See.Touch.Learn app by Brain Parade review

I was recently sent a code for the See.Touch.Learn App by @BrainParade and was asked that D and I take a look at the App, below are our views.

The App is available in the App Store, its cost is £13.99/$19.99, which you might think at first is quite pricey but I would have bought this, had we not been sent a code. I found it a very beneficial App.

These are the first few screens:

Click onto “libraries” and you have the option of downloading a lot more content. For example, D loves her fruit & vegetables (both to eat and as play food) so those were a welcome addition. Another one we will find very useful is “signs and safety”. They are very easy to download and you have a chance to preview their content before you start to download. Updates are free once you have purchased the original App.

Once you have downloaded your content, you can make a start on the Lessons. There is the option of Basic. Medium or Advanced or customing the lessons.

The options shown below are “Advanced: Action Words” and “Advanced: ProNouns”. I choose Advanced as I wanted to see if D could a) read the questions by herself and b) understand them (she’s 8), she did very well and the possible answers proved a good talking point.

Here is an example of a question and its answer:

The photos really do illustrate the emotion and she did find them funny. Each lesson takes about two minutes so it’s not too long that interest is lost.

Should you click on the wrong answer, the picture shakes and you can then choose again. A little sound (a bit like a parp noise!) will sound if the answer is wrong and the picture shakes, a correct answer gets a “ding”. These sounds can be turned off/modified in “Lesson Play Controls”.

Once the lesson is finished, a screen shows the score, accompanied by a “hooray” sound:

In summary, we are going to find this App very useful and the library and custom options mean that each lesson has the potential to be different and therefore interesting and challenging. Especially useful if your child has an almost photography memory like my D.
For those children who are not yet reading, the benefits in terms of potential discussion around the topics are very useful. The touch screen element will make it very appealing to children of all ages. Definitely recommended.

Disclaimer: I received a code to redeem and download the App for free.

Thanks for reading, comments/RTs as ever welcomed Jx 😘

Children with Additional Needs (CAN) Newsletter Berkshire

Please see details below and attachments for this week’s news from the CAN Network.

Please encourage any families who you think would benefit from receiving the information to join the CAN Network by directing them to http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/can-network. (Any organisations and professionals who want to receive the information do not need to join but will need to give their email address to the CAN Network). Thanks for continuing to send your items to share with the CAN Network.

This Week’s News:

Children’s / Young People’s / Events and Activities
Rivermead Leisure Club Friday Club The next event the Friday Club for young people with special needs and their families are holding is a Football and Softplay evening on Friday 10 August, 6.30pm – 8pm. Rivermead Leisure Complex is based at Richfield Avenue, Reading RG1 8EQ. Cost: £2 donation. Gym Sessions also available during Friday Club, with gym instructors on hand, throughout the session. For more details, contact Rivermead Leisure Complex events on 0118 901 5014 or email: andy.welch@gll.org or j.rumble626@btinternet.com

‘Get Going Live’ Adapted driving event There is a free event that is taking place at the TRL buildings in Crowthorne this Saturday 11th August from 10am – 5pm. The event is called ‘Get Going Live’ which is a one day driving experience for disabled people wishing to learn to drive from the age of 14 for their first experience of adapted driving.There will be a fleet of adapted vehicles including a drive-from-wheelchair & WAV’s to test drive in a safe environment on the TRL track accompanied by experience professional drivers, plus a team of professional people with information about learning to drive. You may register your interest at http://www.getgoingnow.org or there will also be on-day registration.

Thames Valley Adventure Playground (TVAP) Summer Fun Day After the success of last year’s Fun Day, TVAP are planning to do another one, this Saturday 11th August. There will be a mobile farm, barbecue, games and challenges.Open from 11-3 to accompanied children under 16, with and without a special need, and their families.The Cutting of the 30th Birthday Cake by Playground President, Mr. Tim Brooke-Taylor, around noon. Entry £2 per person. Book place by calling 01628 628599.

Thames Valley Adventure Playground ‘Tapfest’ Enjoy the Playground, dance to the music of local bands and musicians, enjoy food from the barbecue, a karaoke, soft drinks, facepainting and ‘hippy’ crafts in the festival tents! Saturday 15th September 2012, 12-6 p.m
Other

National Autistic society’s bid for Free School has been approved The Department for Education has approved The National Autistic Society’s bid to run a specialist free school in Reading for young people and their families across Berkshire and neighbouring counties. The autism-specific school will open its doors in September 2013 and fill the gap in current educational provision identified by Reading Borough Council. Further information can be found here http://www.autism.org.uk/news/freeschool

Cerebra Guide to Money Matters This guide has been prepared by Cerebra for parents / carers of disabled children who want to know what financial help may be available for them and what arrangements they may need to put in place to manage their children’s finances from birth and as they get older.

Raising awareness about online risks Carlisle Mencap have produced a DVD to raise awareness of the online risks facing young people with learning disabilities. Copies of the DVD are available from Carlisle Mencap (01228 543790)

Job Vacancies at Berkshire Autistic Society
Financial Controller – up to 6 hours per week £13.35 per hour (1 year fixed term contract) Experienced financial controller required to work in the charitable sector. Responsible for applying accounting principles and procedures to analyse financial information, prepare accurate and timely financial reports and statements. To ensure appropriate accounting control procedures are compliant with Charity Commission and other regulatory bodies. Suitable accountancy qualifications and experience of SAGE desirable.Closing date Friday 31st August, 2012Interviews on Wednesday 12th September 2012. For more information and to request a recruitment pack please call: 0118 959 4594or email: contact@autismberkshire.org.uk

Cleaner – 2 hours per week Minimum wage For a recruitment pack please call: 0118 959 4594 or email: contact@autismberkshire.org.uk Closing date Friday 31st August, 2012
All appointments subject to a clear enhanced level CRB check

Scope Accessing Services Survey The aim of this survey is to provide Scope with information on the impact that not being able to access necessary services including schools, health and leisure locally has on families. This will then be used to underpin a campaign we’re launching to influence the Children and Families Bill in September. Scope need as many parents and carers as possible to take part in the survey, which should only take around 10 – 15 minutes to complete, to ensure a strong voice. If you require paper copies of the survey form please get in touch with Nigel Marsh – nigel.marsh@scope.org.uk

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/scopefamilysurvey

Thanks,

Susie Rees
Children with Additional Needs(CAN) Network

Cerebra July Newsletter

I was sent this by email and thought I’d share, Cerebra are also on twitter @CerebraUK….Jx

Hello. Welcome to the July e-newsletter for Cerebra members with the latest news, events and information from the charity.

Cerebra Innovation Centre – Survey

Please can you spare a few minutes of your time to share your opinions on our Cerebra Innovation Centre.

As part of an ongoing process of evaluating their approach to designing and delivering products for children with neurological conditions, Cerebra Innovation Centre and Swansea Metropolitan University are undertaking a 3 year research programme. Your views will help Cerebra Innovation Centre to deliver better solutions for its customers – It should only take between 2 and 10 minutes to complete. Please follow this link to take part: surveymonkey.com/s/cerebra_survey

Thank you, we’re looking forward to hearing what you’ve got to say!

Disabled Children Parents’ Guide: Money Matters

Our latest Disabled Children Parents’ Guide: Money Matters is available now. It contains guidance for parents on what financial help may be available for them and what arrangements they may need to put in place to manage their children’s finances from birth and as they get older.

cerebra.org.uk/English/getinformation/finance/Pages/DisabledChildrenParentsGuideMoneyMatters.aspx

Cerebra Ambassadors

We have a team of Cerebra ambassadors who are committed to actively promoting awareness of Cerebra and our work through their work and personal lives so that the charity can benefit from their enthusiasm and skills. Ambassadors can be individuals who are recognised talents in public life. They may also be people who the charity has supported and who already have close links with our work.

We are currently looking for new ambassadors to join our small team. If you can suggest anyone who you think would be a strong advocate for Cerebra, please do get in touch with Elaine Collins (elainec@cerebra.org.uk / 01267 242583). Please note that this is a voluntary role.

Stress in families of children with neurological conditions – questionnaire.

Elmira Strange of Swansea Metropolitan University is continuing with her PhD on ‘Stress in families of children with neurological conditions’ for Cerebra. The study is expanding and she is inviting you again to fill a new and revised questionnaire about your experience of caring for your child. The views of the parents / carers, and particularly the grandparents and siblings over 16 years of age are wanted. If you would like to help her with the study contact Elmira directly at Elmira.strange@smu.ac.uk

BMJ article

The British Medical Journal has recently published an article ‘Effort, exaggeration and malingering after concussion’ jnnp.bmj.com/content/83/8/836.full from the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. As well as allowing free access to the full article they have supplied a lay summary to help patients and their families. The lay summary can be accessed via the following link: jnnp.bmj.com/content/83/8/836/suppl/DC1

‘Nothing about us without us’: Enabling non-discriminative autism and Asperger’s syndrome research participation

This is a study by Ann Browning, a researcher at Loughborough University. It’s an opportunity for people with an autistic spectrum condition to take part in a consultation which will contribute towards the development of a research project investigating the criminal justice system experiences of young suspects, defendants, and offenders with Asperger’s syndrome and other autistic spectrum conditions.

If you would like the opportunity to take part in this consultation, or know of someone else who might like to participate, please contact me- Ann Browning by email at A.L.Browning@lboro.ac.uk and she will send you a consultation pack. To find out more about Ann and the research project visit lboro.ac.uk/departments/ss/staff/researchstudents/browning.html or -staff.lboro.ac.uk/~ssalb2/index.html

For members in the west Midlands

Cerebra Summer Fun day out to Hatton Country World on Thursday 16th August. Places are limited so booking is essential. For more information or to book your place please contact inekew@cerebra.org.uk.

For members in Wales

The Welsh Government is introducing a series of Early Support parents’ workshops for parents/carers and the wider family of a disabled child. The sessions will be held in Newport during the Autumn. If you would like to join in, or to find out more please e-mail Marcia.jones@childreninwales.org.uk.

We aim to send the members’ newsletters on a monthly basis but If we don’t have any news for you in a particular month then we won’t send out an e-mail.

Junk, junk and more junk….

There comes a point in the year when I think it’s time to declutter.

It normally starts in the run-up to the school fairs and then toys/books that are in good nick get donated (which to be honest, is quite a few, we generally know by then what D won’t play with out of the Birthday and Christmas presents she gets kindly given).

It’s been extended this year to include clothes to charity shops, loads of toys went to Taplow (Thames Valley Adventure Playground), now that I’m not childminding, we don’t need the full range of Early Learning Centre around and so, for the first time in 5 years it’s more-or-less just T and D’s toys around and it’s WONDERFUL!

Emails were next….I don’t remember signing up for emails from the whole world and his wife, offering everything from blooming online Viagra to solar panels and rather than just deleting them, I’ve been unsubscribing as and when they appear. Just dealt with about 15 today.

Am I on some random list that says “this lady likes to read? Send her your junk!”.. Well, not any more, in my best “Big Brother” voice “you have been evicted, please leave this inbox”.

Why do people have to be so mean-spirited?

As a parent to a special needs child, I’m unfortunately used to the stares and the whispers when I take D out “she’s a baby” “why’s she in that buggy” and then if D does get upset when faced with a sensory-heightened situation, it’s the tuts and the general air of “not in my back yard”.

This is why awareness and (it would be nice) acceptance of autism is so important.

I found a new level of mean-spiritedness at the end of last week. I debated whether to blog it or not for a couple of days, here it is:

I was in my local coffee shop, it’s a little sanctuary. I get my coffee and catch up with blog thanks for RTs/mentions etc.

I overhead people talking about the Olympic torch relay, we’d had it “visit” the town nearest to us Tues evening/Wednesday morning.

My ears tuned in because – as you may be aware – I knew one of the torch bearers, a lady who had two Downs Syndrome (DS) sons (one of whom is in D’s class) and she is chair of the local DS association. So her part in the relay was very much to raise awareness for her sons and other children/adults with DS.

Here’s a picture below that made the ITN news site:

She’s also featured on the front of our local paper:

It’s brilliant for DS awareness and for the SN school that her sons attend.

So..why were these people sitting there judging her for running with her sons? According to them they shouldn’t have taken part. It wasn’t appropriate, apparently.

It made me so cross that I left the area, I couldn’t sit there anymore or I would have said something. Makes me wonder how they would have reacted if an autistic child had been participating.

So much for community spirit.

Big Brother is watching you (and your garbage)

I’ve used the word “garbage” in the title as I didn’t want anyone to read it as “you’re rubbish” as opposed to “your rubbish”!

The “Big Brother” effect is with us in our borough. I am a recycling devotee and it was with some relief that we were told our recycling would move to weekly. We do recycle as much as we can in the black crates provided – paper, cardboard, tins, cans, plastic in the weekly collection. Glass goes to the bottle bank and plastic bags/food packaging/crisp packets etc to the plastics recycling in our supermarket. Garden waste is also collected but it’s a “stealth tax”, you either have to hire a wheelie bin from the Council or buy compostable paper bags (which are useless and fall apart if wet!).

“All good” you’re thinking and “what an Eco-friendly Council” but here comes the Big Brother bit:

We are not allowed to put our rubbish (garbage) out in anything other than the blue bags provided. No more black sacks.

We receive 80 bags a year from the Council so divide 80 by 52 weeks and that’s just over one bag a week.

Don’t get me wrong, one bag a week is fine for us as we recycle so much. It’s big enough for the household rubbish and the guinea pig waste.

I can imagine those families with individuals wearing nappies/sanitary items are struggling though.

What I am waiting to see in the local newspapers is the stories of people who have run out of bags because they’ve used 3 bags per week. We see them on the way to school on garbage day, blue bags full of cardboard and tins etc.

T will look at these as we pass them and try to work out how many bags they’d need per year if they are using 3 per week and the answer is far more than the 80. What happens then? Do they store their rubbish for a few months until next April when the new quota arrives – ugh – or just dump it in the street in the forbidden black bags?

I don’t know but Big Brother is definitely watching and keeping track of our garbage around here.

Thanks for reading Jx 😘

(apologies in advance for the creepy end picture!)

Berkshire – CAN network newsletter

For those people with special needs children or young adults, living in Berkshire, here is the latest newsletter:

(please note: you may need to copy and paste any links into your browser)

Please RT to reach any followers who may be interested.

**************************************************

Please see details below and attachments for this week’s news from the Children with Additional Needs (CAN) Network. Please forward to any families / professionals / organisations who you think would benefit from the information. Thanks for continuing to send your items to share with the CAN Network.

This Week’s News:

Children’s / Young People’s / Events and Activities

Pony Days and Activity Days at Oakwood Youth Challenge See attached document for various pony and activity days happening at this activity centre in Wokingham during the summer holidays. http://www.oakwoodyouth.co.uk

Go! Canoeing at Wokingham Waterside Centre Have a go in a katakanu! Tuesday 24th July, 2-3pm, £5 per child, 5-18 years. The Waterside Centre have a hoist to help wheelchair users enter the katakanu. See attachment for booking instructions.

Bracknell & Wokingham College – new course The college will be running a new foundation course for young adults, aged 16-24 years, with learning difficulties to develop employability skills and personal and social development and a nationally recognised qualification can be worked towards. The course will take place at the newly refurbished Wick Hill Centre in Bracknell. Please see attached flyer for more information. Call 0845 330 3343 or email schoolleavers@bracknell.ac.uk

CAN Family Fun and Information Day This was a big success! Thanks to all who ensured the day went smoothly. Look out for the write up and photographs in this week’s or next week’s Wokingham Times!

Willows School of Dance Victoria Andrews, Co-ordinator of the Willows School of Dance is offering taster sessions for children and young people with disabilities, providing 3 dance sessions for 4-7 yrs, 8-12 yrs and 13-18 yrs on Saturday 4th August. The classes will be an hour long and parents are not expected to stay. The venue is wheelchair accessible and disabled toilets are present. The classes will be held on a Saturday initially, at St. Michael’s Church Hall, Tilehurst. Following on from the taster sessions, courses of dancing can then be booked, costing £5.50 per session which is £44 per term (8 weeks). Sessions will consist of: Warm up, Corner work, Dance routine, Cool down and Sensory calm down. See attached poster for booking the taster sessions.

Other

Thrive July Newsletter To view this month’s news from the horticultural therapy charity, Thrive, follow this link http://thrive.cmail2.com/t/ViewEmail/r/B5959BD0EC917225/2F1FB40334CF0F2623B7CB3C95A53812

Wokingham Information Network (WIN) WIN is a quick and easy to use online guide to services in Wokingham. It is split into Family Services Directory (information about children and young people) and Adult Services Directory (information about adults). To start searching the directory today, visit http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/win. If you would like to advertise a service not already in the Directory please complete the form within it.

Woodley Lend and Play Toy Library This is a great place to visit in the run up to the school holidays. Here there are toys suitable for children with additional needs, including electronic toys, role play, music, activity toys, ride-ons, construction, sports equipment and more. The Library also has two specialist play advisers who can recommend the right toy for your child. Browse the colour catalogue online at http://www.lendandplay.org then visit the Library at the Ambleside Centre. To borrow toys , there is a small annual membership fee and then a small hire fee. Please see attached flyer for opening times and contact details for the Library.

Thanks,

Children with Additional Needs (CAN) Network
Bridges Resource Centre
109 Colemansmoor Rd
Woodley
RG5 4DA

0118 9695977

http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/can-network

Bankers….who’d trust them?

Unless you keep your money under the mattress, chances are you have a bank account. Let’s face it you can’t do much without a bank account, a debit card or a computer these days. More and more bills are now sent out electronically and the days of paying by cheque are numbered, since the banks won’t guarantee them anymore.

T and D are familiar with the concept of going to the “hole in the wall” but they don’t understand at the moment that once you have taken money out of a cashpoint, that money comes from your account and not from a generous bank member behind the cashpoint.

The recent fiasco whereby certain banks could not process or recognise payments has proved that the banking system is not invincible, although its members seem to think it is. And Bob Diamond receiving £2m in salary and benefits? How the other half lives, eh?

I had to go into my local bank today as I wanted to cancel a standing order that I couldn’t seem to cancel online. It was to a building society savings account, I have one set up for each of the children. Now that the 18 year old has moved out, I figured he can save his own money, not mine!

I told the cashier the amount, the date it came it out and the reference number. She couldn’t find it, but could find the other two standing orders. I had lots of “are you sure it’s not this reference?” No, it’s not. Then I called up my statement and showed her. “Oh, I’ve never seen it not appear on this list before” and then “are you sure it’s that account?”. Eventually we tracked it down and it appears to have already been cancelled. I haven’t cancelled it and she could offer no explanation. But THINKS that it should be okay and that no further payments will come out. Apparently it is pointless me checking with the building society.

I was asked if anyone else had access to my account – No! And it was suggested that maybe I had cancelled it when searching for it previously…. Umm, hello? I’m not stupid!!

Completely condescending attitude and “it can’t possibly be our systems” answer. I’m going to go into the building society anyway but it’s made me wonder if I’ve had received a slightly less condescending approach if we’d been talking a lot more than a £10 a month standing order?

Money talks in this world.

Pimms is definitely a tonic…

Just a little tale today, I wanted to share because it made me smile.

I was in the supermarket today and thought I’d buy a bottle of Pimms and lemonade – well it is MEANT to be summer!

It came with a free jug too, I love that sort of promotion and am looking forward to making up a batch over the weekend.

Anyway…. In front of me at the checkout was an elderly man with a walking stick buying two bottles of whiskey. He looked at my Pimms bottle, smiled and asked if I’d been to Wimbledon and got a taste for it there. I said I’d tried it at Henley years ago and just fancied making some.

This is the smile bit:
He said that his wife and her friend – who is very ill with cancer – had gone to Wimbledon last Friday and watched the Andy Murray match (the one that went on until 11pm). The friend wasn’t really allowed to have alcohol but because it was a day out and an occasion, she had a couple of glasses of Pimms and really enjoyed it. The next day she had to go to the hospital for a test and (I can’t remember what the test was called) but the cancer counts were down!

Isn’t that great? It must have been a wonderful day-after feeling. Disclaimer bit: of course I’m not suggesting any cure element but it must have been a lovely coincidence.

Just a tiny random conversation with a stranger but it made me smile.

Thanks very much for reading, comments/RTs as ever welcomed Jx 😘

From caterpillars to beautiful butterflies – a journey in pictures

If you’ve been reading my daily blog you’ll know that we recently had a butterfly kit. I thought it would be good to chart the progress all in one post:
Day one:
Teeny tiny little wrigglies

Day two – by then I had realised you can see them better if you remove the cardboard!

Day three – and they were starting to grow:

Day four:

Day five:

Day six:

Day seven (and they’re starting to get hairy!):

Day eight:

Day nine:

Day ten:

Day eleven:

Day twelve:

Day thirteen (huge caterpillars!):

Day fourteen:

Day fifteen (on the way to butterflies):

Day sixteen (4 out of 10 in pupas):

Day seventeen (all in pupas, lots of frantic wriggling!):

Day eighteen:

Day nineteen (transferred to their enclosure where they hung still and bat-like):

Days twenty to twenty-seven: no movement, no change

Day twenty-eight (two pupas were turning darker, a sign that butterflies wouldn’t be long!):

Day twenty-nine (two butterflies!):

Days thirty and thirty-one (the remaining 7 emerged, one didn’t but a 90% success rate is wonderful!):

And this is what they emerged from:

The red behind the empty pupas is waste products, not blood.

It was really interesting having them in our house and watching them grow.

We got the kit from livebutterflygarden.co.uk and I’d recommend it, the butterflies were beautiful and as you can see from the picture with my nail in, they let us get really close.

Ladybirds next for us….

Thanks for looking at our pictures Jx 😘