tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316875182011-07-12T07:08:34.733+01:00Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.comBlogger1231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-81022616448876393982009-11-22T22:52:00.000Z2009-11-22T22:53:56.484Z

Hi AllLast week was reading week. For most people, this is a chance to relax, go home, or go to Dundee or Edinburgh for a few days out. Unfortunately this was not the case for me. I spent my reading week in the union working on essays, rigging for ents, or preparing for lectures – so unlike most people I could not spend all day in bed working my way though a packet of chocolate digestives.Don’t

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-38974231810910490312009-11-08T10:58:00.001Z2009-11-08T10:58:52.063Z

Hi AllAs ever, you find me in a busy week. Recently, I have had a large influx of work, which while not unexpected, is none the less unwelcome. However, through a mixture of hard work, chocolate and watching /House/, I have survived. I have also been doing a lot with ents. Last week was our “Halloweek” – a week of Halloween themed events. It was a good week, we got loads of great UV reactive

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-31403941195774173752009-10-25T21:11:00.000Z2009-10-25T21:12:48.560Z

It has, as ever, been an interesting week for me. First, I discovered death by philosophy – my brains are currently the consistency of wallpaper paste. Then, I did some work in the Computer Science (com-sci) lab, and started to worry for the com-sci’s sanity as they spent a full two hours remotely controlling computers to play “Never Gonna Give You Up” over and over. Between my philosophy work

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-71440592103778189742009-10-18T15:30:00.001+01:002009-10-18T15:30:59.676+01:00

Hello allRight, well, as I write this, it is a Wednesday, and to be honest, it kind of feels like have a lot of stuff pushing down on me right now, which is odd because there really isnt much. Let me explain.Because of the modules I am taking, I have a lot of continuing assessment – stuff like essays and lab reports. I know, that I am going to have to do 9 tutorial essays, 2 lab reports 3 big

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-32039312639100203222009-10-11T10:22:00.000+01:002009-10-11T10:24:50.420+01:00

When St Andrews was formed, it (like all old universities) was taking very young students – some as young as 14. They would be sent away from home to study, and because they were so young, they needed a mother/father figure to look out for them for a while. And so the Academic parenting system was born. Today, third and fourth year students “adopt” freshers each year. This is not something

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-45885913819862969162009-10-04T19:28:00.003+01:002009-10-04T21:35:00.850+01:00

Well it has been a rather eventful week. The start of lectures, The Surrey Branch Conference, and the first Entertainments crew meeting of the year! However things didn’t all go to plan. As you may know, St Andrews, like all ancient Scottish universities, operates on a modular system. In your first year, you take 6 20 credit modules, in your second, 4 30 credit modules, and in your third and

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-35172465368354018082009-09-27T18:08:00.000+01:002009-09-27T18:09:36.865+01:00

Hello All!Well, this week has been an exceptionally busy one for me. I have moved back to St Andrews, and spent all of my fresher’s week in Venue 1 (the main students union venue). Working with the entertainments crew to put on a long string of events. Comedy, Hypnosis, two Bops, 2 Celebrity DJ sets and more besides. This resulted in me spending about 120 hours in the Students union last week.

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-36441052152002547212009-09-15T17:15:00.000+01:002009-09-15T17:19:00.669+01:00

Hello everyone in blogger land!Yes, the rumours are true, the blog is back. I should probably fill you in on what has been happening since my blog 15 months ago.Since then, I have come off Prozac, got my A level results (Maths – A, Psychology – A, Business – B), and was accepted to St Andrews university. I was also offered a book contract with Jessica Kingsley publishers. This made for quite a

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-73777263826278643832009-07-02T18:27:00.002+01:002009-07-02T18:32:29.349+01:00

Alas this is not the start of the new blog, that is still several weeks off yet. However I have started a Twitter account, the idea being to run it in paralell with this blog - thats the theory at least! If you go to http://twitter.com/JoshuaMuggleton you can follow me.Looking forward to comming back with some proper blogs soon!Joshua Muggleton - Tweeter

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-22157753890957580442009-06-25T16:27:00.003+01:002009-06-25T16:33:52.786+01:00

Hi AllDue to popular demand, I have decided to revive this blog. As you will have read from my previous blog, I suspended this blog due to my commitments with the YearDot Project. Now it is coming to and end, and ordinarily, i would be writing already, however, it will be a few months yet. For those who have followed me on Yeardot, you will know i have a book contract with Jessica Kingsley

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-28016542390283093862008-06-30T22:44:00.002+01:002008-06-30T22:47:50.870+01:00

Three months ago, my Dad passed on to me details about a new TV and internet project being planned by So Television, a production company owned by Graham Norton. They were looking for some young people to follow around for a year. I decided to apply. After lengthy interviews, heaps of forms, and weeks on tenterhooks and beating off a few thousand others, I am in.YearDot is a project following

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-10031813965935224182008-06-30T22:16:00.003+01:002008-06-30T22:28:05.221+01:00

It is with mixed feelings that I come to write this last blog on Farleigh. I will admit to you now, that I am writing this about two weeks in advance, but with two weeks of exams, I hope you will understand. But even so, the thought that I am in my last 14 days here, is very emotional. When I came to Farleigh, I will admit, I hated it. I hated being away from home, I hated sharing a room, a hated

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-8176558154978195012008-06-22T19:51:00.000+01:002008-06-22T19:52:02.375+01:00

Last week, we looked at the repetitive behaviour known as stimming, and whether we should stop people stimming or not. This week I am going to continue in a similar vein, and look at general “Aspie” behaviours and whether we should stop them. When I think of Aspie type behaviours, I tend to think of obsessing over a certain subject, be it Psychology, learning lines from plays/musicals/music,

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-46909981146323716142008-06-17T19:50:00.000+01:002008-06-17T19:51:22.008+01:00

In the past few years, whether we should modify or stop some behaviour has become a heated debate. Namely, should we stop or modify what is known as stimming, and should we try and make people with Asperger’s integrate into society even if it against their wishes? So I am doing a two part blog on these, first, looking at stimming.Firstly, what do we define as stimming? In short, stims are

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-29288626453897813232008-06-09T11:54:00.004+01:002008-06-11T14:26:03.553+01:00

Ok, what is the big deal about taking meds? I know a few people who are very nervous about taking medication to help with their Asperger’s Syndrome. And I honestly don’t know why. The drugs do not suppress the Asperger’s or autism - they just help with certain aspects of it. Anyway, to allay people’s nerves about taking medication, I thought I would tell you about my experience of it.Currently I

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-75167752461381462262008-05-30T22:25:00.000+01:002008-05-30T22:26:08.993+01:00

The other week, I reached a rather momentous decision. I have decided to get rid of my mask collection. Let me explain. To interact with people I tend to put on a mask, I adopt a persona that they find acceptable, to be who they expect me to be, to not tread on any toes. So, when I see someone, I, like everyone, judge what sort of person they are like, and how best to talk to them, but I then

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-15898817857006811212008-05-25T22:02:00.000+01:002008-05-25T22:03:02.426+01:00

A few weeks ago I was approached asked by a parent what support I will get at university. Anyway, I thought it best to explain exactly what I am hoping to get for my time at St Andrews, via the medium of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA)DSA is separate from the standard student loan/grant type thing from the government and is not based on your parents’ income. However, like the loan/grant, it

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-45299833477207442212008-05-16T21:54:00.000+01:002008-05-16T21:55:18.067+01:00

Now, I tend to regard myself as reasonably good at communication, but over the past year or so, I have found it much harder to communicate. This worried me for a while, then I started to think about it, and realised that the problem was not that my communication skills were deteriorating. No, it was that I had been trying to communicate increasingly complex ideas. When I think, I think in

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-16006134900461880932008-05-10T23:06:00.000+01:002008-05-10T23:07:07.618+01:00

As the heat of the May sun brings out my greatest foe (the common wasp), I am reminded of what else the start of summer means. Exams. The scary thing is that with these exams, there are no second chances: if I mess these up, then my dream of going to St Andrews will be gone. Now I know that the University of Surrey, my second choice, is a good university and that many people would kill to

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-89045115551270800172008-05-04T13:48:00.004+01:002008-05-04T14:43:29.949+01:00

Ok, as I am a National Autistic Society Councillor, I thought I should plug our new campaign. Our last campaign was the “Make School Make Sense Campaign” which focused on getting the right provision for children with autism, the right training for every teacher, etc. Anyway, it was a huge success, and as a result the government have made some policy changes, especially around training. So the NAS

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-46073327469159822932008-04-25T21:56:00.002+01:002008-04-26T14:01:36.181+01:00

As some of you may know, the exam season is upon us. Students all over the country, are living on a mix of caffeine pills, Ibuprofin and energy drinks while they try and cram in one more iota of information into there throbbing brain. And I am one of them. Ok, well I don’t pop caffeine pills, Ibuprofin and energy drinks, but I do work my socks off (such an unusual expression, and does it mean

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-35107667846500469862008-04-20T13:20:00.001+01:002008-04-20T13:22:25.021+01:00

These days, we keep hearing reports about eating. It now seems that half the world is obese and the other half anorexic. However, what about Asperger’s and eating? What should we expect here? When I was young, I was terrible at eating. I would refuse to eat a lot of things. At one point, my main meal would be baked beans, mashed potato and sausages/chicken nuggets/some other form of “meat”.

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-31030603755703974012008-04-13T17:44:00.001+01:002008-04-13T17:49:47.533+01:00

One of the many hard things I had to do in my life was tell my friends I had Asperger’s Syndrome. Why? Well I didn’t know what to expect, nor did I know how to tell them. So here are a few ideas to try and help with that. Firstly, there is just coming out with it, the main problem I have had with this is that not many people know what autism is, and even fewer know what Asperger’s Syndrome is.

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-8165732384228569572008-04-10T20:12:00.001+01:002008-04-10T20:12:55.721+01:00

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1693450975124870492008-04-06T12:26:00.001+01:002008-04-06T14:12:14.034+01:00

Foreword: I have done a lot of moaning over the past six months, and I have recently tried to stop that, however, by definition, I have to moan a bit in this regular blog subject, so please bear with me.Accommodation: If you read my last report on Farleigh, you should know that I am now in a private room (“YAY”) whereas last year I was in a shared room. However, over the past few weeks, I have

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-31610291434697154592008-03-30T15:36:00.001+01:002008-03-30T15:36:31.158+01:00

I thought long and hard about what I was going to post this week. I was going to do a video blog of my journey up to see Anna in Cambridge, however, I think if I have another go at the train services they may stop selling me tickets. And as I kinda need them, I thought I shouldn’t. My blog is instead about my time in Cambridge. My trip was very good, I had a lot of fun with Anna, and although

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-62099795792781654562008-03-24T00:11:00.000Z2008-03-24T00:12:05.745Z

Ok, before you start worrying, I am not about to start explaining the DSM and ICD criteria for autism and Asperger’s. I have looked at them, and they are a real snooze. No, instead I am going to talk about self-diagnosis. I am often asked to talk about my self-diagnosis. So, here goes: Years and years ago, Dad was running to become a councillor for the National Autistic Society. And so he

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-32039827709264772912008-03-16T13:41:00.010Z2008-03-16T14:05:15.930Z

Two years ago, I never dreamt that I would be in this position. I really didn’t. Back in May 2006 I stood up in the House of Commons and delivered a speech which outlined how I (and thousands of others) had been let down by my school, my local education authority, and the government.Soon after, I was lucky to find out about Farleigh College, and even luckier to get a place there. With the help

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-42343950716122632292008-03-09T17:48:00.001Z2008-03-09T17:52:37.372Z

Ok, yes, I know I have talked about Simon a lot lately, but I think you will find this relevant and interesting. As some of you may know, I want to become a clinical psychologist. To help me with my psychology studies, I have subscribed to “the Psychologist”, a monthly Journal produced by the British Psychological Society (BPS). Anyway, yesterday the latest edition came through, and there was a 4

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-82830788200258925662008-03-02T12:39:00.007Z2008-03-02T14:11:21.928Z

This is a question that came up yesterday at a seminar I did at the NAS members meeting in London.In my opinion there is no right answer. Every child is different – especially those with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. So they will all react differently. Really, parents will know best how and when to tell their child. If they are fairly high-functioning it may be that they already have the

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-44919097540759098442008-02-24T17:20:00.010Z2008-02-24T17:54:26.907Z

I am jealous of Anna. Sometimes this is because she has the opportunity to sit in on a Simon Baron Cohen lecture. Sometimes it is because she is such a quick reader. But mostly, it is because she lives in Cambridge. Now, it is not the old buildings that attract me, nor the fact that in Cambridge the car hasn’t been invented yet. No, the reason that Cambridge is top of my favourite places is

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-47394757609429207382008-02-18T01:06:00.004Z2008-02-18T01:28:09.089Z

Apparently some neurotypicals don’t understand why the internet is such a better way to communicate. Let me explain… Autism 101. The triad of impairments – Social, communication, imagination. This translates to difficulty understanding social situations, difficulties communicating social views, and difficulties imagining what others are feeling andthinking etc. The key thing here is eye contact

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-31385678745844912332008-02-09T11:45:00.000Z2008-02-09T13:08:48.403Z

Ok, I expect that most of you know that eye contact is hard for people with autism. But do you know why? Well, here’s why I find it hard… Have you ever considered how much information you can get from just looking at someones eyes? How many different factors there are to take in. No? Well let me tell you. With the eye itself, you have the pupil size, the size changes of the pupil, the

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-56657858639557727162008-02-03T14:05:00.000Z2008-02-03T17:03:17.673Z

A few weeks ago, we got ourselves a late family Christmas present. A video camera. Anyway, last weekend, I was thinking about trying to do some filming in the hope I could edit it for a half decent blog. So, I interviewed Jack, Josie, and Jordan, and asked them questions about themselves, autism, and so forth in the hope that it would give me an idea for a blog. Anyway it worked.Let me introduce

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-19730963908852195992008-01-27T17:08:00.000Z2008-01-27T18:09:43.223Z

The babe, who climbs over you, but not with youThe babe, who loves to order shapes, but aloneThe babe, who does not talk, does not smileThe babe, who’s desire is for solitudeThat is where you will find meThe little kid, walking alone on the playgroundThe little kid, covering himself to hide from the painThe little kid, being shunned by all around himThe little kid, who teachers just don’t

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-37267599445204229622008-01-20T12:29:00.000Z2008-01-20T13:04:55.329Z

Continuing on from last weeks blog on autism and the male brain....The problem I see is that there are people with autism but no male brain, male brain but no autism and both. Therefore, I would like to propose a psychological concept to you known as the diathesis stress model.The diathesis-stress model is a psychological theory that explains behaviour as both a result of biological and genetic

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-28033380363240566432008-01-12T13:29:00.000Z2008-01-12T13:39:52.389Z

Over the past few years, there has been some people who have been saying that autism is just extreme male brain. But is this true? I know Simon Baron Cohen has done a lot of research on this, and he has written a book called “The Essential Difference” which is a very good read. Firstly, unlike so many scientific books, it is in English, and secondly, it covers a range of ideas on the subject.

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-27104848279109425422008-01-06T11:18:00.000Z2008-01-06T11:28:23.966Z

Ok, before we get started, I want to make it clear that I have the greatest respect for both Tony Attwood and Simon Baron–Cohen. And I would fully recommend all of their books. But I thought I’d give a short review about two of the best known and most respected voices in Autism. Lets start with some background on these two titans of autism.Attwood’s Interest in Autism started at a young age, when

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-33451071732217571322007-12-30T21:34:00.000Z2007-12-30T21:46:53.409Z

It seems to be tradition now, that at the end of every term I give an “end of term report” on Farleigh and the general goings on. And as it is the Christmas holidays and I am finding it hard to get my brain in gear to do anything more creative, I shall continue with this tradition. Maybe it might be useful for anyone thinking about Farleigh FE College as a possible placement.For those who don't

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-26377747028894090822007-12-23T11:45:00.000Z2007-12-23T12:22:52.860Z

Well, I have been working flat out since September and I am totally knackered.As I write this, it is exactly one week until Christmas, which in itself is stressful. However, before I get to that, I have another day of college to get through.And, to be honest, I suspect I will be asleep for most of it, unless I become high on chocolate. Seriously, I don’t see how I will be able to stay awake

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-44082115307379654902007-12-15T21:30:00.000Z2007-12-15T21:39:31.470Z

Its this time of year again. The shop decorations have been up for almost three months now. The leaves have turned into that brown stain on the carpet just inside the door that you meant to get rid of two weeks ago but still haven’t done. Your heating bill is going up, and the kids are starting to bug you about putting up the decorations. You are running out of hiding places for the presents and

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-30631107244868943792007-12-09T10:08:00.000Z2007-12-09T10:10:48.524Z

Ok, who dreamt this hair-brained scheme up? Come on, I know it must be someone out there. Anyway, if you are the person who invented the term “Autistic Spectrum Condition”, I have a question for you, and please, feel free to write back to me on this one.Why in the name of all that’s holy, did you have to go and complicate matters!? I mean, we are only just starting to get doctors who, when you

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-19911363710667763812007-12-02T18:32:00.000Z2007-12-09T10:08:02.317Z

Don’t get me wrong, I love being a NAS councillor, and I am proud to be one. However, sometimes, it has its drawbacks. Let me tell you about last weekend… Friday afternoon, after doing a few hours of Maths and Business Studies, I once again embarked on my two hour commute to Guildford. I arrived home that evening, replied to some e-mails, looked at a few mailing lists, and then decided to relax

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-28187158873959079152007-11-25T12:51:00.000Z2007-11-25T13:16:20.586Z

A couple of weeks ago, my colleagues at Farleigh Students Union performed a miracle. They were organised. Let me fill you in. About three weeks ago, the Students Union was settled enough to start to give serious thought to doing something. As the President, I had managed to quell the internal squabbles, and people were now getting on with each other. Sometimes it was almost impossible to stop

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-28152835118110484392007-11-17T12:20:00.000Z2007-11-17T12:46:25.816Z

Last Sunday, I had a standard sort of journey back to Bath. However, that day, I was in a hypersensitive mood. So let me tell you what affect that had on me during my journey back.. To save me from going on too long, I am just going to tell you about the last leg of the journey from Reading to Bath.The train that normally runs down to Bath is a big 8 carriage train, with two drive sections at

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-34433636155789894372007-11-10T17:53:00.001Z2007-11-10T19:44:47.062Z

... at Farleigh College7:00am – Night wakers (people who stay up all night to make sure we are ok) come and knock on our doors telling us to get up.7:01 – Go back to sleep7:30 – Mobile phone alarm clock goes off. Wakes me up with a start – cannot go back to sleep7:31 – get dressed and go to bathroom7:32 – bathroom occupied, go to downstairs bathroom which only half the students know about.7:45 –

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-24117786918370182652007-11-03T12:34:00.000Z2007-11-03T13:05:09.253Z

Over the past year or so, I have been regularly changing my mind about what I intend to do after I have taken my A levels next June. If you are a regular reader here you will know that at one point I was going to Birmingham University to study autism part time. Then I was going to do an undergraduate degree in Psychology. Then I was going to do a third year of A levels. But my time for

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-62183602481931856032007-10-27T13:47:00.000+01:002007-10-27T14:04:26.243+01:00

This Monday, I for one will be celebrating. No, it is not because I have gone insane and am rejoicing at the end of half term. It is because, this Monday (29th October), the National Autistic Society’s “Think Differently about Autism” campaign is being launched! Anyway, as I have been involved a bit with the campaign, I thought I may give you a bit of info about the campaign.The “Think

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-52289107451504470872007-10-21T21:30:00.000+01:002007-10-21T22:56:44.047+01:00

As I lay in bed, listening to “Just Great Songs” (SONY – I expect the cheque for my plug to arrive this week), I was as usual staring at this blank word document. Writers block? Tell me about it… Anyway, in my usual panic, I stared at my bookshelf, and I saw a book by one of my mentors. And that started me thinking… Who has influenced me? Who do I admire and want to emulate? Who inspires me to

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-21055756623349246062007-10-14T12:45:00.001+01:002007-10-14T23:54:23.705+01:00

Last week, I wrote about the problems with buses. I originally planned for it to be included in this blog which is about trains. However, I ended up writing more than I intended to, so I decided to break it up. So welcome to the endless list of problems with trains. So what are the big problems with trains? Many of the problems are similar to that of buses, however, unlike buses, which are

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-31824401243743401572007-10-06T21:29:00.000+01:002007-10-06T22:36:55.885+01:00

I know I wrote a blog on buses a while ago. In fact it was one of my first blogs. However, unlike the blog I wrote earlier, this will not be a rant. Well not much… Recently I have been travelling more frequently on buses to and from college in Bath. I know a lot of aspies have trouble with public transport. I certainly do. But that begs the question why? Well, for me there are several reasons.

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-44589800544527504732007-09-30T11:06:00.000+01:002007-09-30T11:24:30.577+01:00

I don’t quite understand it. I really don’t. I have almost always found stress to be a bad, evil thing that is constantly stalking us in our day to day lives. In my Psychology classes, we are looking at stress and the effects it has on us. And it is kind of scary how stress can affect people.Take Cortozol. It is released when you are exposed to long term stress. And it has rather nasty effects.

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-2498424643573298612007-09-21T20:01:00.000+01:002007-09-23T13:38:11.332+01:00

This week I have experimented with the video blog option. So you can either read on, or if you have a good broadband connection you can watch the video. This weeks subject is the use of the Alphasmart keyboard versus the laptop for children and young people with literacy problems. Quite a few Aspies have literacy issues and may need to take advantage of the technology now available. During

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-46973099887915466032007-09-15T09:41:00.000+01:002007-09-15T22:03:24.146+01:00

My future, my present, my past, are all controlledThe horror, the memories of my past, stop me from restingWhat happened is seared on my mindNever to forget the pain of schoolThe memories haunts me, in my dreamsThe memories torments me in my thoughtsThe memories kills me in my hopesThe memories chokes me in my lifePart of my sanity, lies in the school yardScreaming in agony in what it has to

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-46914749804004105882007-09-08T10:47:00.000+01:002007-09-09T14:11:09.914+01:00

This week, has been a very hard week for me. Why? Because last Sunday, I moved back to Farleigh FE College. Now, going back to school is hard for anyone, as any parent will undoubtedly know. However, it is so much harder, when back to school, means that for the next 7 weeks, you will only see your family and your girlfriend every Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday morning and afternoon. The

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-54739945195896930882007-09-01T22:16:00.000+01:002007-09-02T11:17:37.392+01:00

I apologise that this particular story doesn’t have an ASD theme, I just fancied doing a funny blog, although they are rarely funny. Although if you read on you will discover that sensory overload is a major theme… So… we all know the story of Cinderella. Girl down on her luck meets godmother, goes to ball in a carriage, meets shallow prince who goes solely on looks and makes him fall in

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-79352184644965355662007-08-25T11:57:00.000+01:002007-08-27T16:10:54.499+01:00

Have you ever wondered what is going on in that kids head? What is he thinking? What’s keeping him so occupied? Why won’t he notice if I clap my hands or talk to him? Well, this is what goes on in my head and this is what gets me occupied, and makes it hard for me to concentrate on any one thing. Of course it will won't be the same for all aspies and auties. But who knows, it may just give you

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-70852566472414829712007-08-18T14:50:00.000+01:002007-08-19T12:00:17.360+01:00

When I was 7 or 8, I realised that all of my classmates had a hobby. And I didn’t. So one evening, at about 9 o’clock at night, I came down to the living room, where my parents were watching Inspector Morse. And I said to them that I wanted to learn to ride horses. Why? I don’t know. I guess I wanted a hobby that was a bit different, and I liked animals, so it seemed to me to be an obvious choice

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-43280908642480491822007-08-12T17:59:00.000+01:002007-08-13T08:56:59.833+01:00

This week, my brothers and sister were very jealous of me. Now it is not because I have the largest collection of DVDs known to man, or that I got elected as NAS councillor (yay - thanks to everyone who voted for me). No, it was the fact that I was on TV. Well, I say tv, it was only on More 4 News, but it is still raising awareness of autism, which can only be good. Anyway, before I give you the

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-85960504491148790212007-08-05T11:39:00.000+01:002007-08-12T17:56:48.084+01:00

In my last blog, I promised to tell you what it’s like to actually go out with an aspie. But before I do this, I have a confession to make.You see, the first time I went out with Josh, we discussed astrophysics and the best ways to murder someone. And I enjoyed this conversation greatly. This may seem like an odd confession, but it illustrates an important point: some people are just plain weird,

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-963601984713917462007-07-29T22:36:00.000+01:002007-07-29T22:37:07.670+01:00

Hi, I’m Anna, Josh’s girlfriend. We’ve been going out with each other for a little over a year, and he’s asked me to write a blog about it. So, first of all, I apologise that I’m not Joshua, and my blog may not be up to his usual standard. However, if you want to find out a bit about what it’s like to date an aspie, read on…I’ve recently been rereading the Harry Potter books, in preparation for

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-39235318713997483872007-07-22T21:02:00.000+01:002007-07-22T21:04:30.985+01:00

A few weeks ago I went to the NAS South-east Members Convention, which was, as usual, superb. However, there was one workshop in the afternoon that I and about 20 other people went to, which I want to share with you.It was called, “Even the ants are noisy: sensory perception in people with an autistic spectrum condition”, and was presented by two very good speakers, Fran Davis, Clinical

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-44125771033751921812007-07-15T21:38:00.000+01:002007-07-20T09:33:51.006+01:00

Humanity, is something often discussed in Star Trek. Long story short, humanity is what makes us human. It is compassion, understanding, knowing right from wrong, ethics, the little angel hovering over our right shoulder. Before today, I thought humanity was something which everyone had. It hit home today, that some people, have no humanity.I read a story today, about a young woman, 21, who has

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-65633354307620797102007-07-08T09:36:00.000+01:002007-07-08T09:38:38.240+01:00

I would like to start with a quote from the bible. By which I mean the TV series “House”“Ah, my birthday. Normally I'd put on a festive hat and celebrate the fact that the Earth has circled the Sun one more time; I really didn't think it was going to make it this year, but darn it if it wasn't the little planet that could all over again.” (Dr House, the Socratic Method. Season 1)So what is the

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-57892962573714291742007-07-01T17:39:00.000+01:002007-07-01T17:40:16.036+01:00

I apologise in advance that this weeks blog does not have an autism slant. However the City of Bath has a reputation as being one of the finest cities in Britain. Or at least it did until recently. But something everyone in Bath had been fearing for years has finally arrived. Some say that it has been planned by an unusually well educated spider called Trevor, and that the budget has been

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-30133602485377423792007-06-23T16:42:00.000+01:002007-06-23T16:43:07.863+01:00

It is been a long year. Last September, I never thought I would get this far. 36 weeks. 180 days. Around 4 thousand hours. And I did it. When I first started at Farleigh, I didn’t think I would last long. It was a huge culture shock. And the first 8 weeks were some of the hardest of my life. But over time, things got better. And now, I have done it. I have taken my AS exams.So how has Farleigh

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-62230146342228995722007-06-17T13:50:00.000+01:002007-06-17T13:51:05.976+01:00

Most of us expect our babies to wake in the night. In fact, in some countries, looking after kids is a recognised form of torture. But for most parents, their kids eventually grow out of it and establish a good sleeping pattern. However, for people with Autism or Aspergers Syndrome, that can be harder to acheve.Here’s my thoughts on some of the possible underlying causes and my own ideas about

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-88945337612626727622007-06-10T18:25:00.000+01:002007-06-10T18:26:12.577+01:00

When we lived in caves, we didn’t think much about the time. We had more pressing matters like where we left our arrow or club. When we lived in castles, we had sundials, but we thought more about building armies and fighting the Scots. Today however, we adorn ourselves with watches. I am wearing a digital watch, and it tells me the time to the second. I have a stop watch function which times

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-49558395449707164882007-06-01T07:43:00.001+01:002007-06-01T07:43:52.334+01:00

A few months ago, I was talking to a teacher with Aspergers syndrome. And she was saying how hard she finds it to learn the concept of humour. I remember a few years ago, I found humour very hard to grasp. Why is the idea of going to a town called sample and it having a sign as you go in saying “your in sample” (for aspies, urine sample) so funny? And so, I decided, I wanted to try and learn

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-88447267668925872772007-05-27T21:04:00.000+01:002007-05-27T21:05:09.283+01:00

Last week the government announced a 340 million pound package of help for parents and carers of disabled children. £340 million is a lot of money. I mean, in this day and age, that is almost enough to pay off a 12 year old mortgage on a two bedroom semi!. However how much of a difference will this investment really make for disabled children and their families? The government say they want to

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-55504371323594058822007-05-20T08:40:00.000+01:002007-05-20T12:28:20.809+01:00

8 men (or to be pc, men and women) walk into a bar. One is a policeman, one is a nurse, one is a doctor, one is a fireman, one is a paramedic, one is a teacher, one is a politician, and one is a theme park ride attendant. What to all of these people have in common?The answer? They generally know as much about ASD’s as Gordon Brown knows about running the country. I was thinking about this the

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-21438163438859069712007-05-12T17:04:00.000+01:002007-05-12T17:05:34.957+01:00

A few weeks ago, I was on my way back to Frome from college in Bath. On the interminably long drive, we pass a few fields. One such time, we were stuck in a traffic jam that seemed to last aeons. And so, I did all I could do: listen to some utterly awful music someone had chosen for a radio station, wind down my window and stare out onto the fields. And I saw an odd sight. I saw a sheep. Not very

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-53585483987485144002007-05-07T08:37:00.000+01:002007-05-07T08:39:39.991+01:00

You may remember a few weeks ago, I wrote a blog complaining about how I have to start thinking about what university course I want to do, even though it was still 18 months away. And that it is totally unreasonable that at this stage I should have to decide on a degree that will shape my life forever.Well, I got a lot of response to that, and if I haven’t replied to you, I am really sorry. .

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-85073626761082543182007-05-06T11:55:00.000+01:002007-05-06T11:59:42.660+01:00

Hi JoThanks for your comment you sent a while back. sorry it has taken me a while to respond, i dont get notified when i get a comment and so it is pot luck wether i see them or not. anyway, thankyou for your comment. i love getting feadback and knowing that my blog helps in some way. any comments or surgestions please contact me. anyway thanks again, and best of luck.JoshHi AngieThanks for your

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-77912565702391831472007-04-29T22:54:00.001+01:002007-05-02T18:11:05.516+01:00

I have been thinking about this for a while. What is the Autistic Spectrum? When I first heard the term, I envisioned the spectrum of colours. Red being neurotypical, and blue being autistic, however, I have since realised that it is a lot more complicated than that.When I am doing my talks, I tend to refer to the autistic spectrum, as a scale. 0-35 is neurotypical, 30-70 as Asperger’s Syndrome,

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-73437186474678231722007-04-22T11:38:00.001+01:002007-04-22T11:38:47.381+01:00

Right now, I am listening to Baba O’Riley by The Who. All sane people (by which, I of course mean people addicted to the TV series ‘House’) will know that it was used in a series one episode called “Control”. You see. When I am at home and have to write a blog, I usually put on some music, and stair blankly at my computer screen for half an hour and come up with something which looks like it was

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-31252273741262313392007-04-17T09:02:00.000+01:002007-04-17T21:50:25.682+01:00

At the moment life is good. It is the Easter holidays, which means for once I have a break from the stress and pressure of impending doom (exams). However, on the downside, I have been given a wad of revision about an inch thick. Oh joy! However, (and I am hoping my lecturers aren’t reading this), I have only just started it with only five days of holidays left. And do you know what? I am going

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-15449576461999272152007-04-09T21:37:00.001+01:002007-04-09T21:37:52.474+01:00

The Easter holidays are here, and it is time once again for me to update you on Farleigh College.For those of you who are not aware, Farleigh Further Education College is a specialist college for young people with Asperger’s Syndrome in Frome Somerset. I came here last September after it became clear that I could not get the support I needed in order to do my A levels locally. Farleigh support me

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-34777428292743850442007-03-31T21:05:00.000+01:002007-03-31T21:07:57.359+01:00

I don’t know why I did it. I must have been mad. A week before mothers day, Anna and I offered to take my youngest brother Jordan, and her youngest brother Benjy to Legoland. I knew it was a crazy idea the moment I suggested it - but I still thought it might be fun. This is the story, of one aspie and his girlfriend, taking two hyperactive little kids out for the day.Anna arrived at 9 in her big

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-36566277088427384522007-03-25T13:05:00.000+01:002007-03-25T13:08:53.565+01:00

In a few weeks, I will get my university application forms through. And I will have to choose 6 places and subjects to study. So I could do Physics at Surrey as one of my options, and Maths at Reading as another. How on earth am I meant to know what I want to do with 3 years of my life now? I have only just taken my first batch of exams and have 18 months still to go!As my regular blog readers

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-57025438684387988532007-03-18T19:02:00.001Z2007-03-18T19:02:29.501Z

This was a blog I wrote a few days ago when I was very stressed. At this point, I was losing my rationality and everything started to go wrong. My mind started to spiral downwards into despair. This is perhaps a good example of the difference between aspies when they are stressed and when they are ok.-------Last Friday, results for our first module came out. You may remember a few weeks ago, I

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-82255047948023966072007-03-11T20:55:00.000Z2007-03-11T20:57:12.698Z

On Saturday, I travelled up to London to go to the NAS South East Members Meeting. It was good to meet up with several friends including Jane Vaughan – NAS South-east regional Co-ordinator, who gave me the opportunity to do my first talk, way back in 2005. Chris Gibbons from the NAS Campaign Team was there, and updated us all on the progress of the Make School Make Sense Campaign. Chris made a

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-10653914851047196432007-03-03T22:25:00.000Z2007-03-03T22:28:25.347Z

Out of all the emotions, fear seems to be the most powerful. Or, at least in my experience it is. Out of my 17 years on this earth, the one most common emotion I have experienced is fear. The way I see it, fear is the most primeval emotion. Joy, happiness, anticipation, these are all useful, and they encourage. But if we did not have fear, we wouldn’t have run away from the lions when all we had

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-22752318369810870322007-02-25T22:21:00.000Z2007-02-25T22:29:55.400Z

For the past few weeks, my girlfriend Anna and I have been working on something we have dubbed COMPASS. This stands for Curriculum for Optimising Mainstream Provision for Autistic Spectrum Students.Originally, COMPASS started out just like all my other blogs, on my laptop in Wetherspoons. I wanted to create a blog that defined what training I think teachers should get when they are qualifying.

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-31175153846528968122007-02-18T21:27:00.000Z2007-02-18T21:49:19.845Z

Something has always fascinated me. Why do people want to have kids? Lets just think about this, they scream, they cost you your money, your time, and your sanity. As soon as they learn to talk they talk back, as soon as they learn to walk they walk over you, and they are the only people who can program that damned infernal DVD recorder! But one thing I think most parents would agree on, is

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-39602674742092797632007-02-10T08:55:00.001Z2007-02-10T17:40:13.732Z

Attwood, Lawson, Wing, Holliday-Willey. These are people we think of as being the people who champion the cause of autistic spectrum disorders. If you like, these are the aeroplane pilots, stewards and stewardesses. These are the people that are in the public eye. But what about the engineers, the ground crew, the air traffic controllers, the designers, the despatch staff. When you leave an

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1170494526086171722007-02-03T09:21:00.000Z2007-02-06T20:30:36.706Z

Last night, I got a phone call from my girlfriend Anna, telling me about something she found on the BBC website about my local education authority. You can read about it here. It seems that Surrey County Council have finally been ordered to amend their approach to Statements of Special Educational Needs after it was deemed illegal by the DfES. This has come after years of lobbying and

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1169927086517898872007-01-27T19:44:00.000Z2007-01-27T19:44:46.546Z

A few weeks ago, I had what every student dreads. Some people call it the Beelzebub in paper form, others think it is a test from God. However they all agree on one name for it. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… Exam Hell. I had three encounters with these beasts from beyond. One for each of the 3 AS levels I am studying: Business Studies, Maths, and Physics. So, how did they go?

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1169394980158361442007-01-21T15:55:00.000Z2007-01-27T14:06:33.326Z

It has happened. And I don’t know what to do. I expect some of you may have heard about the Autism Bill passed in the US. If you scanned the headlines, you might of just seen what they want you to see – America is pumping almost a billion dollars into autism. Sounds good right? However, if you read further on, it says this money is for what appears to be primarily autism screening. Right

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1168725163286111262007-01-13T21:52:00.000Z2007-02-06T20:14:35.463Z

Last year, I attended the National Autistic Society’s Annual General Meeting in Birmingham. And so, me, and my dad got up at some ungodly hour, about 8 in the morning I think it was, in order to catch the train. So we bought our tickets, met up with our local NAS branch officer on the platform and boarded the train. After a few minutes, we were off. The ticket officer came round. He asked

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1168250654300591222007-01-08T10:02:00.000Z2007-01-08T10:04:14.316Z

So finally, after months of waiting, the winter break is here. For me, this term has been longer than any I think I have had. But I am through it now. So how has Farleigh fared over the past term? Here’s an update to my earlier report in October. A reminder that I don’t do any academic learning at Farleigh – this is done at the City of Bath College where I am supported by staff from

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1167514587835663912006-12-30T21:35:00.000Z2007-01-09T02:07:52.686Z

A boy, eyes closed, lies on the floor The cold hard, floor, littered with gum, mud, and food His head hath no pillow, his body hath no blanket Dressed like one of the nameless many, he lies, alone. A single teardrop, escapes from his eye, But there is no friend to dry it. The eyes open, to see nought but the suffocating darkness He is

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1166990615854136522006-12-24T20:03:00.000Z2006-12-24T23:04:46.513Z

Now, as anyone who writes a blog knows. it is often hard to come up with things to talk about. Every week, I sit down and stare at the blank screen and try and think of something to write about. Usually there is something on the news about his Blairness or good old George W. and I usually start of planning to talk about the news, but it usually ends up with me bashing them both and making some

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1166381813730195352006-12-17T18:55:00.000Z2006-12-22T09:21:38.606Z

I have many ambitions in life. One is to campaign for more aspie schools. However, one of my personal objectives in life, is to become a commercial aeroplane pilot. Now before you fall off your chair in hysterics, I do realise there is about as much chance of me becoming a pilot as there is of “I’m a celebrity get me out of here!” actually having someone I have vaguely heard of in the next series

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1165655440166031562006-12-09T09:05:00.000Z2007-01-09T02:26:30.983Z

When I do my talks, I always have a question and answer session at the end. And I can guarantee you, that one question that ALWAYS comes up, is “what is the ideal school?” The trouble is, there isn’t really a definitive answer. Aspies are all different. For example, a few weeks ago I went to the NAS AGM. There was an adult aspie speaker, and there was an aspie in the crowd was saying how he

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1165003905695343202006-12-01T20:11:00.000Z2006-12-05T22:21:55.716Z

A week ago, I got a call from the National Autistic Society to do a job. However this was not my usual talk. It was to do a radio interview for BBC Radio 4 for their “I Am Normal?” series. They are doing a programme on Autism and Asperger's Syndrome and it’s due to air Tuesday 5th December at 9pm, and repeated the following day at 4.30pm. Later that evening the interviewer for the programme

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1164380349502664622006-11-24T14:58:00.000Z2007-01-09T02:33:28.940Z

Today, as I went about my usual school activates, I thought I would have a change in what I had for lunch. You see, usually, I have a cheese and spring onion sandwich, some sort of fruit, and a pain-au-chocolate. However today, I decided, to try adding to my usual meal, what was marketed as a “jumbo sausage roll”. So I happily bought my sausage roll and went out to eat. My sandwich was very nice.

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1163797374759288802006-11-17T21:02:00.000Z2006-11-17T21:02:54.773Z

So, you ignorantly follow the traffic news and lo and behold, you find yourself in a traffic jam. What can you do? You can’t read a paper because you can’t take your eyes off the road. You can’t call in late for work cos you don’t have one of those hands free thingies. So you are listening to a song on the radio for the 48th time and all you can see is red tail lights in front of you. And, if you

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1163283419875414862006-11-11T22:16:00.000Z2006-11-16T05:27:54.700Z

Today, I have realised how much sitting in a car annoys me. It isn’t so much the car, because we all really ought to know by now what cars are good and which are made out of the same re-constituted stuff you get in sausages. It is more the driving experience that annoys me. It’s at this time of the year that you come downstairs to see that your car resembles an ice cube. So, after you have

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31687518.post-1162577396657287572006-11-03T18:09:00.000Z2006-11-03T18:09:56.676Z

Several people have asked me how I’m getting on at Farleigh College in Frome and how it compares to when I was at a mainstream secondary school in Guildford. A quick recap: Nearly 2 years ago I was signed off secondary school by the local CAMHS as I had a breakdown and couldn’t cope with school anymore. I have been studying at home ever since and took my GCSE’s in the local education

Joshuahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09568977110168789696noreply@blogger.com0