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Canopus

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Posts posted by Canopus

  1. Posted · Report reply

    I find this cause for concern. Origami was a cult at my residential school but in lessons GCSE grade subject material was taught. What's the situation with other lessons? Is T learning material typical for his age group or is he going over primary school stuff again?

     

  2. Posted · Report reply

    I know and I respect the system,but it seems generally speaking,AS or not,kids seem to start school very young here.It does vary from child to child and thats where freedom of choice should come into play,we should be able to decide whats best for our children.

     

    School is not compulsory. A parent has every right to defer sending their kids to school until they are 7, 11, 14, or even not send them at all. The law states that education must be provided from 1st September following the 5th birthday but it need not be at a school. Parents don't even have to register anywhere or tell the LA if they do not want their kids to start school at 5.

     

    But like I say,I would like it to be a parents choice to keep them back or move them forward.My eldest son finds his year group boring(he is in year 4) the teachers try and give him work for yr 5 or 6 but he also finds it hard to interact with kids his age,at home he has friends that are 12 or 13.Likewise Sam has much younger friends at home,usually 4 or 5.

     

    Under the 1996 Educations Act, it is the PARENT'S responsibility to ensure that their kids are educated according to their ability, aptitude, and any SEN they have. If the age based state school education is failing to meet their needs then it is the PARENT'S duty to intervene. If the state school system cannot accommodate a parent's request then they will have to find an alternative education venue.

     

  3. Posted · Report reply

    In fact, I don't think she's really got the point of my concern - my child really can barely write, he scrawls at 100mph across the page in an illegible scribble and he can't always read his own writing, and he's 12. For some reason, it appears to be acceptable that his writing is illegible, that teachers say they can't read it and therefore can't mark it. OK, he can use his laptop, altho this isn't always practicable in class and it's being left up to him to sort it out, but he will have to write at some points in his life... why is there this apathy?

     

    I would have quite happily ripped my teeth out one by one with pliers and no anaesthetic when I was 12 to be in exactly the same position. Handwriting was at the root of so many problems at school and the teachers flatly refused to let me use a computer even for homework. The teachers and my educational psychologist just said it was down to laziness and low personal standards. To make things worse, it was a factor that made my educational psychologist recommend a residential school with lots of discipline and no computers.

     

    I requested a handwriting assessment, but the Senco doesn't know what to do about that and has forwarded my request to the LA, to see who would be financially responsible. She says: 'As you are aware, the school receives no specific funding for X, and our delegated budget for predictable SEN is very small.' My son has a Statement and his handwriting issues are included, but he has no 1:1 funding and in any case our LA operates a system of delegated funding.

     

    There is the issue of whether suitable staff are available to teach handwriting in a secondary school as it's assumed to be an issue already sorted out back at primary school. The statement is technically illegal if the needs are not being met, or are unable to be met, by the school and the LA is the one breaking the law. This should be brought up at the next annual review with a masterplan formulated on how the needs will be met and the timings.

     

    She goes on: 'Of course he can have a scribe for exams. This will gauge how beneficial it will be in advance of public exams.' I had asked about the possibility of voice-recognition software - don't really feel like I've had a very detailed response!

     

    Scribes are available for exams but voice recognition software is still at prototype stage.

     

    I REALLY don't feel that the school is taking this very seriously at all. I wrote a 3-page letter about his handwriting and I don't feel like anything has been answered!! And I am really annoyed about the reference to funding... grrr.

     

    They won't take the issue seriously if your son is allowed to use a computer most of the time. There's a good article about handwriting but it's aimed more at a primary school age audience and requires plenty of dedication and practice.

     

  5. Posted · Report reply

    The reason why I'm asking is because I'm involved in some website design projects. There was a dilemma at the outset whether it was worth spending extra time and effort implementing code hacks to make the websites compatible with IE6. The decision has been made not to bother supporting IE6. I'm convinced that around 3 out of 4 computers that still run IE6 are in large businesses and public sector institutions that run Windows XP and can't be bothered to upgrade because IE6 works fine with the corporate intranet. I have encountered a few people who still use IE6 at work but only one person who uses it at home - and it's on their old computer that they keep as a spare.

  7. Posted · Report reply

    I find this a pretty offensive sentiment.

     

    Maybe you do.

     

    There is certainly scientific evidence that genetics influences personalities and abilities. For a start, great athletes are born rather than trained. Some people have the genes for first rate athletic ability whereas others don't and will not become great athletes no matter how hard they train. Another trait that is almost certainly genetic is the skill at playing politics - whether it be government politics or office politics. Entrepreneural spirit is probably influenced by genetics but I'm still researching this. Every now and then an individual comes forth from a lower class background, often in an economically depressed area, and becomes a very successful businessman. Could it be that they are lucky to have the right genes as a result of a mutation or recessive genes surfacing?

  8. Posted · Report reply

    This cure for autism is only a small component in the concept of creating genetically perfect humans by eradicating genes which produce undesirable outcomes. At one end of the scale are serious medical conditions including Huntingdon's Chorea or an increased likelihood of heart attacks. At the opposite end of the scale are cosmetic issues such as big ears or ginger hair.

     

    If the technology exists to produce genetically perfect humans on a commercial scale then should it be used and natural reproduction discontinued? Opponents will say that it's playing Frankenstein or playing God. Proponents will say that if it creates happy successful people whilst eliminating many of the world's problems and reducing taxes then it has to be the lesser of the evils.

     

    I'm convinced that genetic defects contribute to many of the world's problems including crime, poverty, obnoxious politics, and wars.

  10. Posted · Report reply

    I have been asking around for advice on this job interview question.

     

    The interviewer asks you if you have applied for any jobs elsewhere, or have recently attended or have forthcoming interviews elsewhere.

     

    1. Is this a sarcastic way of saying that you have probably not got the job?

     

    2. How should this question be answered properly?

     

    3. Is it even appropriate that an interviewer should ask this question or is it a trap question?

  12. Posted · Report reply

    I was discussing cultural issues with someone who said that one of the most defining cultural features of a 'true Brit' is the British sense of humour. The same person then went on about how foreigners who have embraced the British sense of humour tend to be more assimilated into British society than foreigners who do not embrace the British sense of humour. He then mentioned that a small fraction of native British people fail to possess the British sense of humour and they often end up becoming marginalised as social inadequates or perceived as miserable individuals.

     

    Do most British people with AS possess the British sense of humour?

  13. Posted · Report reply

    I think a lot comes down to university funding generally and universities being run on business models rather than first and foremost as educational and research institutions. I've been in university environments on and off since 1997 and have seen massive changes in that time.

     

    Too right. Most universities nowadays are businesses in all but name. Some departments don't seem to give a stuff about home students because overseas students bring in more money as they pay full tuition fees whereas home students only pay top up fees. Engineering is a particularly acute example of this.

     

    To me, they are certainly no longer the Asperger, slightly eccentric person safe-haven they once were and that's really quite sad, because you're potentially loosing out on the minds of people who may think a bit differently but who in doing so aren't afraid to see/propose things differently and potentially make advancements in understanding.

     

    This is something I've noticed as well to my dismay.

     

  14. Posted · Report reply

    This is an interesting, albeit very worrying, development. Are any strategic staff with specialist knowledge being laid off? Keep me informed of progress.

     

    Another sour note is that an independent AS support group is on the brink of closure because of lack of funds to keep it running and certain legislation preventing alternative arrangements from being put in place.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    The problem with video recorders is that they are too clunky. You will understand if you watch the way a VHS machine loads a cassette then pulls out the tape and wraps it around the heads. Lots and lots of moving parts. If you are too lazy or lack courage to see for yourself with a real machine then demos are available on YouTube. Even professional video tape formats such as U-Matic or Betacam are no longer used because their machines are just as clunky as VHS.

     

    The day will probably come when people will look back at video tape technology with nostalgia. I still have a few working VHS and Betamax machines that I use to transfer old video material to the digital age.

  18. Posted · Report reply

    Canopus, this discussion is relevant neither to the question asked in this post, nor to autism in general. It is also becoming offensive. Please take it elsewhere.

     

    Softly, softly. As this is coming from a moderator then I sincerely hope that there are no members of this forum who follow 'the other' religion that includes Jesus.

     

    My decorative lights will be turned on this evening and turned off in the morning of March 1st next year.

     

  19. Posted · Report reply

    The gold could have been something like a ring, or, more probably a coin, since it's the significance of the gift that's important. :)

     

    I personally find the nativity story too good to be true. Historical accounts of all sorts of insignificant people and minor events exist from approximately 2000 years ago in the Middle East and I'm intrigued at the absence of any records of the nativity apart from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, which contain various discrepancies with each other. It's also interesting that 'the other' religion that includes Jesus makes no mention of the nativity in its historical account of the individual. Jesus could have been given his gold at a later age although even a pound coin size piece of gold was certainly a very luxurious thing to own back then.

  20. Posted · Report reply

    A cheap imitation might appeal to some people who can't afford the real thing, but your friend's idea does not sound especially cheap

     

    The Rover SD1 ceased production over 20 years ago and surviving examples are now rare. The recreation is not meant to be cheap. It is meant to be a prestigious car like its original.

     

    Older cars do not tend to have bodywork designed to cope with the speeds of modern engines. It sounds a very dangerous idea to me.

     

    I hope you are aware that the original Rover SD1 was available with a heaving great 3.5 litre V8 engine. It was a scorcher and the bodywork showed no signs of creaking and straining at high speed. Vitesses with the V8 engine were used by the police as motorway patrol cars and as security cars at various Royal events of the 1970s and 80s.

  22. Posted · Report reply

    Here's a question from a friend. Would you be interested in buying a car that looked almost identical to the Rover SD1 if they were produced today?

     

    My friend considers the Rover SD1 to be Britain's national car and is interested in setting up a company to manufacture a recreation using the same bodyshell and modern mechanical parts providing there is enough enthusiasm from the public. Engines will range from 2000cc up to a large V8 although alternative power plants such as electric motors and hydrogen fuel cells could be fitted to future versions.

  23. Posted · Report reply

    If you are not officially diagnosed with AS then you shouldn't disclose it. I have a feeling it might even be illegal to disclose you have AS on a driving licence application form.

     

    I am wary about telling an insurance company. They generally don't employ people who have knowledge of AS and will take advantage of the situation to increase a premium. I have met a few parents (mainly home educating) who do not want their kids with AS officially diagnosed simply because it could increase insurance premiums in the future. If a person with AS has an accident as a result of the condition and they are not officially diagnosed then their insurance will be valid. If a person with AS has an accident as a result of the condition and they are officially diagnosed but they haven't informed their insurance company then their insurance could be invalidated if the company somehow finds out that the person has been officially diagnosed.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    There must be some people here who don't celebrate Christmas either because of religious reasons or because they think it's silly. Christmas is just an ordinary day for me and I personally want to see the celebration die a slow death. A Christian friend doesn't celebrate Christmas because he considers it to be a silly pagan celebration with no evidence in the Bible or otherwise that Jesus wanted his birthday (that was probably in September) celebrated at all. He follows a very traditional version of Christianity that rejects the Trinity and later European innovations. His kids found it hard going when they didn't get presents or enjoy a Christmas dinner when they were younger although they seem to have come to terms with it now.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    No doubt there will be problems when it comes to the practicalities but if it is recognised that home edded pupils have the right to access other educational facilities, it's a big step in the right direction, surely?

     

    It will require a massive overhaul of the state school system if flexi-schooling and the opening up of resources to the HE community is to be provided on a large scale nationally. The state school system was designed from the outset for students who attended full time rather than picked services they wanted, in the same way that my car was designed to be driven on the road rather than underwater like a submarine. Two changes that will benefit the HE community will be replacing coursework based GCSEs with all examination IGCSEs, and abolishing the year group system. Will the government have the courage to carry out these two moves, let alone implement more radical ideas? There is also resistance from staff and teaching unions towards radical changes to the state school system that have to be taken into account.

     

    Investing in an ice bucket rather than a corkscrew is probably a realistic move.

     

    If you're interested in this issue, see also IPSEA's detailed submission to the DCSF consultation on this. It focuses on the issues which affect HE'd children with SEN in particular. Interesting reading.

     

    http://www.ipsea.org.uk/PDFs/IPSEA%20Respo...20Education.pdf

     

    Thanks for this.

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