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scootbabe66

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Everything posted by scootbabe66

  1. i watched it tonight on tv..i loved it..brought back so many memories of the 80's! Extremely well acted and i loved the scenes that were recreated of the blitz club sheilax
  2. i saw this on tv when it was first shown....i agree with you that it really is a moving drama..and the characters were so well acted....i cried..so did my husband..i know i certainly could empathise with the parents and that feeling of hopelessness..and the attitude of public services and health professionals! I didnt know it was available on dvd..i am gonna go have a look for it now..i couldnt watch it too often..it is far too emotional..but it is certainly one of those films i would want in my collection sheilax
  3. hi thanks for your lovely comments.. overall i was pleased with the documetnary..it was a shame that you only saw the other boys in the context of jimmys dancing...but then i suppose it was jimmys story...i have received hundreds of mails and messages of support and people asking for more info about autism...so if nothing else it has raised awareness...but i have also received many mails from parents saying they found jimmys story inspirational and it gave them hope for their own childrens futures which was a really positive thing..ive made heaps of new friends online.. George found it really funny seeing himself on tv..he giggled and laughed all the way through and jimmy just kept getting up and dancing and spinning during the programme...alex was horrified at his hair on tv..his hair is really important to him..he spends hours straightening it every day. the kids are really busy at the moment..george took up clarinet lessons and then decided it wasnt for him..so now we are looking into rugby because he thinks he would like to give it a go after seeing a match on tv a few months ago...george is also busy with his world cup sticker book...it is costing me a fortune buying 4 packs of stickers a day for him...jimmy is preparing for his rad ballet exam and the world championships at blackpool and alex is busy studying for his gcse's (he is taking 3) and hoping ot start college in september. sheilax
  4. jimmys documentary is on tv tonight bbc three at 9pm...jimmy and i have spent all afternon at bbc radio tees doing a live show..they say never do live tv or radio with kids...expecially autistic ones!!!!!..lol Jimmy was really hyperactive today and he started the interview chewing the spongey red thing that goes on the end of the microphone and ended the interview with it on his nose! Overall id say it went ok...ish! kids want a party tonight...so i have tons of sandwiches to make....and lots of balloons to blow up..lol..they like balloons and party poppers...the programme will be repeated loads of times in the next week and then things will get back to normal and we will be last weeks news.
  5. hi lindy..welcome to the site..i am fairly new here too.
  6. I was vey interested in the driving programme..my eldest son alex is 17 and wants to learn to drive..we werent actually sure if he would be allowed to drive! Having seen the experiences of these young people on the programme, Alex is confident that he will give it a go...i suppose you would say he is at the higher functuoning end of autism but also has a learning difficulty..but having said that he is taking a few gcse's this year..he attends special school but has been spending time in a mainstream school to study for maths, english and science at gcse level. I dont expect that he will pass at an a-c grade..but that isnt important ...i am so proud that he will be taking some gcse's and he has already been to college to register for a course in IT at nvq level1. Now we have to save up for driving theory test and lessons..lol...and then he will be wanting a car...i need to get on that channel 4 programme...how the other half live and find a millionaire to sponsor my family...all the kids have big ideas and dreams but they are also expensive ones! I applaud tv channels for giving time to programmes about autism..i do agree that it would be nice to see autism and other disabilities represented in a mainstream context..but all the same it is raising awareness because these programmes are entertaining and compulsive viewing in my opinion. I have enjoyed them all even the channel 4 starstruck one. The bbc programmes have been light hearted overall and inspiring..just gettting nervous about next thursda when james is on bbc three..yiikkesss!
  7. i still dont know who i am voting for..lol...i never do i dont see any of the main parties supporting disabilities and i am at the point where i think they will say anything to get your vote...i may vote for a smaller party who will do more locally in my own area..i probably wont make my mind up till next thursday! I dont feel like actually voting but then i remember the suffragettes and how tirelessly they fought for women to get the vote..so i will use my vote..just not sure how to use it yet!
  8. hi..welcome to the forum..quite a few new people joining!
  9. hi BFrench...welcome to the forum..i am pretty new around here too!
  10. james likes to take a quick look at the pictures and the headlines..then just goes off to do his ballet practise...he takes it all in his stride..and is a bit of a reluctant star..he doesnt like to talk about it with friends or other dancers...in fact we went to ballet tonight and he didnt mention it at all to anyone..and probably wont do. He wants to watch the documentary when it is on next thursday..we have all seen it..we got a sneak preview about a month ago... George the twin..he is completely different..he goes into school and tells everyone everything...he loves the publicity but would prefer if there was more about him and not so much about james..lol Next thursday i have promised the kids a little party...we are gonna have a buffet (they like that....it reminds them of new year) and i am buying a bottle of pink champagne..and they are allowed a half glass with lemonade and i am ordering james a basket of flowers to be delivered to the house...very showbiz!!! Well we arent on tv every day of the week much as george would love to be..lol..so we will have a nice evening and maybe have some family round. James will have to do his ballet lesson as normal at 4 till 5 and then another hour 6 till 7..then the party can start at home
  11. I have just been round to the shops and james is featured in most of this weeks tv mags. His documentary is pickof the day in the radio times, featured in the highlights of thursday 6th may with a lovely picture in the tv times, Best of this week stv in tv choice magazine, half page article in true life stories in whats on tv and centre spread in tv quick.. Cant believe it has got so much publicity expecially as it is on a freeview channel not a main terrestial channel.
  12. I will be contacting the school in the next few weeks to ask more about any bursaries etc that are available...but i have already asked education department locally and they said they wouldnt pay any funds towards james going to school in birmingham because they can supply his needs in this area..that is the way they look at it...they arent interested in his need to dance..only in his formal education....i also contacted our local council to ask if there was any help towards james and his current training costs for dancing..but unfortunately they checked and there is nothing for him available. The worst thing is i am discussing all this stuff about bursaries and grants for elmhurst and he might not even get in..still have to get through the interview process...lol...but you have to look ahead when there is so much money involved.
  13. I think that is fantastic...you are a brilliant ambassador for autistic adults everywhere....and keep writing that book! sheilax
  14. in our area of the north east there arent that many ballet schools who do rad ballet. james wants desperately to go to elmhurst at birmingham to board out there...if he was accepted at an audition he may be entitled to a grant or bursary..but 1. there are only a handful of kids who get accepted each year..you ahve to be in the top of that handful to get offered a funded place...so chances are really small as jimmy has no where near their experience of ballet..he ahs only done ballet fo r less than a year...but he is flying through his grades at the moment and still determined to be ready for an audition by later half of this year.. 2. there are only a handful of dance schools who are full time for kids 11-16..the only other 2 i know of are the london royal ballet school..but that is a little far away from us (i'd like him to come home at weekends) as we are in the north east and there is elmhurst at birmingham and hammond at chester..all of tehm ae centres of excellence for gifted children..i am not sure they will consider james to be gifted compared to the other auditionees. i have tried my best to prepare him for the worst news at audition (that he is not getting olffered a place)...but all the same we dont want to go for the audition feeling like he is defeated before he dances...it is a fine balancing act..but i know he will be gutted if they say no. His dream is to dance with the bolshoi ballet...but in order to realize that..you really do need top notch training from an early age. I know very little about the dance and entertainment world..never had any personal inspirations to be on stage or perform anywhere. i just want to do my best for james..so it is a case of leaving no stone unturned in a search for the right training but the truth is that the right training costs a small fortune and is out of reach of regular parents like us..even to keep james dancing as he is at the moment without thinking about full time schools of dance, it is really difficult and i really dont know how much longer we can afford the lessons and fees and costumes for the big competitions and the travel and accomodation and also ballet fees and ballet uniforms... James's dancing has caused problems for his twin brother who feels a bit neglected...and my eldest who is also autistic never complains but i know he must feel a bit jealous of the attention james gets and the time we give to his dancing..the documentary will show this and how volatile the family relationships can be at times...we tried to show an honest and true picture of our lives..or as true as it can be when being filmed for a documentary. In a way the best thing to happen would be for james to win some money and go for an audition and be accepted and heve the means to pay for it...that will make him happy and tehn throught he week i could give the other two the much needed one to one attention they have missed over the last couple of years..although i sometimes question if they have really missed out..i tend to over compensate them with attention and games for their xboxes...i think i am the one losing out!...but hey no one ever said that being a paernt was easy and i know that if james did get into a residential dance school, i wouldnt know what had hit me..i wasnt expecting to lose any of the kids just yet..and i will miss him the most probably..it is like he is entering an exclusive world..a world that i wont be privvy to...i am scared he will grow away from us..but i cant stop him trying to achieve his dreams..if i held him back or didnt support him fully he would resent me for that..i think i would resent myself for that.
  15. hey womans weekly that is one of the glossy ones!!!! Very nice!! i was never in any newspapers until late last year when james went into got to dance..we didnt even know any of us were mentioned or pictured until nas rang us to ask if we wanted to give a media statement..lol...it would have been nice for gtd media office to have rung us at least to say they gave our story to the papers. james hasnt been in a magazine yet..but i think he is featured in the tv ones for next week..i will have to go the shops and but them all to see which ones..lol
  16. Wow Kirsty...you are famous! You are doing a lot of good work that deals with important issues for young people with disabilities..i have just read the article in the link you posted...Good on you! Keep up the good work.
  17. wow..that sounds exciting..you will be a published author! I will be reserving a copy...when you are a famous author i hope you'll remember your mates on this forum and sign a few copies for us.
  18. yes..that was jimmy...lol He never wanted to enter a competition beofre..well not a tv one..but he wants to go to ballet school and tuition fees are enormous..the prize money would have pid for 3 years of tuition if he was offered a place at ballet school...so he decided to have a go..he did brilliantly to get to the last 98 shortlisted from thousands but sadly didnt get a chance of the prize money...theres always next year! He actually quite enjoyed the audition process and the live judging...but the round dancefloor really put him off! I asked him if he wanted to try out for bgt..but i dont think he is ready for simon cowell yet! He has grown in confidence so much over the last year and I dont want to risk him losing what progress he has made. Maybe next year or the year after he will be ready..he just wants to show the judges what he can do and be judged alongside mainstream kids...but it seems the production teams of these shows are more interested in his condition than his dancing..that annoys him sometimes and he cant understand why people are interested in his autism..he finds that strange...i suppose for him it is just last weeks news..he has lived with it all his life...its nothing special..that is what he would say.
  19. Hi .. I am a mum to three boys with autism..they all have a diagnosis of asd and my eldest has epilepsy and asthma. All the boys attend a special school locally although my eldest is now 17 and is starting college to do an nvq1 in I.T. in september and James one of the 10 year old twins has recently started home education whilst we await a new school place. The other twin is quite happy with his placement at his existing school. We were filmed by the bbc for a documentary about james and his dancing last year so I am excited about that coming on tv..may6th..election night..lol on bbc three. It would be lovely to chat to other parents/kids on here who have experience of home education and also of moving a child from special education to mainstream school with support...I would also be interested to hear from anyone who has tried flexi schooling..as this is an option I am considering at the moment. Hopefully I will be active ont he forums...time permitting...speak to you all soon!
  20. Kirsty i thought you were brilliant! you have such a lovely easy going and caring nature and this really comes over in the film. I was disappointed that olly didnt get a proper job offered but i felt really uplifted by toms story.... I loved the first documentary but i thought it left the audience feeling like it was unfinished in some way..so a catch up was really needed! But I know that next year i will be anxious to know what happened to you all so i do hope there is a further follow up planned. My son James is the subject of the third codumentary int he season called autism disco and me. originally, like you kirsty, we were told it was being filmed for a stand alone documentary or for a different season and the working title was disco kid..we started filming last summer and finished in december last year. i think the bbc decided to do the follow on of the autistic me about half way through our filming due to the viewing figures being fabulous. Then of course it was decided that they would do a season of 3 or 4 documentaries....this was all done in consultation with the nas. I partly agree with other people that it would be nice to see autism represented alongside the mainstream..people with autism do seem to be singled out in the media..but i am fine with that as long as it is raising awareness. The one thing that i hope james's documentary shows is that he is succeeding despite the autism not because of it..that is the feeling i also got from the autistic me documentary...all of the young adults shown were just getting on with life as best they could and suceeding despite their autism, with the exception of tom who had been given a rough deal by prospective employers..which shows that we still need to raise more awareness that these kids and adults can achieve great things if they are given the opportunities and support. also congratulations on your blog Kirsty on the bbc website..I read it with interest. Where can i read a copy of the book you are writing? Is it published elsewhere on the net? speak soon and best wishes for your future kirsty.
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