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Canopus

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Everything posted by Canopus

  1. I'm querying whether Glasgow is the best location for such a company. Recently I have been involved in discussions about establishing an embedded systems company employing people with AS. A question that was raised was where to physically locate it. Berkshire and Hertfordshire were high up on the list.
  2. I have been an AS activist since 2005. My knowledge of the NAS comes from my own personal experiences and from the experiences of other people who have used it. The two discussions on the NAS forum are cited to illustrate the disappointment with the NAS by its users and possible corrupt practices which take place especially where money is involved. I have not managed to verify everything written in these discussions so don't take them as gospel although I broadly agree with many of the findings and the criticism. Nothing on the NAS forum is written by myself as I am not registered to post articles. Criminal activity is something I have no knowledge of but it is for a court to decide whether any NAS officials are guilty or not. It depends on the target audience. There is probably much truth to what you say from the perspective of the average Joe who does not know anybody with ASD and it could also upset NAS users who are happy with the services it provides. On the other hand, it could be a tremendous benefit for parents of children with high functioning AS who are not yet aware that the NAS has very little to offer them in practice because their primary interests are in people with low functioning autism who require costly residential services or fit in well with the NAS schools. Lack of awareness of the NAS results in many parents of children with high functioning AS (and some adults with the condition) wasting much time trying to obtain the right services from the NAS before finally realising that they are unlikely to deliver them so they have to go elsewhere. In the meantime lives are being ruined. The NAS has an advantage that the mainstream media will give it coverage whereas disappointed users and independent support groups are unlikely to be given any. Therefore a damning documentary exposing the dark sides of the NAS is unlikely to appear on the terrestrial TV channels. It will be confined to the internet or an obscure satellite channel instead. I dispute this. Sometimes you end up trying to reform the unreformable. The NAS was originally established to support people with traditional autism and only got involved with AS in the 1990s when it was considered to be on the autistic spectrum. This is why I'm of the opinion that it would be better for the NAS to revert back to its origins of traditional autism and get out of AS altogether. I have no idea of the quality of service the NAS offers to people with traditional autism because I'm not involved with it. What I do know is that the needs and requirements of people with high functioning AS are often very different from the needs and requirements of people with traditional autism, and that independent support groups are known to provide much higher quality and more relevant services for people with high functioning AS on a tiny fraction of the NAS budget. Another factor that has to be taken into account is that nearly 90% of the NAS budget comes from the government rather than donations from the public. This means that anybody who is trying to reform the NAS from inside is really trying to reform a quango rather than a truly independent charity. The NAS officials will be loathe to lose this source of revenue which places heavy restrictions on what reforms can be implemented in reality.
  3. I disagree. There is a torrent of criticism of the NAS on their own forum exposing the corruption that takes place. http://community.autism.org.uk/discussions/general-discussions/general-chat/frankley-im-disgusted-nas-wait-censorship http://community.autism.org.uk/discussions/general-discussions/general-chat/anyone-here-getting-any-help-nas Surely it would be in the interest of the AS community to raise awareness of the ineffectiveness of the NAS when it comes to providing services for people with AS because their primary interest is people with traditional autism who require residential services or NAS schools. Personally I think the way that the NAS operates towards people with AS is a cruel deception and that the NAS should revert back to its origins of traditional autism and get out of AS altogether. The NAS also receives close to 90% of its income from the government which means that it is very reluctant bite the government if they are failing to provide support and services. It is probably best to describe the NAS as a quango.
  4. A few questions about Asperger syndrome documentaries. 1. Do you think that the mainstream media portrays AS in a way that is generally representative of reality, or does it have a strong tendency to portray AS in ways that are biased, unrepresentative, misleading, or muddled? 2. Would you have more faith and trust in a documentary about AS shown on the BBC; or a small-scale independent production uploaded to YouTube; or purely in terms of content rather than producer? 3. If an independently produced documentary was critical of the NAS (I doubt that any BBC produced ones will be) then would it affect your judgement of it, if so then how?
  5. My advice is to steer clear of the Job Centre at all costs. Their staff don't understand (or recognise) AS which means that they do not make any allowances or concessions for people with AS. You are very unlikely to find creative jobs advertised at the Job Centre and most of the jobs they offer are unskilled or menial. You don't even need to visit the Job Centre to see what they offer because you can now check all jobs on the internet. Finding decent helpful Job Centre staff is like finding diamonds in dust. By and large the Job Centre staff are miserable, fed up, rude, unhelpful, unsympathetic, misunderstanding, vindictive, threatening, out of touch with the realities of the job market, or any combination of these. They subscribe to the attitude that a job is a job and they will threaten you to take unsuitable jobs or else face benefits sanctions. They have targets to meet by their managers which is why they rarely differentiate between their clients based on individual circumstances. The terms and conditions for anybody claiming JSA is to spend every hour searching for paid employment. The DWP does not like people on JSA from doing voluntary work although they can't stop them, but if you tell Job Centre staff then they will require a letter giving proof that you are not being paid before you can claim JSA. My advice would be to continue in self employment and claim WTC while you still have the chance. From April 2014 new claims for WTC will finish as part of the transition towards Universal Credit. Self employed people on UC will be in contact with DWP staff and hounded to take minimum wage jobs if self employment isn't making enough money.
  6. Not strictly true. All HE kids who previously attended school are known to the LA unless they move house. The attitude towards monitoring and assessment of HE kids varies considerably from LA to LA. Some LAs are known to consistently harass HE families whereas other LAs rarely check up on HE kids at all. One HE family who started HE at primary school age only had LA inspectors round twice - at the start of Y7 to find out what was happening about secondary school education, and at the start of Y10 to find out what was happening about GCSEs and exams.
  7. Does he have any particularly strong subjects or subjects he really enjoys? AS kids almost always have uneven profiles and are ahead of the curriculum for their year group in a few subjects but struggle with other subjects. If he has strengths in certain subjects then consider accelerated learning and taking the GCSE before Y11. This will almost certainly have to be done as a private candidate because very few SEN schools enter students in for exams early. I doesn't matter if the grade is poor because GCSEs can be taken an unlimited number of times. I find the bit about university intriguing because AS kids tend to have strong interests with a good idea of what career they want in the future and what course they want to study. I have not encountered any who want to go to university with no idea what course they want but I have found plenty of NT kids who think along this line - probably for the social side or the impression that university opens doors etc. Definitely keep the HE option open. My advice would be to investigate the local HE scene to establish an idea of who the local HE kids are and whether they have any similarities to your son. Whatever option you choose in the end you will almost certainly have to be responsible for providing some services - whether they be academic, social, or life skills - because you will be hard pressed to find a school that provides everything. I wouldn't waste too much time and effort battling the system in the hope that the state will provide EVERY service your son needs because they won't. HE kids have friends and some have more friends that at any time they were at school.
  8. Academic potential is a term that lacks precise definition and only the individual knows what their true potential is. Teachers have a habit of saying that the kids they teach do not live up to their potential, but in reality they just want kids to get better GCSE grades because it gives them kudos and bumps up the school's position in the league tables. Parents shouldn't push kids down paths they don't want to go down on the basis that they are clever and otherwise it's a waste of a brain. Some kids decide they have had enough of a subject at a particular time and this should be respected. I have encountered kids that have taken their GCSEs early but it doesn't mean that they are clever and neither does it mean that it is a waste if they don't continue the subject to A Level. What you do not want to do is focus almost entirely on academics with the belief that the social side will develop naturally because it won't. There is not a lot worse than becoming an unemployable genius. The social skills and life skills are just as important and what really matters are those for life outside school rather than those required to fit in with a peer group at school. Most AS kids cannot become natural teenagers and trying to force them to develop the social skills for teenage peer groups and embracing teenage subculture will destroy them. Listen to advice from adults with AS because it is usually better than that from so called professionals.
  9. I'm undecided over whether parents would have to try hard to reduce options for kids of this age group, or whether options are always reduced in one way or another no matter what educational setting is used. For example, home education could make the study of some science subjects difficult because of lack of access to equipment for practical work but they could open other options in being able to study many subjects not in the school curriculum. The converse will be true for school. What I dislike is an attitude of parents that the NC is more important than subjects that aren't in the NC and kids should study it and get GCSEs just in case they might need them. They might never use the knowledge or the qualifications at any time in their life but they still have them just in case. Sometimes keeping options open is sacrificing the present which exists for a future which may not exist.
  10. Is he seriously interested in science GCSEs? It's important to bear in mind whether he can survive at university. Intelligence isn't everything and academically intelligent students can struggle badly with the system and have difficulty making friends. I advise you and your son to read University, the Best Choice? by Gareth Lewis. Unless your son plans on studying medicine which requires 6 A grade GCSEs (all medical students have to have 3 A grade A Levels) then he can easily get into university without any GCSEs. Many home educated children have done this and it's well worth talking to the HE community. Every university department has an undergraduate admissions tutor who is your point of contact for advice and discussion. Remember that many overseas students haven't got GCSEs and universities are primarily interested in A Levels or their equivalents rather than lower level qualifications.
  11. Is there a reason why he wants to go to university and what course does he want to study?
  12. This is a lack of confidence more than anything else. The reality is that much of the secondary school curriculum is best learned as and when needed in life rather than before the age of 16 on a just it case it might be needed basis. We have the internet nowadays which makes it easy to learn secondary school material if required when one is in their 20s or 30s. The time would be better spent learning life skills and following one's interests. Never overlook the importance of casual education or assume that education isn't education unless it's taught by a qualified teacher in a classroom.
  13. Is anybody here interested in emigrating to South America?
  14. I know this sounds like inciting criminal behavior but if you are evicted then I strongly recommend destroying your house by totally smashing it to pieces. Leave the landlord with a ruin.
  15. I don't think lasting results is quite the correct terminology. I have heard parents go as far as make references to a life support machine for use at school. The health of most kids with SEN magically improves after beginning HE.
  16. I am already well aware of this. However, experience has revealed that these therapies are required primarily for coping in a school type setting, so are often no longer required after HE commences.
  17. The government is tightening up on benefits. Income Support used to be an ideal benefit for HE educating parents but the government has now almost phased it out for children of school age. At the moment the best option is to become self employed and claim Working Tax Credits. Many HE parents do this because it's the best 'passive' source of income from the government. WTC are administered by HMRC and not the DWP / Job Centre. I suggest that you act quickly because WTC are being replaced by Universal Credit for new claims this October although existing WTC claimants can continue on WTC for the next few years. Universal Credit is very stingy and self employed people will be subject to the wrath of the Job Centre and forced to take up a low paid job if their business doesn't make enough profit. The social skills is a myth. http://www.aspergersupport.org.uk/articles/socialisation.html I recommend that you get a bit more involved with the HE community and you will realise this. The fact that your son has no real friends at school should have sounded the alarm bells. Many parents have utterly destroyed their children by sending them to school to learn social skills. The damage lasts a lifetime. It would be more productive and beneficial to try and find friends outside of school. No it isn't. HE is not a one-way ticket. If it doesn't work out then you can always send your kids back to school. Under the 1996 Education Act, parents are responsible for their child's education. Not the LA or the school. The years of pain battling with the education system are usually not worth it unless there is a totally perfect school and it could lead to long term damage. How exactly do you do that? To withdraw a child from a state school you have to send in a letter saying that they are now HE or attend another school. I disagree with this. Parents and local support groups often know more about how to provide for SEN than schools and LA professionals do.
  18. Nearly 90% of the income of the NAS comes from the government. http://fakecharities.org/2011/02/charity-269425/
  19. Damning criticism of the NAS on their own forum. http://community.autism.org.uk/discussions/general-discussions/general-chat/frankley-im-disgusted-nas-wait-censorship http://community.autism.org.uk/discussions/general-discussions/general-chat/anyone-here-getting-any-help-nas
  20. Policymakers don't seem to have taken into account that a far higher proportion of kids have computers at home or smartphones in their pockets than at any time in the past and that they probably learn more about IT there than in school lessons. The British education system has an egalitarian bedrock where policymakers have a desire to provide educational resources for those who don't have them at home even if it means spending vast sums of money to provide for a shrinking minority. Is 'too poor to afford a computer at home' really a valid argument to spend the amount of money that is currently spent on IT in schools? The argument about the ability to use computers for office type applications from the perspective of employment could also be extended to cars. Everybody nowadays assumes that almost all primary school kids will become drivers one day but why are things related to cars not on the school curriculum? The government has been looking at developing a computer science GCSE that will be much more technical than the current ICT GCSE which really is a modern version of the office skills course of the 1970s rather than a proper STEM subject. It does generate a question whether computers should be few in number and more confinced to technical applications like CAD CAM and control systems rather than large in number and used for office type applications.
  21. There are plenty of jobs that require very little use of computers ranging from construction work to food preparation. You might be surprised at how many businesses there are in Britain that do not have computers. I was when I found out. Define IT literate.
  22. I have had some very contrasting views from parents of kids with AS. The strongest opponents include a 40 something IT professional who hardly ever used a computer at school and a 20 something medic with 10 O Levels from a school in Pakistan which had a couple of ancient PCs as its only computer facilities.
  23. I want your honest opinion here... As each year goes by, the amount of public money spent on primary and secondary education continually increases but the end results of this taxpayer funded education never seems to improve no matter what changes and reforms are implemented. If there is one single area of state education that has experienced the greatest increase in expenditure - both in terms of money consumed and as a proportion of the overall education budget - since 1980 it is computers. They cost lots of money to buy; money for software licences; money for staff training; money for technician's salaries; money for consumables like ink cartridges; and money for electricity to power them. Money that never had to be factored into the education budget in the 1970s and in previous decades because computers didn't exist in a suitable form for schools back then. Money that is almost ringfenced whilst other educational services are being cut. If drastic cutbacks need to be made to the education budget then computers are actually a very easy target in which to make the savings. A government decision to cease providing computers in state schools will slice a huge chunk off the education budget almost overnight with minimal staff redundancies. There are critics of computers in schools both from the educational and financial perspectives. Some of them have said that the money the government spends on computers in schools could be spent on the following services instead: More teaching staff and higher staff salaries. Free nursery education nationwide. Building repairs and maintenance. Free meals and milk for all primary school children. More support staff for children with SEN and disabilities. Teaching of practical skills and life skills. More textbooks and educational equipment. All of which have widespread popular support amongst parents but governments are loathe to implement on the back of a lack of money argument. Should state schools have computers or would it be more beneficial to spend the money elsewhere and cut taxes? If British state schools no longer had computers then would it make school leavers uncompetitive compared with those who attended schools in other countries that have computers? Could removing computers from state schools create massive disaffection amongst students and even lead to a dramatic rise in private and home education in environments with computers?
  24. You are wrong. I have been researching and investigating Myers Briggs in the corporate world for over 5 years. My findings are that input from professional psychologists who are familiar with Myers Briggs is quite low. Companies use Myers Briggs because their competitors do or as a result of articles in HR magazines recommending it. Sometimes corporations have most and least preferred personality types. Management is known to go through phases and crazes often without much rational or logical analysis from first principles. The widespread use of Myers Briggs in the corporate world is relatively new to Britain but it is very much an American institution and firmly ingrained into American society.
  25. Business leaders are prone to the follow the pack mentality where they do things just because their competitors are doing it or because of articles written in HR magazines, and rarely do they look at things from first principles in order to obtain a true understanding of them. Myers Briggs was not originally designed for job interviews which I why I mentioned the misuse of a tool. A similar analogy could be using an ECG machine in a job interview handled by a manager or HR type who has had no training in cardiology.
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