MY OPINIONS
Special Needs
Children with special needs are better off being educated in special needs schools because if a child had Dyslexia for example and he or she was in a Mainstream school and was asked to read what’s on the board and they can’t, the teachers would think he or she was being lazy where as if they were in a special needs school then the teachers would understand.
Tourette Syndrome
I used to have a DVD of a documentary called ‘Tourette De France’. It was about a group of Scottish teenagers who had Tourette Syndrome and the group was lead by a man named John Davidson who has it himself and has appeared in the 1989 documentary ‘John’s Not Mad’. In ‘Tourette De France’, the group were offered permission to visit the hospital in Paris where Tourette Syndrome was first diagnosed. The reason I gave the DVD away is because I associate watching it with my dark phase because I was watching it in 2007.
Actor Keith Allen, father of former pop singer Lily Allen came with them on this trip and on their way they stopped for lunch in Canterbury and Keith asked one boy named Callum Davidson what form of Tourettes he had and he explained to him that he had quite a bad case of OCD and Keith asked him how it came out and Callum explained to him that at home he was really fussy with foods and that he could only eat certain foods if they’re on certain plates, bowls only if they’re cooked by certain people in a certain way. Keith asked him about eating at school and Callum said that sometimes he never really ate at school.
Then they went inside Canterbury Cathedral and the group leader John explained to him that for him to sit and talk to him, he needed to be able to trust him and that he needed to trust his friends and family and that they wanted to show people that there were sides and elements of the condition that maybe other TV companies wouldn’t. Especially the thing about Asperger Syndrome and the Autism link because there are huge scientific links between OCD, ADHD, Tourettes, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Asperger Syndrome and the Autism link. Information is over crowding the brain and that the brain doesn’t want to do it so it ends up scrambled and then you get these bizarre behaviours to deal with what’s going on inside.
Keith later explained to him on the ferry that it was quite interesting where they
were going and that the French had only just recognised Tourettes as neurological
and that the implication was that it’s always been psychological and that he was
able to control it or it was his fault or if it was neurological than he was kind
of admitting that it wasn’t his fault because he was incapable of controlling it.
John said that he was absolutely correct and he said that they know when it’s Tourettes
and they know when it’s not and that he needed to be aware of that and that’s what
he encourages and that he encourages a child if he’s suppressing a tick, try not
to suppress it and let it come out because people would understand and that they
should put a T-
When they were in France in an outer city Leisure park and after the rafting another boy named ‘David Irving’ explained to Keith that if he was walking through a park at night he always thought the worst of things like he could see a TV in his head and a newsflash saying, “Young boy killed in a park”, and he was thinking it was actually going to happen and that he gets all worked up about it. Keith asked him if he was in situations at school where he was in line for dinner and he was desperate not to tick and David explained to him that he could hold it in but he learned not to do it anymore because when he gets out of the queue it could be a big massive outburst like hundreds of swear words all at once.
After their visit at the hospital in Paris where Tourettes was first diagnosed, they were playing football and another boy named ‘Ryan Miller’ explained to Keith that he was a brilliant footballer but incredibly he’s been sent off twice for ticking. He said that he swore during the match and the referee didn't quite understand but he hadn’t been told and that’s because he wasn’t diagnosed with the condition at the time but he was the second time. Keith then asked him if the people at school knew that he had Tourettes and Ryan said that they kind of did but they never seen him tick like that before because he suppressed it and that because he’s around with people with Tourettes he’s just letting it all out. Then Keith said “What you just hold it all in at school?” and Ryan said that he goes into his room and lets it all out.
I Swear, I Can’t Help It
There was another documentary about Tourette Syndrome that was transmitted on 28th May 2009 during my dark phase, and it featured John Davidson saying that sometimes his brain is telling him that somebody’s staring at him and somebody’s watching him and somebody’s drove past and laughed.
He’s now an active member of the charity, Tourette Scotland which apparently didn’t exist until 1994. He organises weekend get together’s so that children and adults with Tourettes can share their experiences. He works at his own community centre and he says that he feels safe and comfortable there. I could be wrong but think there should be community centres like that everywhere for children and adults with Tourette Syndrome when enough people hear of it eventually.
Aspergers Syndrome
I was absolutely appalled to discover that there were autistic children being educated
in Mainstream schools and not getting the support they need for them to reach their
full potential and that there were ex-
I used to say that autistic children should only be educated in Autism Schools because of the high risk of them being badly bullied there or excluded from there. In June 2006 I wrote a letter to my local MP about my concerns of that and soon after, I got a reply back from schools Minister Lord Adonis and even though it’s been on the News, I think it should be on the News more often but at the end of the day it’s up to them what they put on it. In March 2008 I wrote to him again and some of it was old but most of it was new.
Derek’s Letter To Bob Russell
Dear Bob Russell
I just like to say thank you very much for the letter you sent me and the letter that you sent to my Mum. I thought I’d write to you again even though I know I’ve written to you before and I know I’ve mentioned some of this to you before but this is what I want to say.
I really do think that every autistic child should only be educated in Autism Schools when there are enough of those in the UK and that’s what I demand. And it’s because every autistic child who is being educated in a Mainstream school is at high risk of being badly bullied there or excluded where as in an Autism school there is none of that I suppose and if there weren’t any places left for them then they can be taught at home till there were places for them. I mean they can have the choice but that’s how I feel about the whole thing.
I am angry to discover that they’ve been forcing autistic children into Mainstream and if they haven’t stopped closing special schools yet then they need to stop it happening as soon as they possibly can and pretty quickly. And I could be wrong but some of them that have closed down should be reopened as Autism Schools.
I am absolutely appalled to discover that there are autistic children being educated
in Mainstream Schools and not getting the support they need to reach their full potential
and that there are ex-
It’s the kind of thing that needs to be discussed more on the News, Question Time, This Week and Newsnight. I don’t see it being discussed enough on television.
Every autistic child needs to be diagnosed at a young age before they are to start school.
I’ve recently seen something on the News called City College* for adults with autism and I felt quite pleased that they’ve opened up something like that but at the same time I’m feeling depressed because it’s in Norwich and it’s a shame I don’t live there because I want to go to somewhere like that. There needs to be colleges like that everywhere in the UK especially in Essex and if there was one in Essex and that I would be able to go there my life would be more social.
Yours Sincerely
Derek Rogers
* I now realise that it is a unit at City College and not the whole College. Bob Russell did get a reply back from schools minister Andrew Adonis but for me it was so complicated to understand which is why I’ve decided not to have it on my website.
When Having A Fizzy Drink
I am wise enough to know that fizzy drinks like Coca Cola and Lemonade don’t do your teeth any good which is why I think it would be much better and really important if when anyone does have a fizzy drink, they should use a straw at all times so that it goes straight down the throat and not around the teeth, that way they will be taking much more care of their teeth.
I think if people are to buy bottles of fizzy drinks, they should buy a packet of straws first and keep them at a place to remind them, that way they remember. Personally I would quite like that to work with all people who have fizzy drinks including myself which it is for me at most times anyway. I’m also currently trying to remember to do that every time with orange juice that I have with my breakfast every day. Whenever I forget, I get instantly anxious. Also I clean my teeth in the morning for three minutes and just before bedtime for three minutes whilst playing a tune in my head which is ‘Sultans Of Swing’ by Dire Straits to add some joy to it.
