This is a recording from the dress rehearsal preceding the “Vánoční koncert ze Senátu” (Christmas concert) that QUATTRO Chamber Orchestra gave on 15th December 2009. You are present in the Main Hall of the Wallenstein Palace (Hlavní sál Valdštejnského paláce) at The Lesser Quarter of Prague (Malá Strana). This palace is the seat of the Czech Senate, the upper chamber of the Czech Parliament. [From the YouTube page]
Month: June 2013
Learning to Live With My Son’s Autism – David Mitchell
Novelist David Mitchell looks back on the heartbreak – and joy – of learning that his son had autism. Plus, below, an extract from the book by a young Japanese boy that helped him. [Quote from The Guardian]
“When I was small, I didn’t even know I had special needs. How did I find out? By other people telling me I was different and that this was a problem. True enough. It was very hard for me to act like a normal person, and even now I still can’t “do” a real conversation. I have no problem reading books aloud and singing, but as soon as I try to speak with someone, my words just vanish. I can’t respond appropriately when I’m told to do something, and whenever I get nervous I run off from wherever I happen to be. So even a straightforward activity like shopping can be really challenging if I’m tackling it on my own.” [Extract from The Reason I Jump]
The Reason I Jump: One Boy’s Voice From The Silence Of Autism, by Naoki Higashida, translated by David Mitchell, published by Sceptre at £12.99. To order a copy for £10.39, including free UK mainland p&p, go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop.
Creating a personalised tablet case and a discount code for readers – Product Review
[Content reblogged]
There is one thing guaranteed to calm/entice/capture my children’s attention and that is me saying “would you like a few moments on the iPad/my phone”.
They are little whiz-kids on these, any app seems to be mastered incredibly quickly and they are learning so much through play – not least the importance of sharing/taking turns.
D has her little ipad mini, in its tough case and T will be getting his own for his birthday.
But the question arose about a case for T, I wanted something that would be individual to him and also provide protection to his (not inexpensive) gift.
The answer came in the form of a case from idealcases.com and I’ve created a case which I hope he’ll like.
(Please read to the end for a discount code to create your own case)
The case was created very quickly and easily using the ideal case…
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Autism on the Seas: Cruises for Families with Autistic Kids
Taking a holiday with your autistic kids can be challenging, especially when people around you don’t quite know what to expect. Tours organized for families with autistics can help ease the strain, since you’ll be with like-minded families, and staff with experience relating to autistics. Autism on the Seas organizes cruises and land resort stays for families with children who have special needs, including autism. More information may be found on their website and Twitter feed, as well as videos on their YouTube channel. The video below is from a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas in October 2012.
The Leading Developmental Disability Service Supplier to the Cruise Industry since 2007, dedicated to assisting the cruise industry in providing cruise vacations for individuals and family’s living with Special Needs, including, but not limited to, Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Tourette Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and all Cognitive, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
In collaboration with Royal Caribbean International, we have been providing “Cruises with our Staff” for amazing vacationing experiences. We also provide “Land Resort Stays with our Staff”. And for those individuals and families who wish to vacation on their own, we provide “Individual Cruise Assistance Services” on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Carnival, NCL, Princess and Disney Cruise Lines. [From the Aots website]
Best Made Company
Came across this neat online store (that actually design some of their own stuff). It’s called Best Made Company and pretty much does what it says. They try to sell the best of all sorts of things, from shirts to toolboxes. There’s a slight leaning towards outdoorsy stuff, but also plenty of other things, including Best Made Soap. Their hardware is, as you’d expect, made to last for generations. It’s a real pleasure to just browse and admire the good old-fashioned workmanship.
Best Made Toolbox
Our Famous Red Wool Blanket
Best Made Company® is dedicated to equipping customers with quality tools and dependable information that they can use and pass down for generations. We seek to empower people to get outside, use their hands and in doing so embark on a life of fulfilling projects and lasting experiences. [From the About Page]
IdeaPaint: Turn Your Walls Into Whiteboards.
Autistic children often have a lot of creative energy, but it doesn’t always end up in the right place. Why not turn their bedroom walls into whiteboards, and let them use the space for artistic expression? IdeaPaint is a special paint that creates a whiteboard-like surface, and is used in schools, offices and other spaces where creativity is encouraged. Video from DailyGrommet.
Manuka Belt: The No-Buckle Magnetic Belt
Autistics are often hyper-sensitive to tactile stimuli, the feeling of certain fabrics, labels or seams rubbing against the skin, or the tightness of clothing. I know of one person on the autistic spectrum who can’t touch fleece with her bare hands (except her thumbs, for some reason). This blog has featured a clothing line that caters specially for autistic children; with soft fabrics, and no labels or seams that stick out. Belts can be a problem for some autistics, because they’re often either too tight or too loose, the holes never seem to be in the right place. Belt buckles are also a pain for autistics with poor fine motor skills.
The Manuka Belt offers a neat solution. It has no buckle, and relies on the magnetized strap to keep the belt in place (even against 20 pounds of force). With no holes, it’s infinitely adjustable to within a fraction of an inch, ensuring a perfect fit any time. The belt is made of a neodymium rubber composite, so the magnetic material is mixed into the rubber itself. The belt is currently featured on Kickstarter, interested parties can sign up on the Manuka Magnetics website to be notified of when and where it goes on sale.
Etymotic ER-20 Noise-Adjusting Earplugs
Some autistics get round the problem by wearing these earplugs from Etymotic. Unlike normal earplugs, the ER-20 is designed to reduce volume without blocking sound completely, and maintains a high degree of fidelity, so you can hear conversations or music clearly (just not as loud). Some autistic users have found them helpful in reducing the irritation of ambient noise.
“I am autistic with severe sensory deficits. These ear plugs are perfect for this problem. Have tried sponge ear plugs off and on, but they muffle all sound. The Etymotic Ear Plugs keep the sounds sharp and audible but just turn the volume down. It was recommended by a friend who has the same problem.” [Amazon customer review]
The earplugs come in different sizes, so be sure to get the right size for your ear canal. The earplug stem sticks out of the ear, so depending on how your ear canal is angled, it may (or may not) be conspicuous. For examples, see the pics below, courtesy of Amazon. The wearer in the second pic appears to have a ear canal that’s angled down, so the earplug stem is less obvious. For detailed product specs, visit the Etymotic website.
What’s a Disorganized Person To Do?
This well-organized book by Stacey Platt gives hundreds of useful tips for the organizationally-challenged. This is a book you can enjoy just browsing through; the layout is a pleasure to behold, and the photographs are beautiful. The author obviously knows her stuff, she’s a professional organizer who coaches high-value clients.
“This is the greatest book I have seen on organizing. It is incredibly informative, actionable and easy to read. I am going to send one to all of my friends and family members. There is so much great information on things that I never realized I was doing incorrectly.” [Amazon customer review]
DESIGN FOR ASD 