CaspersRose

What a tough spot to be in. I worked as an integraiton aide at a state school here in sydney for a while, and amongst my charges was a little boy with Asperger's. He coped really well, but this had a lot to do with the fact that his family (mum especially) did a lot of work at home to provide scaffolds etc for social situations, the school made a good effort to match him each year with a teacher more suited to managing his special needs, and the fact that the school actually had a bit of left-over money which they were willing to spend on their special needs kids, so not only did this boy get his allocated number of support hours, but also received an extra hour or two each week of extra one-on-one support. All in all though, the funding allocated specifically to him, plus the extra that the school allocated still amounted to less than two hours of support each day. But like I said, he coped well, and in some ways, being in the class WITHOUT support probably helped him a lot in terms of observing and learning how others operate. We always made sure the first couple of minutes of our time in his class room were dedicated to answering "people questions" - eg explaining why Mrs X got cranky when he did this, or why doing that made so-and-so cry etc.

How about Punky, Spunky and Monkey!?

Yesterday morning... it's my "not enough time for breakfast" alternative. When was the last time you laughed so hard you couldn't breathe? (And what made you laugh so hard!?)

possibly never?! Can't recall ever feeling like that?!! When was the last time you watched TV ALL day (from getting up to going to bed)?

That's scary! I am certainly thinking of you. My husband went through the same experience when he was twelve years old... initially told to get his eyes checked, then diagnosed with migraines, then finally sent for scans as a last resort! I have never been able to imagine the anxiety his parents must have experienced at the time. Needless to say, it was a character-building experience for them all... and he's all fine now, 16 years later!

Well done! great idea!

yesterday... I prefer it to driving to get to and from uni. When was the last time you pigged out on junk food?

a few months ago When was the last time you drove with the petrol light on?

kids

Sunday arvo... from my Dad. When was the last time you had pins and needles so bad you could use the affected hand/foot at all!?

hmmm... not sure but within the last six months... eeugh! when was the last time you were given flowers? (I was given "just cos" flowers on teh weekend... Davey is in the good books!)

that's a really interesting point... I'd never thought of it as a legal responsibility... like caring for children. Good parents don't neglect clothing and feeding their children cos they've "only got one or two", so why would pet owners neglect basic welfare strategies cos they have "only got one or two"!

Smokey was a baby when we got him, and was wolf whistling and making kissy noises within two or three months of coming home. He's now been with us for six months and says: "what are you doing", , "I don't know" , "Hello", "hello Smokey" and "Funny boy". There are heaps of other things he says which sound like words and phrases, but we can't make them out. We talk to him a lot, and leave the radio on for him while we're out, so he's always hearing human voices... don't know whether it really helps or not, but he certainly enjoys music!!

about 18 months ago... at that time it had been at leat two years since my previous visit, and I vowed that I'd make myself go anually... didn't work. Never had a filling though! When was the last time you wore odd socks out of hte house?

Go Fish... not big here in OZ. My parents have a place with a long driveway and when my sister adn I were kids, trick-or-treating was a bit more popular, so my Dad used to make the driveway look as dark and scary as possible - would let the bushes grow for the month beforehand, leave the spiders webs etc hanging around.... very scary-looking... never got kids paying THEM a visit! Do you have any quirky family traditions?

I've only performed in music eisteddfods etc as a member of a larger orchestra and jazz band... never SOLO! when was the last time you locked yourself out of your house/car?

thanks!

go fish (hehe!) Have you ever climbed to the very top of a tree?

Oooo... CHRISTMAS!!

Sometimes... my husband has a lot of old friends who are girls. But I recon there are probably other blokes who can't. Do you bake your own bread?

beard

yes! but I'm still in my late 20s and living in the same area I went to school in, so a lot of my old friends are still around and in touch! have you ever sent a lovey-dovey text message to the worng number? (I wonce sent a very romantic message to my mum instead of my boyfriend - now husband!)

mail

go fish... studying full time... no time for hobbies! have you recently met up with an old friend?

well done! daisy