Shut UP!

Ah television. It's taught Jordan so much.

Lately he's been saying 'Elinor? Shut UP - I love that name!'

Moreover he says it in a perfect LA Valley Girl accent.

SPECIAL NEEDS HANDBOOK

Hi Helen,

thanks for your reply.

When Jordan's in meltdown I would say the main strategies I use with him are:

1. KEEP ABSOLUTELY CALM! This is vital. Do not shout or lose your temper. I know it's difficult!
2. Maintain eye contact.
3. Lower and modulate your voice. It makes Jordan listen to what I'm saying.
4. Keep your tone and body language neutral, it defuses the situation.
5. Say something like 'we'll talk when you feel better/have calmed down'
6. Walk away (out of range!)
7. If he keeps hitting/yelling/kicking/destroying the good furniture keep saying number 5.
8. When he has calmed down, I always shake his hand and commend him on his self-control.
9. Let it go and move on immediately. Life's too short to hold a grudge or anticipate the next time a meltdown occurs.

This is my current approach. Some of which I learnt by trial and error. Other things I picked up from other parents (always a useful resource which is why your handbook is such a great idea!) I change my approach to fit the situation and always err upon the side of motivation for good behaviour rather than punishment for the bad which can be too negative. And it works! Jordan is calm and collected most of the time. It wasn't always so. When he was 14 and already taller than me he could be very violent. He once had me up against the wall with his large hand gripping my throat. I maintained eye contact, lowered my voice and informed him in calm modulated tones that he could strangle me if he wanted but did he know he didn't have any trousers on? He looked down, laughed and let go!

10. Oh yes, a sense of humour.

Hope this is of use.

With very best wishes,

Elinor.

If you would like to contribute to this excellent initiative then please contact helen@specialneedshandbook.com

When blogs collide!

I just posted about this on my writing blog but I think this is a good 'un for this blog too.

OSKA BRIGHT: A Film Festival run by and for people with a learning disability.
Visit their website here.

Yum yum

This just in...

Prolonging life and preventing serious illness.

The British Medical Journal has recently published a study that has looked at the effects of adherence to a Mediterranean diet which consists primarily of vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, fish and a moderate intake of red wine. Other features of a Mediterranean diet include the use of olive oil as the only source of fat and low consumption of red meats. 12 studies with a total of 1,574,299 subjects were looked at, the subjects were followed from between 3 and eighteen years.
The study found that greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with -

a reduced risk (9%) of mortality from any cause.
a reduced risk (9%) of mortality from heart disease
a reduced risk (6%) of mortality from cancer
a reduction (13%) in the incidence of Parkinson's disease
a reduction (13%) in the incidence of Alzheimer's disease
These figures are impressive, the study notes that most of the world's major medical bodies strongly promote the adoption of a Mediterranean diet in order to reduce the risk of disease but also points out that adherence in recent years has actually reduced even in those countries bordering the Mediteranean sea. This is attribiuted to the increased popularity of supermarkets and fast food outlets in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Greece has the highest incidence of obesity in Euope (26.2%).
An American study, also reported in the BMJ, found that "most deaths during 24 years of follow-up in middle aged women could have been avoided by a combination of not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, regular physical activity and a healthy diet". Given that the number of people who are overweight or obese in the UK is increasing it would seem that the NHS should redouble its efforts to get the healthy lifestyle message across.

Thought bubble

I snapped this (to me, at any rate) amusing shop sign at Alicante Airport.

As you can see, Jordan is not very approving. I wonder what he's thinking...

A. Really mother, HOW juvenile!
B. For goodness' sake woman, I need a hamburger. NOW!
C. You are just so, like, REALLY embarrassing...

Eye Tests

I had one yesterday and discovered that as well as Posterior Vitreous Detachment, myopia, astigmatism and cataracts, that my sight has improved from - 13 to -11. Woo hoo! This being a cause for celebration, I treated myself to some Vivienne Westwood frames.

They also took a photo of my retinas which told me rather more than I wanted to know.

Come and join...

...my new FaceBook group : Don't Upset The Normals

You know you want to...