Tips For Parenting A Child With Autism
A very interesting video from Autism Reach sharing a few tips on how to parent a child on the autism spectrum.
Looking at some ideas for parents who have just had a child diagnosed on the autism spectrum.
Remember you are not alone!
Cataracts – what it is like to have cataracts
Sonal Rughani is an optometrist and senior adviser at the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People). She explains what low vision is, and how it can be managed properly.
Low vision is when a person’s sight can’t necessarily be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
Low vision doesn’t develop just because of old age. Your vision can get worse as a result of cataracts, age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy.
According to the RNIB, around 2 million people have significant sight loss in the UK.
Very few people have complete ‘black’ blindness, so any remaining eyesight needs to be maximised. People often go to a clinic hoping that a pair of glasses will fix their vision, but this may not always be possible. Low vision is treated by maximising the patient’s eyesight beyond what glasses or contact lenses can achieve.
Any decline in your sight should be checked by an optician. Signs that you need to seek help include:
colours look a bit washed out
you’re finding it difficult to judge the depth of steps
straight lines look wobbly
you find it hard to read
you’re struggling to see road signs when you’re driving
It’s important not to simply wait for these signs to appear. They’re not just a part of getting older, they’re telling you that something is wrong.
Everyone should visit their optician every two years. Lots of people are entitled to free eye tests, so find out if you’re eligible for free eye care.
A visit to your optician is a good place to start. If a problem is detected, you’ll be referred to the hospital to see an ophthalmologist (eye doctor). Your GP will be kept informed, and will give you extra support and advice if you need it.
If the eye doctor finds that your vision can’t be improved by medical or surgical treatment, you may be referred to a low-vision clinic. At the clinic, an optometrist can advise you about lighting and low-vision aids. They will also assess you to see if you are eligible to be certified as partially sighted or blind.
Read more about the criteria for certification.
Being told you can’t see (and that glasses or surgery can’t improve your vision) can be a shock. It can be difficult to get used to that level of sight loss, but support is available from your clinic, GP and organisations like the RNIB.
A low-vision aid can be one of the following:
An optical low-vision aid, such as illuminated magnifiers, hand-held magnifiers or flat magnifiers. Aids for viewing faraway objects include monoculars and binoculars.
A non-optical low-vision aid, which includes everything from an anglepoise lamp, to bold-print books or liquid level indicators – which beep to stop you burning yourself when using hot water.
During a low-vision assessment, your optometrist will try different magnifiers to see what works for you. For example, they will work out if you need help for sewing, reading music, doing a crossword or reading the headlines in a newspaper.
If your vision can’t be improved beyond a certain point, you can register as partially sighted or blind. Your eye doctor will fill out a certificate for you. In England and Wales this is called a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI). In Scotland it’s called a BP1, while in Northern Ireland it’s an AP655.
This certificate documents your eye condition and the extent of your vision loss. It will also state whether you need additional support if, for example, because you are living alone.
After you and your doctor sign the form, copies of it will be sent to you, your GP, social services and the National Census. One copy will also be kept in your medical records. Social services can then register you before getting in touch to offer support.
The benefits of registering as partially sighted may include a 50% reduction on your TV licence fee and an extra personal tax allowance.
The RNIB can support you in lots of different ways. These include offering advice about your eye condition, advice about daily living skills, and information about welfare rights and benefits. The charity also has information about leisure activities, holidays, befriending services and emotional support services, as well as advice on low-vision aids and where you can get them.
The RNIB’s helpline number is 0303 123 9999. Calls cost no more than a standard rate call to an 01 or 02 number. If you need to speak to someone in a language other than English, there are 80 languages available.
This animation explains what cataracts are, and how they affect the eye.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a year-long campaign to raise awareness around depression.
Depression affects more than 300 million people globally and the number increased by 18.4% between 2005 and 2015. These numbers should give us food for thought when it comes to help people we know with depression.
Depression involves sadness, feeling of guilt and low self-worth, or constant tiredness. If you know someone with depression, the first step is to talk to a specialist and understand what treatment is best in their case. Depression can be treated and supporting the people we know can make a difference.
In the infographic, we show 6 tips for helping older adults with depression. While the elderly are often overlooked, they make up the largest age group affected by depression – above 7.5% among females aged 55-74 years, and above 5.5% among males.
6 ways to help older adults with depression
Depression around the world
Signing up to become a bone marrow donor can make a difference for someone’s life.
A bone marrow transplant can be the only chance of survival for many people with severe disease such as blood cancer.
As only 30% of the people who need a bone marrow transplant find a match within their family, having a diversified international bone marrow register can really make a difference for many people around the world.
In order to sign up, you’ll be asked to have a health check and saliva sample taken. You’ll be contacted if you have a match and you can donate either peripheral blood stem cells or bone marrow.
Why you should be a bone marrow donor
See the orginal at the Juno Medical site here.
Workplay and Learn
Last year, I created an app Word Play and Learn with my daughter (then 4) to help my son (then 2 years) learn about the world around him. Its a simple (fun and interactive) app to help encourage speech development with children or adults in English and French.
Download FREE from https://goo.gl/LLLNZy
— How does it work ? —
Touch a photo and a real voice (Child or Adult in English or French) says what it is. There are sound effects together with a wide range of #free categories to choose from, no adverts, and works offline.
It also includes a memory game (Play) where a random photo is shown asking the player to remember it and select the answer from the others.
Last week – my daughter (5 years), for school, needed to learn how to tell the time – so I added “How to tell the time”, and while I was there – added “All shapes and sizes” and “At the beach” to make 17x categories!
Funny story
When creating “tell the time” My daughter was suddenly really good at reading the clock faces – when asked – she told me her secret – “I just read the words under the picture – daddy” – made me smile! It now shows the written time when it is said and not before!
To obtain one of the five free licences for Word Play and Learn please email :wordplaylearn@gmail.com.
Please give it a try..
Follow the app on Twitter @WordPlayLearn
Like the app on Facebook @WordPlayLearn
Word Play & Learn! is a fun and interactive app to support speech development in English & French.
• ‘Learn’ mode – View any flash card, on selection listen to a real person say what the item is.
• ‘Play’ mode – Random flash card is selected and read out-loud. Player then has to find the random card.
• 240+ flash cards separated into easy to understand categories
• 45+ audio effects – Some cards have audio effects such as ‘Car’ – has a engine revving effect.
Categories include
• Things we like to eat – A collection of items we like to eat from around the world
• Things that move – A collection of items that can move together with sound effects
• Animals and insects – A collection of animals and insects together with sound effects
• In the kitchen – A collection of items found or used in a kitchen
• Down the park – A collection of items found in a local park
• Clothes we wear – A collection of clothes and shoes
• In the bathroom – A collection of items found in a bathroom together with some sound effects
• In the bedroom – A collection of items found in a bedroom together with some sound effects
• Tools we need – A collection of tools together with some sound effects
• Toys to play with – A collection of toys together with some sound effects
• Colours are beautiful – Browse a collection of simple colours
• Know the alphabet – Enjoy learning the alphabet from ‘A to Z’.
• Learn to count – A fun way to introduce numbers covers ‘1 to 30’
Another success story was
The other week – I added french (adult) and was blown away when I showed my daughter (now 5 years) just once and when randomly asked what’s the french for “butterfly” – she replied instantly with “papillon”. She only half played with it for 2 mins! Made my day!