Visual thinkers – we need to provide the tools to teach them!

I haven’t seen the movie yet – as I don’t think I want to have anything interfere with my impression of Temple Grandin.

I saw Temple speak years ago….  before she became a star…..  and what sticks in my mind the most was her discussion of how she thinks….  in pictures….  hence her book “thinking in pictures”

She refers to her thought process as going back in her mind, retrieving a video tape from her mind’s library and then playing the proper video to think….  This hit me like a 2×4 across the head…. 

I am mostly an auditory thinker….. so I guess it didn’t dawn on me that this could be so impactful on educating,  Now, when I teach my son, I always have visuals.  Of course, he was most successful with video, but after years of strictly video, we have been able to branch out into many other inputs including auditory.  But the learning is always faster with visual inputs ….. 

What we need to realize is that not all people think alike – and we need to find each child’s talent and teach to that talent…..  and in my son’s case, visual is the way to go…

If you have a chance and you think you may know someone who requires visual teaching, watch this clip and read her book.   It really is very moving.

http://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds.html

Debt to China, Toyota, Developmental delays – Do you see a trend?

I am happy to say that more and more I hear people talking about America’s imports from China and the problem it caused for our economy.  My daughter is mortified every time she shops with me – as I look at all the tags and can’t buy 9/10 of the items we pick up…. because they are made in China.  It seems that people are actually starting to understand that purchasing our imports puts people in the US out of work.   The present situation with China has been in the works since the 1980’s.

The present epidemic of the growing population of children with developmental delays is being handled in a similar manner as our trading practices with China.

We are ignoring the long term effect….  pushing it into the corner and ignoring it.

Importers of product are mostly importing for the cheap price….. stuff can be made in China for a small percentage of what it would cost to make in the US.  So – lets make more money ……

Developmentally delayed children – same treatment.  Insurance companies and schools can’t possibly pay for the treatments needed …..  it would lower their income or prevent them from balancing the budget. 

Problem is that some day we are going to have to pay for all of this.  Cutting corners results in an inferior product….  Look at Toyota right now. 

The problems we have now with the epidemic of developmental delays are being pushed into the corner – and eventually they will come back to haunt us…..  They always do….

Everyone needs to wake up – we are just creating our next recession for 2030’s…. we are just setting ourselves up for bankrupting America….  not to mention ruining lives!

Debt to China:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt

Cost of raising an autistic child – per CBS broadcast:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/21/eveningnews/main5101691.shtml

MMR Vaccine doesn’t cause autism….. ha!

 

Maybe it just causes the complete breakdown of the immune system (which is in the gut – where Dr.Wakefield found the problem)

Maybe the immune system breakdown further aggravates the body causing developmental issues…..

maybe there is more …..  

Do they REALLY think that all of these people are making this stuff up – that after the MMR and the complete break down of the immune system is purely coincidental….?????????  I still remember the 2 days following the MMR shot with my son…..   it was terrifying….   he got sooooo sick soooooo fast!   and it continued…

The naysayers should walk one day in our shoes ……. or better yet, our children’s shoes!

Special Education Teacher in Meetings – illegal…

it is that time of the year when all of our special education teachers are sent to meeting after meeting…

Well, here in NY, if the teacher is in meetings, then she isn’t teaching…..   and if the school doesn’t hire a substitute teacher, then they are breaking the law!

So, document when the teacher isn’t there…..  hold on to this information and use it when necessary, like when they are trying to decide on services for your child and are arguing with you….

 

 

I invite you to chime in here and tell me what you think about private “chartered” schools -

Why are they good, why are they  bad?    And what exactly is soooooo great about inclusions when every year you have a huge fight and the bottom line is….  there is not enough help in these classrooms and it is only going to get worse.  The economy is pushing everyone out of their homes, a possible spending freeze on education from fed…..  and in NY state – we are just about bankrupt?

So – where is the hope for inclusion – and why not go private “chartered”?

please send in your comments..

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!!!!

If any of you are in the NY area – this is one of my favorites….  they have a special needs program called REACH … one that I don’t think you can beat…. My personal opinion of the staff is rather high – and for anyone who knows me – they know that is no easy achievement!http://hofstra.edu/Academics/CCEPA/SC/spec/spec_reach.html

Call them at 516-463-CAMP – honestly you will love them

Sorry to be repetitive – but I think society needs a 2×4 to get this….   not you….  but the higher ups…..  you know .. the ones who make the decisions on how to educate our children ….

The teachers get it … the parents get it… and certainly the children get it!

Here is an example…. 

My son built this airplane today – his first lego project since about 14 months of age (hes 11 now)

And this is how he did it…..

I could have explained to him how to build this lego plane – until  I was blue in the face….. and the plane would never have been finished….

But Lego gets it – so they include visual instructions – to complete a task!  

Imagine what would happen if we did this in school ….

So – once again, I am promoting visual instructions – in many formats – pictures, video (my favorite), signs, etc….

The science says it works, the children say it works, even the toy companies utilize it!    So, exactly when do you think we will start using it in our schools?  I guess I just need to work much faster….

 

 

I simply cannot resist this…..

After long conversations, argueing with school personnel over an “appropriate” education for my son, requests for detail on how our school has spent the federal funds received, and on and on…….  the Questions continue unanswered and the abuse just continues. 

 And of course, I am expected to sit back and say nothing?  Right!

Well, I just can’t contain myself anymore.  Just this year I had to

• have several meetings with school personnel to agree on Appropriate teaching programs for my son
•  point out test results to school personnel indicating my son is at a 1% reading comprehension level for his grade
•  provide information to them on reading programs that would be appropriate (and the data to support)
•  provide information on “appropriate and effective” social skills programming…..  (and the scientific data to show them that the present program was useless and ineffective)
• And this was ONLY THIS YEAR!
• There were countless meetings, letters, etc…. for the last 7 years

My requests are always denied on the first request…..  ALWAYS!   then we go thru the game and I bring in the data and show them the test results and interpret the law verbally…. then I maybe get what my son needs.  Maybe!   I have had to bring in lawyers before – just to write a letter – because my letters when signed don’t have the initials following my name that are necessary to get the answer “yes”.

But….. WE have the Money to pay for BUSSING to EARLY BAND PRACTICE!

YES – we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave….   the land is only free if you are educated enough to defend your rights or pay for a good lawyer…..   home of the brave – yes the few that stand up for what is morally right! 

So – send your thoughts – would you sit back and take this?

and REMEMBER – FOIL – Freedom of information Law – it comes in quite handy when you want to find out what your school district is paying for or how much they are paying, etc….  I encourage you to use it!  (notice the most frequently bolded word above) hmmmm…..

So – BUSSING for BAND ….. or ….. READING INSTRUCTION?

So now the CDC has recognized this – so when will all of the doctors and government officials recognize it and possibly think about why this increase and how to deal with it – today and in the future.

Our children are our future – who is going to care for these children in the future.  Parents cannot afford to help their sick children now!

Where is this coming from – could it possibly be the increased reliance the country has on “automation”  increasing the use of chemicals – importing products from China that are not required to meet any type of production standards – stressing our childrens immune systems before they even leave the hospital, adding drugs and preservatives to our foods, etc…

Some of the doctors and school administrators are saying that the public is overdiagnosing the children simply to obtain educational services for them!  Of course – that is what the parents want – their child to be labeled a “special needs” child and receive services that require their child to work for hours every day!  not be a child and play with other children…..

I have come to the point where I cannot even read the paper anymore – All of this talk cannot be be truly objective until you have opened your eyes and accepted what people affected by autism are going through.  Like the saying goes “Walk in my shoes”  ……  I guarantee if they walked in our shoes for one week or even a day, their opinions would be very different!

And I could go on and on…..  but I won’t!

This morning presented yet another dilemna…. due to Brett being sooooooo very literal. Every day we have a “literal” dilemna- something that was said or done that Brett does not understand.
Yesterday Brett ran out of lunch tickets and this morning asked me to write a check to buy more. Unfortunately I ran out of checks and gave him cash instead. He said it wouldn’t work, that he needed to have a check…. and proceeded to look for one in my Office ….
Beyond stubborn, he threw the money on the counter and said “its not worth it”…. well I tended to agree with him – knowing how yummy school food is! The episode went on and on and Brett was just determined that the cash would not work and that he HAD to have a check.
So – for the next 20 minutes or so, I tried to explain how you get money, put it in the bank, write a check, etc….
Of course the most effective way to teach this would be to have Brett earn money, put it in the bank and then write out a check for it…. so – this weekend he has decided to make up fliers to get a job for money – he will empty trash, fold clothes, vacuum….

I’ll keep you posted on our progress teaching about the gray area- I’m sure there will be another literal dilemna in this series of events….. but I’m going to let him do it – and maybe someday he will take everything a little less literally….