Some very useful information on Irlen Syndrome, Occupational Therapy (inc. stimming) and auditory processing from a new parent

At yesterday's Lab holiday session, one parent had a lot of very useful information to pass on about strategies for working with syndromes connected with Aspergers, based on extensive research and experience with her son.

Here are the details from her:

Irlen syndrome

http://www.dyslexiaservices.com.au/melb.htm

Individuals with Irlen Syndrome perceive the printed page and sometimes their environment differently. They must constantly make adaptation or compensate. Individuals are often unaware of the extra energy and effort they are putting into reading and perception.

Reading may be slow and inefficient, or there may be poor comprehension, strain, or fatigue. It can also affect attention span, listening, energy level, motivation, work production, and mental health.

People with Irlen Syndrome are often seen as underachievers or having behavioral, attitude or motivational problems. These problems can also coexist with other learning problems, such as attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, or autism. Treatment for Irlen Syndrome can alleviate many of the symptoms of these disorders in many cases."

We help children and adults suffering from

• Reading and learning problems
• Dyslexia
• ADD/HD, Autism and Asperger Syndrome
• Behavioral and emotional problems
• Headaches, migraines, fatigue and other physical symptoms
• Light Sensitivity/Photophobia
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI), whip lash, and concussions
• Certain medical and visual conditions
• spatial and sensory issues.

Irelns is different to behavourial optometry, as Irlens is based on what colours in the light/colour spectrum the eye and brain register and how that can affect how the brain interprets the visual information given, where as behavioural optometry is based on how the Visual system works ( the mechanics of it) and believe that milestones in visual development have not been met and it is possible to restore these by exercises. They do NOT address all the visual and cross sensory issues in ASD.

The Irlen Lenses have been life changing for myself and my son. The Lenses help control the visual stimulation that we receive. It is truly amazing the world that has now opened up to us. The biggest improvement was recognising and addressing the body spatial issues we had, but also the reduced uncontrolled anxiety that we had when we were visually over stimulated. Wow to go shopping in a super maket with out melt downs, and for myself the head aches.

One thing i do recommend if you are considering this, is when you get screened for the actual Lenses and the tint. To Ask Gloria to test for photo sensitivity and for Flurescent lighting.

Occupational Therapy

Highly recommend, through the use of sensory integration, you can teach your child to eventually self regulate.

if your child is stimming, like for example spinning, that is an indication that the vestibular system is not providing enough feed back to the brain.

you can use an office chair but in my case i purchased a dizzy disc from the states.

http://www.autismcoach.com/Dizzy%20Disc.htm

the following link is a shop in Australia that sells the Dizzy disc Jr

http://www.therapytoyshop.com/

Vestibular motion/movement also impacts on auditory processing issues.

Auditory Processing

the following is a link for an extensive over view of CAPD

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/ears/central_auditory.h

Educational Audiology, Eddie Keir. 23 Waterdale Rd, Ivanhoe, 3079. Tel: 03 9499 1683.

Session 8 - Minecraft at home issues

Session 8 already - time has flown.
Today we had an interesting start to the session when the kids and parents arrived and explained what had happened the previous week on the minecraft server we had set up for the kids.
Put simply, someone had burnt down a lot of the houses the kids had built, and this had started a chain reaction where kids were accusing each other of doing it and getting revenge.
There were a few interesting points about this;
- We have been looking at minecraft and learning about it's positives - mainly that it's an open environment which allows kids to play however they like, and explore their interests. What this also means however is that the kids have the freedom to offend each other in various ways.
- With a few of the kids, perhaps familiarity is breeding contempt?
- There is a big issue where some kids are very sensitive about how others act, and others aren't. Some of the kids are sensitive about how they are treated but totally insensitive when it comes to doing the same things to others - which is perhaps something we should have anticipated. The mystery is how we deal with this...it's a fine line between allowing kids to be themselves and not be judged, and making sure that feelings aren't hurt.
- A big issue is that this server has effected kids in their home lives, and has made their parents job more difficult. That's pretty much the opposite of what we set out to achieve.
- If we are to moderate the server constantly, it would require additional funding, as it's quite labour intensive, especially when you have to investigate kid politics.
- Both Stefan and myself spoke to the parents, who ended up agreeing to shut the server down for at least a week. Perhaps we can re-open it as a privilege not a right, with more restrictions, and establish a different mood.
- Part of wanting to create a model of learning for these young people means that we will be faced with issues and have to find solutions. In that regard today was a very positive session.
Action we have taken;
- During the class damage was turned off, and TNT made their browser crash.
- At the end of the session we turned the minecraft server off until we work out some strategies(both technical and real world) which will allow it to continue in a more positive way.
- Kids have been told to build in single player worlds for the competition which will now be judged next week after the prizes still didn't arrive.
- Sean ended up introducing one young man to javascript which was a positive end to the day. Many of the young people look up to Sean as he is 21, closer to their age, and knows a lot about gaming and programming - he can answer almost any question they have.

Last week's session

An interesting session last week. One thing that has come out of it is the idea of either banning online videos or supplying headphones - so as not to distract or annoy others. Dale has also instigated a Minecraft competition with a prize, which has the kids v excited.

One parent mentioned that her child had been 'trapped' within the Minecraft server by another participant that week (ie while playing Minecraft from home) and had been very upset by this. Interestingly enough, by the next day (during the Lab session) the two boys involved were playing together again, collaboratively building a bridge structure within Minecraft.

This brings up a discussion point in regard to multiuser spaces like Minecraft: might they extend and even amplify feelings of being bullied in the real world? And/or: can they be used for building a sense of resilience, for rehearsing what happens 'out there' and learning to deal with it in a positive manner for oneself? In Minecraft you can destroy or build - it's up to you, and it seems the rough and tumble of the real world will happen to some degree online. So where do we draw the line between providing a protected space and 'cotton wooling'? This is something we're still negotiating on a weekly basis.

These discussions are also informing the current development of the code of conduct, which is underway by Trish.

It also raises questions about moderation levels. Some participants it seems like the presence of moderators in online forums...one likes that someone is watching over him (he dislikes being called a 'noob'). This is the case for the Minecraft server, but it's very lightly moderated.

Holiday sessions - extra details

Our winter holiday sessions are happening (see below for flyer) for young people who haven't already attended The Lab.

Here's a little bit of extra info:

- the sessions will run from 3pm to 6pm on Wednesday July 6 and Wednesday July 13 in Footscray. If your child is interested in taking part in one of these sessions, please contact Stefan at: 9919 1618 or stefan.schutt@vu.edu.au. Bookings will be on a 'first-come-first served' basis.

- sessions are free, but you're welcome (though not obligated) to bring any snacks for kids and parents!

- we have a separate room for parents to meet and chat

- the technology we will use will depend entirely on the kids' interests. (Lately there's been a lot of interest in the collaborative game Minecraft as well as the Arduino programmable circuit boards.)

- address details are here: http://thelab.org.au/location

Snapshots from inside Minecraft - kids creating and collaborating

Interview with Metaverse Journal about The Lab

We were fortunate enough to do an interview with the Metaverse Journal's David Holloway about The Lab;

http://www.metaversejournal.com/2011/06/19/the-lab-virtual-worlds-learning-at-its-very-best/

Next holiday sessions announced

Session five

This week went very well, we had kids dancing to youtube, playing minecraft together, and exploring arduino kits which was new and quite a success. It is taking less effort every week.

Some images.

Last night's session

Yesterday we had a calmer session than usual - three of the kids were away, as were Dale and Trish.

Worth noting was the way all the four participants were getting on and interacting, talking firstly about Minecraft then about themselves - their ages, what grade they were in at school etc. There were quite a few questions of each other, showing a growing interest in the other kids, which is quite exciting to observe, especially for these kids who largely don't have friends or interests in peers' lives.

Everyone seemed very comfortable and relaxed in the space - it felt and sounded like any other group of kids. I'm guessing that the very presence of techie guys had a lot to do with it - they are guys who have demonstrated to the kids that they somehow 'get' them and their interests, and that they are around, ready to help but not pushing either.

Enquiries: the demand is obviously there

For the last few weeks since the media stories about The Lab in The Age, local papers and more recently ABC Radio, I have been receiving a steady stream of enquries from parents about The Lab. This is noteworthy because none of the stories had our contact details - people have found out about us and contacted us independently. I would say that I have had an average of one enquiry a day. The Lab now has a waiting list of 12 - enough for another group or two already. I've received enquiries from Melbourne, the Sunshine Coast, Perth, Tasmania, and one from the US. I think we're definitely onto something important here.