Aeolienne

It doesn't exactly inspire confidence that Ian can't spell Somerset and thinks that Lands End is in that county.

It's not immediately clear what the money raised is going towards - and how does this trip raise awareness of ASDs, exactly?

(Not written by me) Mar 8, 2022 Professor Amanda Kirby Highlights Forgotten Neurodiversity Heroines On International Women’s Day Nancy Doyle Contributor Diversity, Equity & Inclusion I am an organizational psychologist specializing in neurodiversity. In celebration of International Women’s Day, it is becoming a trend to right the wrongs of the past and amplify the work of women who were erased from the popular discourse. Famous examples include Dr Rosalind Franklin, whose work on DNA was essential but was overlooked by the Nobel Prize committee when they awarded her colleagues, Crick, Watson and Wilkins in 1962. We are also aware of Ada Lovelace, who wrote the first algorithm, yet her boss Charles Babbage is hailed as the ‘father of computing’. Also regularly overlooked in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is Dr Gladys West who invented the core mathematical principles behind GPS technology. Neurodiversity And Sexism The social and medical sciences are not immune from historical sexism. We see this in the story of sociologist Judy Singer, who originated the concept of neurodiversity but is rarely referenced academically by the male academics who are now famous for their writing on the subject. Singer’s academic career was cut short by her position as a single parent raising an autistic child. Singer rightly criticizes the neurodiversity discourse around “pushy mothers” advocating for their kids and being chastized by professionals. What about the dads? Where are they? Why are we singling out only half the parents as responsible for their child’s welfare and then berating them for being hysterical and making up their problems? The layers of gender bias in neurodiversity are many and their tentacles stretch way beyond the diagnosis disparity. We might also suggest that the reason we have such a wide disparity in diagnosis between men and women is because the male scientists who have dominated the field have created the definitions and checklists from their own standpoint. Today, we acknowledge the many women sociologists, psychologists and physicians who have contributed to the neurodiversity narrative and advanced our mission without recognition and fame. Professor Amanda Kirby presents two women whose work she would like to amplify. Dr Grunya Sukhareva Professor Kirby states: “Introducing Dr Sukhareva. Perhaps you have not heard of her? Surprisingly I had not done so till recently. Two full decades before Hans Asperger and Leo Kanner published work relating to autism there was a Russian Jewish female doctor in Moscow who was ahead of the field.” Only in the past 4 years has this come to light with Spectrum News and the Scientific American reporting her findings from her 1925 published article: “It was 1924 when the 12-year-old boy was brought to the Moscow clinic for an evaluation. By all accounts, he was different from his peers. Other people did not interest him much, and he preferred the company of adults to that of children his own age. He never played with toys: He had taught himself to read by age 5 and spent his days reading everything he could instead. Thin and slouching, the boy moved slowly and awkwardly. He also suffered from anxiety and frequent stomach-aches.” Where Sukhareva worked children sometimes lived in a residential setting for 2-3 years having detailed interventions. This allowed her to observe their ‘behaviours’ first- hand and over a prolonged period. Over the course of the following year, Sukhareva identified five more boys with what she described as “autistic tendencies.” All five also showed a preference for their own inner world, yet each had their own peculiarities or talents. In 1925, she published a study describing in detail the autistic features the six boys shared and these directly mapped to the later DSM criteria, yet Dr Sukhareva is virtually missing from the history of autism. Professor Kirby explains how this happened: “Very little Russian research from that time was translated into other languages besides German. And although her 1925 paper on autism traits appeared in German the following year, the translation butchered her name, misspelling it as “Ssucharewa.” The paper was only translated into English nearly 70 years later. Interestingly it was translated into German it was likely that Asperger would have read it but he never referenced her work. It was translated into English in 1996.” Dr Esther Thelen Professor Kirby describes a second expert in developmental psychology to whom she thinks we should be indebted. This is Dr Esther Thelen. Professor Kirby explains Dr Thelen’s work: “Thelen's research in the 1980s was focused on human development, especially in infant development. We used to think that child development followed a set pattern from babyhood to toddler: reach, grasp, roll, sit, crawl and then walk (we call these developmental milestones). We used to think that if you didn’t follow the order, it was problematic. The description, prior to Thelen’s work of these milestones resulted in a view of motor development as a rather rigid process. Developmental milestones are a core component of diagnosing neurodevelopmental differences such as dyspraxia, dyslexia and autism. Thelen and her co-workers demonstrated that there was complex interplay between infants' bodies, their environment, and earlier experiences which impacted on the course of development. Specifically, through careful observation they determined that new born leg kicking patterns are affected by their weight, their context (lying, being held up, being in water) and it was these contexts determining their progress, rather than a natural order of development. Importantly, they showed there was not one single factor but a complex mesh of interactions with resulted in the outcome.” Professor Kirby draws the following conclusion from Dr Thelen’s work to the neurodiversity movement and the wider concepts involved in the social model of disability. “For me, this is fundamental to our understanding and provision of support for neurodivergent children and adults today in school or the workplace. We need to move to thinking of people with a diagnosis of dyslexia or autism for example as all needing the same support but always also thinking about the task the person is doing and the environment they are in as this will affect everyone differently.” Dr Thelen was quoted as saying "The mind simply does not exist as something decoupled from the body and experience," this sentence indicating the trend towards biopsychosocial, holistic understanding of human development. Dr Thelen was able to show that we develop as part of a dynamic and complex system and the environment we are in also interacts too and impacts on our development. Her theory called Dynamic Systems Theory proposes that movement is produced from the interaction of multiple sub-systems within the person, task, and environment). This is of great use to those being diagnosed with dyspraxia, dyslexia and others, as in doing so one's childhood history is analysed for missing skills or unusual trajectories. Dr Thelen's work helps us them determine interventions could help children develop skills that they need for independence. Professor Kirby Herself It would be remiss of me to not to mention Professor Kirby’s own work on dyspraxia (aka developmental coordination disorder(DCD)). Her research is world renowned and remains the only consistent academic reporting on this minority neurotype, which is present at similar levels in the population as ADHD and many times the prevalence of autism, yet remains under served. Professor Emeritus at the University of Cardiff, she has 2663 citations for her writing, showing how it has influenced others in the our field. Professor Kirby's work ensures that we don’t forget dyspraxic voices and helps us understand the routes of support required for dyspraxic adults. Thank you to these great women! Source: Forbes

(Not written by me)EAT upholds serial claimant’s appeal after tribunal struck out discrimination case because of previous ‘vexatious’ attempts16 Mar 2021 By Elizabeth HowlettExperts say ruling highlights the need for HR to vet potential candidates after job hunter launches more than 30 claims in three yearsA dyspraxic jobseeker who had a discrimination claim struck out after the tribunal said he had launched more than 30 “vexatious” disability discrimination claims in the space of three years will have the decision reconsidered, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has said.The EAT remitted a 2019 ruling by the East London Hearing Centre that found Christian Mallon was not discriminated against by infrastructure consultancy firm Aecom when applying for a role at the company.Mallon had argued that his dyspraxia – also referred to as developmental coordination disorder – meant he was unable to complete an online application, and the company failed to make reasonable adjustments for him. Mallon claimed he was unable to interact with online forms, password characters and drop-down menus and requested that Aecom allow him to submit an oral application.However, despite Aecom’s requests for Mallon to outline what was problematic and how they could assist, he did not offer any details of his disability and insisted on an oral application. The initial employment tribunal (ET) also noted Mallon had lost multiple tribunal claims against various employers between 2017 and 2019 – including one in which he was ordered to pay the employer costs of nearly £4,000.Judge Burgher, who ruled on the initial ET claim, said that because Mallon had previous claims relating to similar matters against recruitment agencies and other organisations that were either dismissed or withdrawn of his own volition, this was “one of the rare cases” where the exception to the rule that discrimination clams should not be struck out applied.He added this was indicative of a “lack of substance” to those claims and “no credible basis” to maintain them.However, the EAT said despite the number of previous claims made by the claimant, it was not possible without further investigation to determine on a summary basis that Mallon’s claim – that he was put at a substantial disadvantage by being asked to complete an online application – was false. Nor was it possible to determine on a summary basis that Mallon already knew the claim was false.As such, the EAT ruled that the case would be heard again by a different ET judge.The initial East London ET heard that, on 5 June 2017, a fair employment tribunal in Northern Ireland threw out his claim of disability discrimination against the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) when he was not shortlisted or interviewed for a position. Mallon argued that he couldn’t complete the online application and had difficulty clicking on the activation button to begin his online application in an email. The tribunal did not accept that Mallon “was not familiar with the concept of clicking a blue link on his screen” and found his evidence to be “at best confused, and at worst misleading”.The tribunal heard that, following this claim, Mallon withdrew 17 separate claims because of his “lack of knowledge of the requirements to advance a claim”. But Burgher said he found this “hard to believe” given the detailed findings of the DAERA judgment. Burgher then brought Mallon’s claim against John Lee Recruitment in August 2018 to the tribunal’s attention, in which he was ordered to pay 50 per cent of the costs, amounting to £3,995, when he withdrew his claim. Mallon then withdrew a further 12 remaining claims from 2018-19 “as a result of the costs judgment” in the John Lee Recruitment case.Following this, in March 2019, Mallon entered into another employment tribunal for disability discrimination against recruitment agency MBA Notts after he failed to be shortlisted for several jobs. During the hearing, employment judge R Clark pointed out that Mallon’s CV demonstrated he was highly educated and had held a number of senior positions, and that it disclosed his disability and detailed how dyspraxia may manifest.However, Clark struck out Mallon’s claim as he was rejected for having no experience for the roles he applied for and his claim had “little reasonable prospect of success”.Jules Quinn, partner at King & Spalding International, said the case highlights how employers could avoid finding themselves in a similar situation to the organisations mentioned above by conducting background checks on potential candidates.“It is very easy for an employer to conduct a background check to determine what, if any, tribunal claims or cases a job applicant has brought against previous employers,” said Quinn.But she added that acting on any findings also risked putting the employer on tricky legal ground. While “careless hiring practices” can leave an organisation exposed, Quinn also warned that taking any action against a candidate, such as not shortlisting them for an interview, could amount to victimisation.Source: People Management

Not that he's the first autistic Eng Lit graduate to go into law. This from the Guardian five years ago: ‘I saw being autistic as an opportunity, not a weakness’ As you may have gathered, I can't be bothered to copy and paste the article out in full, but these lines really stood out for me: (emphasis added) Why was Ben from Employable Me so ignorant of how competitive the legal profession was? Or rather, why was he allowed to be so ignorant?

Thanks :-)

Here's one autistic individual who has made a success in the legal profession. Interestingly, his undergraduate degree was not in law but in Eng Lit... ‘I just think differently’: how an autistic lawyer landed his dream career

Or, for that matter, Signkid - the UK's first and only Deaf producer, writer and performer to have integrated British Sign Language into live hip-hop music performances.

This is a series of 4 beginners' workshops into live coding music and art skills. These workshops will be run by Antonio Roberts who performs live coding music and art around the world. These workshops are a fun way of learning about coding creatively and on a free outsourced platform. Workshops will be at Birmingham Open Media from 18:00 - 20:00 with specific focus on: Wednesday 5th January – basic music coding Wednesday 12th January – layering music coding Wednesday 19th January – basic art coding Wednesday 26th January – merging music and art coding More information here

Recitative & Song from La vision de la reine by Augusta Holmes, arranged by Stephen Isserlis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3Hc7HmYXlA

George Gershwin, Variations on I Got Rhythm

Interview with Greta Thunberg from last Saturday's Guardian

(Not written by me) Showman Milly Ayers has become the first student from a travelling family to win a place studying Classics at Oxford, hailing the prestigious place as “a win for the entire fairground community.” A showman from Chertsey has become only the third student from a travelling family to win a place at Oxford, having taught herself Classics after leaving school at 13. Milly Ayers, who has worked on fairgrounds since she was three years old, will join St John’s College this September, and hailed the news as a victory for Showmen. “My success is a win for the entire fairground community, and if any good comes out of that, I’ll be over the moon,” Ayers told the Oxford Mail. “Perhaps while I am there I can show people that showmen and travellers in general aren’t these stupid Neanderthals like the stereotypes suggest.” Ayers was raised as part of a traditional travelling Showmen family, and spent most of her childhood helping both her parents and grandparents operate rides, strikers and food stands. Despite attending primary school, Ayers – who has autism and Asperger’s – found that the secondary school system was not “a good fit,” and left school in order to give herself an education beyond the state syllabus. “It wasn’t a traditional education by any means, it was very flexible, but I suppose because I’d always had that love of education, of learning, I was able – with the help of my parents and everything – to find a way that suited me.” Over the next three years, Ayers taught herself the GCSE syllabus by studying books, watching documentaries, and visiting museums and historical sites, and though she dismisses the grades she achieved as “pretty average,” her studies allowed her to pursue A-Levels in English, History and Classics at college. With higher education a long-time goal, Ayers then looked to Oxford, and found support through mentoring organisation Zero Gravity – which paired Ayers with a Cambridge PhD student during the admissions process. “I’m really excited to be able to go and learn there,” Ayers told Steph McGovern during an interview on Steph’s Packed Lunch. “I think it’s a good opportunity not just for me but for the entire Showmen community, to put our voices out there and show that we do exist, and we are capable.” Milly Ayers made her national TV debut on Channel 4 recently explaining life on the road and her self-education journey to Oxford University. “It’s a good opportunity to put our voices out there,” she explained to a live audience. “We’re a community, now recognised, and I want to try to educate people about who we are.” Well, Milly is an intellect who decided to leave school at 13 due to autism and went on to pursue her ‘love for the ancient world’ by studying classics. From the age of three, she has lived the fairgrounds, travelling the country opening up and down working the markets and fetes. “We’re primarily businessmen,” she explained proudly. But education, and a switch to one of the world’s top five universities, has drawn the fairground teenager. But it hasn’t all been comfortable. That journey, she explained, has included insults and signs daubed outside the yard her family live in. But she’s going to work on that: “That’s what I want to change,” she confirmed. And no doubting she will. An engaging character, Milly has attracted a wave of support from the travelling community and beyond. Her blog Antigine Journal includes a Showman’s Odyssey, and her Channel 4 interview drew widespread plaudits: “So inspiring and a fantastic representation of our community”; “You’re a credit”; “a wonderful advert for showmen and women.” Ayers certainly rocks. Source: Coinslot A more detailed article about Milly Ayers has appeared in the Daily Express, according to PressReader, but I'm unable to access the article directly. Fairground traveller Milly wins a place at Oxford

What does your son plan to do after his chemistry degree?

(Not written by me) EXCLUSIVE: Plymouth killer's school teacher tells how he was obsessed with guns and had a history of compulsive disorder and anger issues - so how is it possible he was allowed to have a shotgun? Jake Davison, 22, shot dead five, including a girl, 3, and her father, before killing himself in Plymouth rampage Police removed his shotgun licence but returned it mere months before the deadly attacks on Friday evening Experts have called for an urgent overhaul of firearms licensing laws, said police decisions were failing public By Jonathan Bucks and Scarlet Howes and Nick Constable for The Mail on Sunday Published: 22:12, 14 August 2021 | Updated: 07:40, 15 August 2021 A teacher who knew Plymouth killer Jake Davison expressed his fury and disbelief last night that his former pupil was allowed to own a shotgun – and revealed that he had been obsessed with firearms from a young age. In the wake of Davison’s terrifying rampage – during which he massacred his mother, a three-year-old girl and her father, a dog walker and a bystander – stunned teacher Jonathan Williams described the decision to grant him a gun licence as a ‘catastrophic mistake’. Mr Williams, who taught English, drama and music to Davison at Mount Tamar special school in the city said: ‘You have to ask, what the hell were they thinking giving him this licence? ‘If you ask anyone who was involved in Jake’s schooling whether giving him a licence was a good idea, they would all tell you absolutely not. ‘How is it possible that a police officer read Jake’s history of obsessive compulsive disorder, anger issues and depression and concluded he should be allowed to own a firearm? ‘It was a catastrophic mistake with utterly tragic consequences. Something went badly awry and you can’t help but feel this whole tragedy could have been avoided. There will be serious questions now about who is responsible for all this happening. ‘I’m imagining what we, his teachers, would have thought about the prospect of him requesting a gun licence. We would probably have laughed in disbelief to be honest.’ Mr Williams, who taught the killer when he was aged 14 to 16, recalled how Davison’s obsession with guns developed as a boy. He said: ‘He used to have books and books about guns. Whenever I put a film on in class which had a gun in it, he would instantly recognise it and knew the exact make and model. I remember him saying: “Oh, that’s a Glock” and he would be right. ‘His mum Maxine and I decided to try to help him get into the Army Cadets as an outlet for his fascination. She was extremely supportive and only wanted to do the best for him, and I remember going out to help get him boots.’ Mr Williams said Davison’s autism diagnosis should also have barred him from holding a shotgun licence. He questioned whether the 22-year-old had been receiving adequate care in recent years and believed that the killer would have had a ‘bright future’ if he had been given the right support. He spoke of his shock that the boy he once described as the ‘success story of the year’ had gone on to shoot dead five in Britain’s first ‘incel’ mass shooting – named after a misogynistic online subculture of ‘involuntary celibates’ unable to find a sexual partner – before turning the gun on himself. He said: ‘It is utterly horrifying and tragic. My heart goes out to Jake’s friends and family, as much as to those of his victims. ‘For me, having spent so much time with him and done all I could to help him, for it to end like this is heartbreaking. Jake would have had an education, health and care plan, which means the State would be required to provide support up to the age of 25. Was he really receiving the support needed?’ Mr Williams’s comments came as Devon and Cornwall Police faced mounting criticism over their decision to return Davison’s shotgun licence after an alleged assault last December. Friends of the killer’s victims, as well as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Plymouth MP Luke Pollard, called for urgent answers as to why the permit was given back to him last month after attending an anger management course. In a 12-minute massacre, Davison first shot dead his 51-year-old mother, then killed three-year-old Sophie Martyn and her adoptive father, 43-year-old Lee. His two next targets – Ben Parsonage, 33, and his mother Michelle, 53 – both survived. He then killed 59-year-old Stephen Washington, who was walking his two pet huskies in a nearby park. His final victim was Kate Shepherd, 66, who was smoking a cigarette outside a hair salon. In further developments related to the tragedy yesterday: The Independent Review of Terrorism Legislation said the Government could start treating ‘incel’ shootings as terrorism incidents; It was warned that there are 10,000 people in Britain with ‘incel’ views; Home Secretary Priti Patel laid flowers at the scene of the massacre and described the killings as ‘tragic beyond words’ – but declined to answer questions about gun control; Mourners also left hundreds of bouquets; A former leading prosecutor said Davison was ‘exactly the type of person’ the authorities should have had on a watchlist; Last night, Mr Williams added that despite Davison being well-built as a teenager, he never had to physically restrain him. ‘We often had problems with some students, I don’t remember ever having to use physical force with Jake,’ he said. ‘He was never violent. In fact, he was often very gentle and kind with his classmates. ‘He liked to get people involved with class activities and he was witty too. He had fantastic creative writing skills too and was just very thoughtful. It is just utterly tragic to think what has happened.’ Meanwhile, a relative in Shetland where 51-year-old Maxine’s family came from, who asked not to be named, criticised the authorities. Another unnamed relative added: ‘The family members up here in Shetland are traumatised, we struggle to string a sentence together as we are all devastated not just for our family, we are grieving for every single person that was affected by this – and we have to live with that for the rest of our days.’ Survivor Ben Parsonage is a former junior boxer whose strong character will help him cope with Davison’s murderous rampage, a family friend said last night. The friend, who asked not to be named, said Ben was a promising teenager fighter who had boxed at shows across the West Country. He said: ‘He was well respected at junior level. His mum Michelle used to travel with him and watch him ringside. ‘He is a strong character and he knows how to look after himself. I do feel he will come through this, though. He has a good family and a lot of good friends ready to support him.’ Speaking to community leaders in Keyham, Ms Patel said: ‘The impact of this will be long-standing. It’s a very sad time, very tragic. I think in the aftermath, so many people will be affected. ‘People will have seen things that, quite frankly, in all our lifetime we would never, ever want anybody to witness or experience. ‘It’s very hard. But you are not on your own, there is a great deal of support.’ Former Chief Crown Prosecutor for the North West Nazir Afzal told BBC radio that there were 10,000 people with ‘incel’ views like Davison in the country. Mr Afzal said: ‘How many of them, a small minority, are a threat? We have to recognise that we have a responsibility to identify them and share that information. ‘He was exactly the kind of person that you would be keeping an eye on or the authorities should be keeping an eye on.’ Meanwhile, the Government is likely to consider treating so-called ‘incels’ as terrorists if there are more attacks like the Plymouth shootings, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation has said. Jonathan Hall QC told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: ‘The question is really whether or not the authorities want to treat the incel phenomenon as a terrorist risk. That would involve diverting resources or putting resources into it. ‘If we see more of these sorts of attacks, then I have got no doubt that it will be treated more seriously as terrorism.’ SO WHAT TURNED THIS 'COMPASSIONATE' BOY INTO A MASS MURDERER? Gunman Jake Davison was praised as ‘compassionate’ and a ‘success story’ in a glowing school report. His former teacher Jonathan Williams wrote that classmates had warmed to ‘his exceptional sense of humour, compassion, readiness to accept the rules and to help others’, and that he had ‘learned to ‘develop strong friendships’. The report, obtained by The Mail on Sunday, contrasts starkly with the disturbing YouTube videos Davison recently posted in which he railed against women, claimed he had been ‘defeated by life’ and that he was ‘fat and ugly’. Mr Williams, who taught autistic Davison for three years at Mount Tamar special school, wrote in 2013 that Jake had been ‘the success story of this year’. He wrote: ‘At the beginning of the year, much of Jake’s attitude and behaviour were typical of children with his condition. ‘Something seems to have had a terrific effect on Jake, as over the year he has made exceptional progress, both on modifying his behaviour and putting in a much harder effort with his work. ‘His grades have increased considerably in literacy and other subjects. ‘The real change, however, has occurred in Jake’s social skills, where he has learned to develop strong friendships. ‘It is particularly pleasing to see Jake involve himself in Army Cadets, and the support he has received at home should ensure that this becomes a rewarding and valuable part of his training. ‘I’m really pleased with Jake this year, and look to him to set the example to other students next year.’ Last night, Mr Williams said: ‘I really thought Jake had a bright future ahead of him. I just can’t believe that the kind young man with such a bright future turned out like this. It’s an utter tragedy.’ Weapon licensing laws in need of urgent overhaul, says expert A firearms expert last night called for an overhaul of gun licensing laws in the wake of Jake Davison’s murderous rampage. Under the current system, would-be gun-owners are assessed by their local police, who judge whether they have a ‘good reason’ to own a firearm and whether they pose a threat to the public. But an expert last night said police forces were failing to visit people in person at home, and that there were insufficient mental health checks. Weapons expert Mike Yardley said: ‘There is a glaring error in the way the licensing system works. We need to have more people laying eyes on people in their own home.’ Davison, 22, who was autistic, was stripped of his shotgun licence last December, following a violent altercation with his father Mark. The gun was returned to him in July after he attended an anger management course. A month later, he blasted to death five people – including his mother -– before turning the gun on himself. It is unclear what checks were made on Davison before his licence was reinstated, but Mr Yardley said someone would have had to vouch for him. He queried why vetting officers had overlooked Davison’s disturbing YouTube videos, in which he described himself as a ‘Terminator’ and said he had been ‘defeated by life’. He said: ‘This was clearly a disturbed young man. It does not take an awful lot of research to work that out. How on earth could he be given a licence? There will be a lot of questions for everyone involved.’ Source: The Mail on Sunday