is a door that opens into a world of communication!

Remember families and schools wanting to register for the programme can do so over on the hearts and minds website

For more information on the programme visit Grace App or Hearts and Minds to see if you can help give a child with autism a way to communicate.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored or guest post. I have not been asked to write this and have not received anything for sharing this information. I have done so as a way to help a charity on their mission to help others.

As Britain has its education system affected by government cuts, Cameron invest £650m in Pakistani schools

Image via Wikipedia

Its my 29th Birthday today and instead of starting my day on a high, I instead woke up to an unwanted kick in the guts from the one and only David Cameron.

IS CAMERON DELIBERATELY TRYING TO TURN THE BRITISH PUBLIC AGAINST HIM?

Well, that is what supporters he has left! I for one would absolutely love to give him a piece of my mind (amongst other things)

So, what’s the man who runs the country (very badly) gone and done now? Well, brace yourselves folks as this is a tad disturbing! Mr Cameron has only gone and promised Pakistan a nice big fat check of…. WAIT FOR IT… £650 Million to invest in….. WAIT FOR IT.….. Pakistani schools!

And why is he doing this? To make amends for the diplomatic rift caused by no other than that of himself. Last year Mr Cameron accused the country of, ‘Looking both ways on terrorism’ and this is the PMs way of an apology. “CAMERON, GET THEM A BUNCH OF FLOWERS MATE” I’m personally fuming with this man! Our education system is facing huge cuts, my son doesn’t have a school place and only yesterday I heard that primary school’s are so full that the possibility of primary school units being attached to secondary school’s looks more likely by the minute.

The A boy with Asperger’s support page I created on Facebook is fit to burst when it comes to parents with children on the spectrum that are not getting their special education needs met both in and out of school. What does it all boil down to? Money!!! We are totally sick of having to go to tribunal to fight for hours to be placed in part 3 of our children’s statements, “That’s those who are lucky enough to have a statement.” Many parents are still right at the starting pointing, battling for the statutory assessment their children require the LEA to perform, a process that takes forever.

We are short on school’s and there were many that were promised re-builds that have now been told to dream on! Special school’s are far and few between and if your lucky enough to get your child into your preferred special school or any school for that matter, they still may not receive the full support they need due to the schools being so overcrowded that the staff are teaching in makeshift classrooms, e.g… shipping carts, school hallways, cleaning cupboard, etc.

I’m sorry forks if you think I’m out of line here, but I’m only speaking up for what I believe to be an injustice to our country. I am all for giving to other needy countries the world pulling together and all that, however I have a child who has been dragged through the mill as a result of a system that is meant to provide him with an adequate education (Yep, the Ed Act 96 states that the child must be provided with an adequate education not the best, which makes it harder for a parent to battle against LAs when not naming the parents preferred school in a child’s statement) It’s shameful that the UK government even fail to ensure that an education of even this level is provide.

My point is, ” PAKISTAN SPEND ONLY 1.55 PER CENT OF ITS NATIONAL INCOME ON SCHOOLS BUT IS PLACING BILLION-POUND ORDERS FOR SIX CHINESE SUBMARINES AND 36 FIGHTER AIRCRAFT” As reported by the daily mail this morning.

The Daily Mail also reports that, “BRITAIN IS ALSO TO GIVE HIGHLY SENSITIVE MILITARY TECHNOLOGY TO COMBAT ROADSIDE BOMBS TO THE PAKISTANI SECURITY SERVICES, WHICH ARE WIDELY BLAMED FOR FUNDING AND ARMING THE TALIBAN.”

“Oh my God” If this is correct then I can’t see how this man is still allowed to run our country! Not only is he providing £650 million pounds to invest in Pakistani schools when our own schools are struggling to provide a good enough education it’s been made even worse since the new government come into power and decided to implement cuts to a service that is already failing due to funding, but they are also risking the lives of our own troops in Afghanistan when going as far as offering to spend further millions on a centre of excellence for for the countries soldiers and spies in an area of militancy. What worries me is that Cameron was unable to answer the question of whether he was able to guarantee that the Pakistani intelligence service (ISI) will not hand such technology to the Taliban!

HOLLY BLOODY COW! This guy is playing with the life’s of our brave troops and our children’s future. I’ve always hated politics, I try avoiding it completely but sadly as you grow up and have children you realise things that you can’t ignore and it’s all based upon money and status, which really makes me sick!

Cameron defends his actions by claiming it’s in our best interest to invest and help Pakistan, if they are a success we’ll have a good friend to trade and invest with! He then went on to state that if Pakistan fail we will face problems of migration of extremism, So, its therefore in Britain’s interest that they succeed!

Here’s my thoughts on such a statement,

“Oi Cloth ears, I don’t want a bloody friend (I HAVE ENOUGH OF THOSE ALREADY THANK YOU!), What I want is for you to do what is right by my child and billions more like him here in the UK. I want you to stick outrageous amounts of cash into our education system, build more schools, put a stop to this silly delegated funding that is happening. I like many parents don’t want to go to the SEN tribunal to fight for my child’s right to be awarded a place in a school that can meet his needs when there is no others that can (BELIEF ME I’VE LOOKED) I want hours clearly stated in part 3 of Little mans statement (That’s my son by the way!) I want an individualised speech and language programme with a specific amount of hours dedicated to such a programme and specified in again part 3 of his statement. This is just some of what my child needs! You are handing out ridiculous sums of money to a country who doesn’t even need it! (SUBMARINES AND AIRCRAFT’S DON’T COME CHEAP) Don’t get me wrong, in no way do I blame the Pakistani people for this, It’s not their fault that those above them choose to spend just 1.55 per cent of its budget on education, However it’s not our fault either! Furthermore Sir Cameron… I want British troops who risk their lives for our country to receive a water tight guarantee that they will not be at risk anymore then they already are! By this I am not accusing the ISI of any wrong doing that’s not my job, I’m merely stating that if you cannot guarantee that the ISI will not share your gift with the Taliban then you are a bad man to take such a gamble. These man have family who do not wish to greet them home in a box! If you wish to apologise for remarks that you made which offended the Muslim nation… then do it the normal way with a shake of the hand and a gift of a smaller nature. That way you can come home and start making something of our schools (OR LACK OF THEM) If you do fancy being charitable then how about helping out Japan? Given that this is a place where schools are being re-built from scratch due to the recent disaster!”

LASTLY, I HAVE ONE QUESTION TO ASK OF MR DAVID CAMERON, “ARE THE GOVRENMENT TELLING BIG FAT PORKIES, IS THIS COUNTRY REALLY IN DEBT AS A RESULT OF THE LABOUR PARTY?” Please feel free to comment as to let myself and my readers know your answer.

Well, that feel’s a little better having got that of my chest! For all of you that work, when you get your next pay packet and feel a little sick at the large amount of money missing due to the amount of tax taken from you by the government then remember what the government is using it for. I’m not going to sit here and moan on and on about tax payers money as I pay so little right now, given that I’m a full-time carer for my children, one of which has Aspergers possible ADHD and special educational needs and currently has no school place. But before anyone decides to get on their high horse, I should mention that all my spare time is used to help the wider community as I’m a volunteer. Basically yes I do work! I just don’t get paid for it. My work is done around the children and little mans schooling, which means that not only I am getting the experience of doing what I love but the comfort of knowing I’m helping others. At the end of the day this huge sum of money Cameron plans to put into Pakistani’s schools is british tax payers money, yet many of these taxpayers are in the same boat as me when it comes to their child’s floundering education. Even more families are being forced out the workplace or can’t get a foot in it due to the latest cuts which has hit many of the services offered by the DWP, childcare being one of them.

To end a very long rant before I go off to enjoy what is left of my birthday, I want to share with you the “WHAT £650M COULD BUY” list produced by the Daily Mail in today’s paper.

• 60 years of free school meals for every primary & secondary pupil in England
• 21 new state-of-the art academy schools
• 1 years salary for 250,000 newly qualified teachers
• 24,074 full university student fees at the new rate of £27,000 for three years
• 30 grammar schools could be completely rebuilt 4,333 under privileged pupils could be sent to Eton College for full secondary school

There are things I would personally remove from the list to replace with other things that in my opinion are much more needed, for eg… new special, primary and secondary schools, home to school transport and specialised services, professionals and teachers but sadly I don’t have the statistics 🙂 However the list sums it up, Cameron is taking the biscuit! BIG TIME!!!

Aspirations Or Clever Financial Alterations! You Decide

We waited and waited and on the 9th, March 2011 we finally got to see  what the Coalition had in store for us in way of the ‘Green Paper’ titled ‘Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability’

Talking as a parent i’m pleased to see that the  proposed education, health and social care plans (EHSCP) that are planed to replace statements of special educational needs will still give parents the same legal protection that a statement brings. The proposed plan would be aimed at 0-25 year olds not just school aged children. The plans will also involve support in the areas of health and social care as well as education, something that has been missing for too long! However I do wonder how this will affect those already with statements especially in terms of funding and the talk of allocated key-workers. Surely the statements will be reviewed in the same way as the EHSCP and so forth! The statements will therefore need to be maintained in-till the child reaches 25 and be amended to include the health and social care aspect.

Another proposal I welcome is the prospect of being given more choice on where our children are educated. I know many will accuse the coalition of  creating barriers to inclusive education in mainstream schools, but I am a firm believer that mainstream is not always the right way. People must remember that all children are different regardless of their special educational needs or disability, Just because society thinks that every child with sen/disability should learn beside their peers, In reality this isn’t easy for some (My son included) I believe that mainstream was seriously affecting his mental health which is the case for many children. I’m also very interested to hear more on the proposal of individualised budgets with greater parental control giving us a voice that allows us to express views on what services and provision such funding should provide. This is proposed to come into action by the year 2014. In till such date I will remain completely open mind. My mother used to tell me, “If something seems to good to be true, then it probably is.” For that reason I dare to get my hopes up.

Some maybe shaking there heads branding me a pessimist! Well, they would be correct, I’m just that!  Sadly it’s true but myself like many others have been made to feel this way when it comes to SEN & education. It’s my opinion that things will never be easy and we are used to battling for every thing our children need. I for one would be a little shocked to discover that I actually had some time on my hands to do other things instead of battling the system by way of phone calls, meetings, emailing, letter writing, campaigning and so on…  I really struggle to get my head around the idea that parents will be able to have an active part in the decision process surrounding their child’s provision & funding. We have to drag the local authority by the arse all the way to the tribunal just to get a little TA time or use of a laptop! So if this does plan out I for one will fill a little strange being suddenly heard and valued (Well, valued maybe pushing it a tad to far!).

Though some of the proposals look good on paper, I’ve been asking myself , “Are these just words being sugar-coated to look sweeter then they really are?” I mean, let’s not forget that the government are in the process of making huge cuts which will affect many of the services that have a role to play within this very paper. How will they be able to provide what is expected of them? Another important question to ask is, “How much are the Coalition planing to save through the implementation of the green paper?”

I’ve also been thinking about the legal side of things. Given the position I’m currently in (Advising parents on their appeal rights on LEAs sen decisions) I see a lot of re-training heading my way if the green paper is fully implemented. The law would need to under go a radical overview, with large areas, especially section 26 and 27 of the Ed act 96,  needing to be rewritten from scratch and the publication of a new code of practice.

But one of the biggest concerns for me is the proposal of a “single, multi-agency assessment” on the same day, rather than separate assessments on separate days. As much as I welcome a speeder assessment process then that of the current statutory assessment (10 week assessment, with the overall process from start to finish taking 26 weeks) but to propose just ‘one single assessment’ with the involvement of all professionals (and possibly even voluntary agencies) is quite honestly barbaric!

The paper has empathised that those children considered to have the most complex needs, will be the children assessed and issued with an education, health and social care plan, therefore how do they propose to assess a child with such complex needs in one single assessment? Children on the autism spectrum will be just one group of  many children who’s needs may be completely missed due to the child’s particular mood, environment, behaviour, anxiety , etc., on the chosen day of the assessment. I know that my own child would not cope with such an assessment, what with all them eyes on him and questions fired at him! What would it even involve? Are we talking about sending an autistic child (or any child for that matter) into a room with a large number of professionals sat with inquisitive prying eyes, clip boards, and a list of questions as long as their arm? If yes, I guess they can expect a shock at the response they get! It just isn’t going to happen… Surely complex means ‘COMPLEX!’ my definition of  such a word would be, “A complex issue or range of problems that take time to fully resolve” The government is forever banging on about children being placed on the sen register at the drop of a hat, well, I can see a situation being created leading to children dropping of it just as quick!  My son can just about cope with an assessment with one or two professional, any more then this rather than being chucked off the register, he will likely be labelled as a child who is dangerous because he will likely hit out as an attempt to escape the highly stressful situation that he has been placed in. Although I agree it’s not ideal him or any other child with sen having to undergo a range of assessments over a course of time, the one day method wont make things any better but a great deal worse!

Let’s be honest would you or I enjoy being sat in a room with a range of people staring at you like some caged animal reporting your every-more?

26 weeks is way too long but one day! Seriously there is no in-between with this government. I mean do the they really have the child’s best interest at heart?

We have to ask ourselves, has the green paper been created with the  ambition of improving the life chances open to children with sen, and  to offer better support for family members, or is it really their ambition to do away with essential services and provisions with little uproar, while at the same time attempting to reduce the number of  children that are placed on the SEN register?

It’s those children considered to have less complex needs that I’m  seriously worried for!  What defines less complex needs? I’ve spoken to many parents hundreds in-fact that have battled in the past  and present with both schools & local authorities to prove just how complex their child’s needs actually are! I know from past experience that schools won’t except this in-till your child is pushed to the point of self-destruction or has become a complete failure at everything due to the stress they have been placed under. Parents of children with Aspergers or high functioning autism find this to be the case a huge proportion of the time. School’s and LEAs say the same thing over and over again, “Your child isn’t an underachiever, therefore warrants no provision to be made for him/her!” Yet there they are whacking their heads against Walls with the frustration of the work load or noise levels in the classroom, they are always running into social difficulties, becoming isolated from their peers and even excluded on a daily/weekly  basis. It’s ludicrous!

By doing away with school action and school action plus I fear these children will suffer a great deal more than they are currently made too already! What with schools being able to commission the services and put the provision in place that these children are said to need, in this current financial climate is like playing with fire. Much more detail and reassurance is needed and although I know that we are once more welcome to give our views on the paper, I just feel given the length of delay in publishing the paper, including some finer details within in it as to make things a little clearer would have been most welcome!

Ministers have to give the public more information in regard to the finer details that make up the aspirations of the green paper. Including the legal aspects, cost (including how much this new system will put back in to the governments pocket in way of savings) and very importantly the statutory duties of those involve

To some parents this paper means nothing! To others it’s the prospect of a better further for their child in both the early years and that of early adult life. Making provision for children aged 0-25 in all areas of education, health and social care is long awaited. Will this be the start of something promising or just another unfulfilled promise by another Government?…. Only time will tell!

On top of the world

So this morning little man leaped from the comfort of his bed, washed without my pleas and got his clothes on super fast, “Ok most items were back to front or inside out” but when I told him so, there was no swearing or exaggerated body movements just a little boy who giggled and started over again. You see mornings like these have been far and few between… In actural fact they have been absent for some time. Yesterday morning little man was filled with excitement with a scoop of anxiety for he was about to embank on a journey, a new routine that no longer involved the mainstream primary school he had attended since he was five, the place he had grown to trust only to have it all fall apart and his spirit crushed. He had started to believe that he was so different from others that he would never be accepted. He started to state he wasn’t “normal” and created this image in his head of what he considered to be “normal” sadly in his eyes he didn’t fit into this image.

This hasn’t changed, I think it will take sometime before he excepts who he is (my fantastic little man) but on day two of his home tuition his already making progress. It’s very early days but I already see a child who wants to learn, a child who packs his school bag the night before and looks forward to the following days learning. So… Many parents take that for granted Not me and though I know this can change as quick as it started I hold onto these days with both hands and remind myself of them whenever things get bad.

Well, Friday was the day we first met his tutor (as not to disclose his indentity we will refer to the tutor as James)
We met at my home around 5pm. Little man sat looking at the tv he had refused to Switch off. He made little eye contact with James and instead of acting silly or rude like he often tends to when his anxious or just in a new situation, he was instead quite not saying much at all. We spoke for a while, discussed little mans needs and how mainstream school dealt with those needs. We talked about the effects isolation had on him and work we had been doing at home. I like to think of myself as a good judge of character… as I had a good feeling about James, I didn’t feel as if he was sat judging me or little man. James had already read the proposed statement (that is in need of amendments) and also read the appendices which included my ten pages of parental advice. He has experience of working with children on the autism spectrum and didn’t seem worried about teaching little man a job many would refer to as a “challenge” towards the end of the meeting James asked Little man if there was anything he would like to ask. Little man rolled his eyes and pulled his thinking face. Having thought for a few seconds replied, “fancy educating someone like me in a library!” He turned to me and said, “mother I will do my best to be quite” bless him… Though he was making a some what valid point as he is naturally a loud speaker, tending to shout as opposed to talk. Jame’s response was great… He made no big deal and said that all will be cool.

During the weekend little man seemed less anxious about Mondays leap back into education and getting him to sleep Sunday night wasn’t as hard as first expected. He had again been awake all Saturday night not sleeping till the early hours of Sunday morning… I didn’t let him sleep the whole of Sunday daytime and though it was hard work and resulted in a crying moaning monster throughout the day I managed to keep him awake. So after a few melatonin and a warm drink and bath, he slept on Sunday night (Ok it wasn’t till 1am and was my bed he slept in not his own… But this was good enough for me!)

It was pouring with rain on Monday morning, I mean pelting it down bucket loads, For this reason I changed the clothing I had already laid out for little man as I knew the jeans would get wet and rub on his skin causing a sensory related meltdown. I waved my daughter off at 8:30 am and set about the morning challenge one I hadn’t had to do for weeks (near on a month) waking little guy up for school. To my surprise little man rose to the challenge and with plenty of reassurance got ready for his big day. We got a lift with the promise of taking public transport the following day (which put a smile on his face) As I waved him off it felt totally strange… I was leaving my little man with a complete stranger, who I was trusting to take good care of my child, to have patience and understanding when it came to his “odd” or “challenging” ways… I felt that same sickening feeling in the pitt of my stomach on his first day of school I wanted to cry then and wanted to cry now.

Most of the day I was on edge… Everytime the phone rang I held my breath, “please don’t be James” I would think! But the call never came and to my relief on collection from the library little man was smiling. We took the train home and little man didn’t stop, “James showed me this, James told me that, James said this, James laughed at that” he was the happiest I’d seen him in ages. The only downside side to his day was the headache he had brought back home with him. He mentioned the lighting was some what strong and flickered at times. He also told me all the lights were different… Some brighter then others. With this and the fact he had engaged in work throughout the day his head was paying the price. However he still spoke about James all the way home and once back indoors… That was in till he sat on my bed only to fall fast asleep. This was at 4 pm and he wouldn’t even wake for dinner!

So yes the next day was just as postive if not better. His father took him on the train and I got a lay in:-) well that was in till a certain cheeky one year old woke me with a slap in the face!
His home book stated that the day was perfect with little man having had engaged in plenty of work. Once home he had continued in learning mode and was on the PC creating a presentation on bullying.

I really do hope that things continue to go as well. I am worried that little man will have problems reintergrating back into a school environment and the effects his mainstream school has had on his confidence and social skills… But for now I’m just going to enjoy seeing my little guy smile.

Positive Statements made by little man these past few days…

“I can’t wait till tomorrow”

“I think James likes me because his kind to me”

“Mum did you know James never shouts”

“James understands me”

“We went tescos together and we even got a trolly”

“He trust me and don’t mind being out in public with me” (effects of never going on school trips)

“His my friend and my teacher”

“I like being with James he treats me like a normal boy”
(breaks my heart knowing he often feels so different)

Positives I’ve noted in two short days…

Lots more smiles

Keen to learn

Less tears

Positive feed back in his home book… Day one stated how well they got along and little man even tried hard and completed some work. Day two even better… He engaged in all his work and was a joy to work with.

Comments like these were sure to make me cry. I couldn’t help it! I had waited for what felt like forever for some positive feed back on little man. I’m so proud of him and very thankful to his new friend james.

My little man is on top of the world and it’s been a long time coming!!