April 2012 Archives

Article first published as Keeping Autism Awareness Alive on Technorati.Today marks the end of April, and the end of Autism Awareness Month. All month businesses have had special promotions to raise funds for research about this very prominent condition, while also focusing on providing events for families who deal with the condition every day. But, like Breast Cancer Awareness Month or Black History Month, it seems the public mindset feels they have done what they needed to do when they were assigned to do it, and will move on without another thought. African Americans don't stop contributing to our Country just beacuse it's not February. People don't stop getting breast cancer just because it's not October. And parents, siblings, and children don't stop working with those on the Spectrum just because it's no longer April.So what can you do every day to help someone with who deals with Autism on a daily basis? Here are a few pointers:

1. Don't Judge: Don't be judgemental of someone who is struggling with their child. Chances are that child may have Autism, even if he doesn't "look" it. Autism doesn't really have a visual cue or physical "look" that identifies it. Children with Autism look just as beautiful as neurotypical children. Parents of children on the Spectrum are acutely aware of their child's behavior, and don't need your reminder. Sometimes a reassuring smile is all you need to give in order to help a parent feel more comfortable.
2. Don't Stare: Children on the Spectrum are completely aware of their surroundings. They know when you are staring, and they know what proper behavior is supposed to be. They just can't control themselves in their own behavior. Don't stare, because that makes them feel uncomfortable (just as you would feel uncomfortable when someone stares are you). They are real people, and want to be treated as such.
3. Don't Talk As If They Are Not There: Again, children with Autism are acutely aware of their surroundings (often too aware), and can hear you. Just because they don't speak or don't look at you when you are talking doesn't mean they can't hear you. Let me give you an example. Early in our oldest's diagnosis, we went to IHOP. It was loud, and the service was very slow. Our son became agitated and needed a walk to help calm him down, so I walked him around the unoccupied areas of the restaurant. A patron, talking to her friend, said "I'm glad MY children are all well behaved". This set my son off into another bout of fits. Needless to say, we have never returned to that IHOP again.
4. Try to Understand: Children with Autism are puzzles. They think differently, have unique perspectives, and want to know all about their world, or at least specific aspects of it. If you take time to watch them, you can gain insights into their world. Just minor glimpses, but it's often enough to hook you in. You will want to learn more, and it becomes an exciting endeavor to become part of their world.

Autism has increased in diagnosis to 1 in 88 children in the US, and 1 in 47 children in Utah (though there are some questions as to those numbers). It's becoming a more common diagnosis in our lives, and is most likely impacting you, the reader, in some form. You may have a child, neice, nephew, cousin, brother, sister, or have a friend that lives with a person on the Spectrum. Instead of writing them off as "stupid", "dumb", or any other adjective that could be applied, start looking at the way they learn, interact, and explore. I can guarantee that your life will change, and definitely for the better.

I commute to work on the bus and take the train. The University pays for the pass that I use, so I'm not out of any money when getting to and from work. But beacuse of the distance, it takes about one hour and 15 minutes (give or take a few minutes) to get from my front door to my office. When I drove my car (back when I had it), it would take me between 30 to 45 minutes. So I have about doubled my commute time to save money on fuel. The problem is, I have lost out on a lot of home time with my kids. I don't get home until late, and then they are eating and then getting ready for bed. I also run into the problem of needing to carefully plan out my commute when teaching at other campus locations than the main campus in Salt Lake. There are times when having your own vehicle of some sort would be nice. I've tried using a bicycle for a while, but it's very dangerous to ride in traffic because of it's size and driver's lack of attention for two wheeled vehicles. And it doesn't change my commute time much. Also, with fuel prices increasing and my desire not to have a huge car payment every month, I started looking for a vehicle. My wife has been against me having a motorcycle, because of an accident that her uncle had when he was young. It's taken me 12 years of careful suggestions and convincing, but she finally has allowed me to get a motorcycle of my own. They are great, providing you get the right one for you. So I started doing research on the right motorcycle. I started with Harley-Davidson, of course, because of their cultural impact on motorcycling. My eyes settled on the Iron 883. It looked great, was a "small" bike, and fit my goal of having a fairly basic bike. I didn't want a Sports bike, just more of a Standard or Cruiser. It's also a great price for an "entry level" bike. But I didn't like the fuel economy. So next I checked out the BMW G650 GS. This is Dual Sport or Enduro bike that can be ridden on the road or off. It's smaller, has great gas mileage, and would run well on the freeway (if needed). But the seat is very high, and I'm not very tall (just 5'8"). I didn't quite fit on the bike, being unable to put both my feet down on the floor while sitting. Just for fun I started looking at the very small bikes, the 250 range. Not long ago (back when my Dad was riding), these were your mid-range bikes. Now they are considered beginner bikes. Still, they generally have great gas mileage (around 78 to 84 MPG), so that was appealing. I checked out the Honda Rebel and the Yamaha V-Star 250, both of which are really nice bikes (I'll explain why later). But niether *should* be ridden on the freeway (engines are too small). The freeway took me back to the Harley-Davidson Iron 883. I had just about settled on it, when I read a review that compared the Superlow 883, Honda Shadow 750, and the Triumph Bonneville. I've heard of Triumph before, and had a lot of respect for the maker. The Bonneville has a great history (was once the fastest bike on Earth), and made a connection for me as I live in the Bonneville Basin. It also had very favorable performance compared to the Shadow and the Superlow. And finally, it reminded me of the old BSA bikes with which I fell in love years ago. It was my dream bike. So I got it, and signed up for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's (MSF) Beginning Rider Course (BRC) over at the Salt Lake Community College, that luckily started the next day. When I brought my bike home, I couldn't wait to hop on and give it a quick ride. I should have. I went down in just 5 feet and did some minor damage to my bike. I was devistated. Was this really something I wanted to do? Did I spend a bundle of cash on the bike and equipment for nothing? I was discouraged as I did some repairs on my dream motorcycle. The next day, I was a nervous wreck when I started my course. I didn't worry about the classroom section, because I had already passed my written exam for my Motorcycle learner's permit. But when I got on my bike, I didn't know what to do. Luckily my instructors were very patient, and helped me through using the clutch (I didn't know you could ride it to control power to the engine, hence why I did a header on my bike the day before). By the end of the day I was making turns, stops, starts, quick stops, and weaving in and out. Granted it was on a smaller bike (Yamaha V-Star 250), but it did wonders for my confidence. That was yesterday. Today, I walked my bike out of the garage between two cars, and using the clutch started off without a problem. My intention was to take it slow, but I couldn't help myself. I headed out around the neighborhood, onto the main road into minor traffic, and then up and around several other neighborhood roads. I was a little nervous, and even killed the engine a couple of times (and almost laid my bike down), but by the second run I was feeling great! So now I feel I can say I am a motorcyclist, if only a beginner. And I can also say I love my Bonneville. It's quiet, quick when it needs to be, and doesn't intimidate the rider. Lots of people have written reviews of the Bonneville and have said the same thing, and they are right. It's a great all around motorcycle. I love mine, particularly now that I can ride it. So, if you are thinking of a new motorcycle, I can highly recommend the Triumph Bonneville. And if you have never ridden a motorcycle before, even if someone promises to "teach" you, take the MSF's Beginning Rider Course. Your bike and wallet will thank you.

Recently my wife and I have hit a crossroads.  We are looking for ways to maximize our funds and simplify our lives.  Having decluttered quite a bit, we are now looking at our bills to find a way to trim them to manageable levels.  And our eyes fell on our Cable bill.  We have the Xfinity Triple Play, with Cable TV, Voice, and Internet.  The Internet is necessary as it's the most reliable Internet connection available to our older neighborhood (which isn't really saying much).  But as we both have mobile phones, the phone bill didn't seem to be bringing us a lot of benefit.  We then looked at our cable TV.  When we got it, we had grand visions of watching great channels like the Discovery Channel, History Channel, and BBC America for all our favorite British Comedies.  And yet, since we started using Netflix on our Apple TV, we haven't been using Cable at all, other than for local channels which we could get for free over the air with the right equipment.  The other problem is that Cable does provide television signals to two TV's, so we would need quite the antenna to replace it.  We have discussed the possibility of getting rid of it before, but it seemed like too much hassle.  And in the mean time, our bill continued to siphon a lot of funds for unused channels.  Finally, the push came.  A pending purchase was in need of those funds.  It was time to pear down.  Doing a little research I found a good indoor/outdoor antenna for sale on Amazon for a decent price, and then I called my cable provider.  Once I got to the right selection in their phone tree (not a big fan of phone trees), the representative was helpful and willing to try and lower our bill without discontinuing service.  Unfortunately, he couldn't lower it to the amount I wanted, until he offered to put us on a special one year promotion for Voice and Internet that cost less than Internet itself.  It was a good deal, and it was one less thing I had to return, so I went with it.  The Cable Box will be returned today, and we will no longer be paying for unused channels. But what about entertainment, you ask?  Well, aside from reading books with the kids, we will still have our local channels using our antenna, and that covers all the major shows we watch.  Other than that, we still have Netflix, and less signal being eaten by the unused cable box which will (hopefully) increase Internet performance.  But in the end, it feels good to no longer be throwing money away on something we don't use, and instead spend it on something we will need. 

Article first published as The Simple Pleasures of Autism on Technorati.Today, as I sit out here in my back yard for the first really nice day in months and watch my sons play, I'm reminded of what family life is all about. I have my youngest son playing in the dirt, a common sensory activity in our family. My oldest is running back and forth from the swings to the dirt, trying to get as much sensory in as he can.Having good sensory activities has been the goal, and it's. Even working. I'm sitting on a bench that oversees the entire yard to be sure they are completely safe, and all I can hear is the happy squealing of my sons.The yard isn't anything special, having. Even torn apart so many times by digging, trampling, and general playing by the boys and their cousins. The only plants that have survived our family has been the grape vines, the roses, spearmint (great mosquito repellent, by the way), and some wild snap dragons who refuse to die. But it's a great place for the boys to play when they need to get out of the house.So when I think about Autism, I think about the fun things in our back yard, and how much our boys enjoy them. I think about the fun squeals, the joy of exploration, and the fun they have while playing. It's times like these that I wonder if there truly a difference between children with Autism, and those without.And that's the thing about children with Autism: they are just children who happen to have a brain wired different than other children. But they have the same desires, same needs, and same pleasures. Treating them differently doesn't help them, and often frustrates them.So as I sit in my backyard and enjoy the evening with laughing children, I think of them as children. My children, who just want to be kids.

Recently I have been looking for a learning management system for my personal domain to practice deploying come classes as eLearning modules.  I've used the University's Canvas system, which I do like, along with both WebCT and Blackboard in the past.  But due to funding constraints on my private domain, I needed an Open Source LMS.  But not just any LMS, because I wanted something that would cater to the mobile environment. 

So the search was on.  I've used Moodle in the past, but haven't been too impressed with it overall.  It always looked clunky in it's distribution and needed a lot of CSS editing to get it to look somewhat decent.  And in reading the boards, most administrators and instructors using Moodle have an almost hostile response to the need of HTML5/CSS3/Javascript on most mobile platforms instead of using Flash.  Nope, I needed something else. 

Then I came across Dokeos.  It's a learning management system that was developed in Europe, and has an open source release and a paid content release.  The difference is a few features (like video conferencing) is removed from the open source release, though the core functionality is all there.  The thing that struck me the most about Dokeos was that it was built from the ground up to be mobile friendly!  Instructors could use Dokeos from a Tablet computer, like the iPad, as well as students.  With the future moving rapidly to mobile devices, it was very important to me. 

The installation was pretty straightforward, though I had some minor setbacks with the MySQL database settings that took a few minutes to resolve.  Once done, I had a fully functioning LMS that looked great from the outset on my domain.  I installed it at http://learn.robbclan.com as a test bed, and I've been pretty impressed. 

So what's the most impressive thing about it?  It natively supports "Hotspot" exams, though it requires Flash 7 to run the test.  Hotspot exams allow the instructor to mark certain locations of an image as "hotspots", and then have the tester select that section for points.  For software training it means selecting a "button" or "tool" that will perform a function.  It's as close to being hands on as instant testing can do, and it's very impressive in how it works.  All the other standard exam types are there as well, but that one is my favorite.  Unfortunately, it's not very iPad friendly because it requires Flash.  

So that's my initial review of Dokeos!  If you haven't already checked it out, I would recommend a quick browse.  It's simple to set up, very powerful, and very easy to manage.  And very Mobile friendly. 

Article first published as Light It Up Blue for Those with Autism on Technorati.April is Autism Awareness Month, a month to think about the causes of Autism, the impact it has on our lives, and the opportunities we can take to help those with Autism apply their unique gifts for us all. Municipalities and private homes are using blue lights to draw awareness to Autism.The media seems to have used this time to focus on research into the causes of Autism, the recent CDC announcement of 1 in 88 kids in the US having Autism, and the various results of surveys that have been used to identify areas in need of research. But instead of focusing on the progress, they seem to be more concerned with the "scare tactics" to boost interest. In particular, they are focusing on the results of a survey that identified a trend between older fathers and obese mothers as being at increased risk of having a child with Autism.The survey is very useful, as it identifies some common issues and tries to narrow the field of research. It's been used in the past for every medical condition from AIDS to cancer. And in the past the media has been right with them, reporting "causes" of cancer to be eggs, cranberries, cell phones, etc. Instead of taking the survey data at face value, the media seems to have taken it upon themselves to draw the conclusion of a link.With Autism, it started with vaccines. One "doctor" (who has since been exposed as a fraud) had research data linking the MMR vaccine to Autism. It's since been disproved, but the media jumped on it with a thirst for ratings, readership, and advertising funds. Now, for the first time in decades, several large populations are at risk for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. These are potentially deadly "childhood" diseases that had all but been stamped out in this country, and they are coming back with a vengeance. Why? Because of the scare of Autism.Autism isn't scary. It can be frustrating when your child doesn't want to look you in the eye, or doesn't seem to want to talk at all. Or embarrassing when your child is screaming bloody murder in the supermarket because of the lights, starts head-butting everything out of frustration or takes all their clothes off in the back yard (or front yard, for that matter), because they don't like the feel of the fabric on their skin. It can cause panic when your child runs off and you can't find them, knowing they will not find their way home on their own (or think to).But Autism can be amazing. The amazing abilities of these kids provide such a feeling of awe as they accomplish things their neurotypical peers wouldn't even dream of doing, such as tearing down a vacuum cleaner and putting it back together again (and it works!). These special children have the ability to create such a feeling of compassion in so many people, it's inspiring, because it's not pity, but rather a feeling of love for children who are so close to their feelings and very honest about their thoughts.For Autism Awareness month, we are lighting our front yard light in blue. It's for all the kids who are in need of a voice, those who can't defend themselves against thoughtless comments, bullies, judgmental neighbors or family members. It's for my two boys who astound me every day with their progress toward mainstream education, and the smiles they bring to me and each other when we play. It's for the sleepless nights when dealing with night terrors that turn into full fledged meltdowns.

Macintosh computers have had an issue: the version of Java that has been developed for the Mac by Apple has a serious flaw, which has been taken advantage of by the Flashback trojan horse.  The trojan, if you visit an infected site, will install without prompting onto your Mac, grab your login credentials, and pass them on to a remote server.  It's been estimated that upwards to 600,000 Macs have been infected without the user's knowing.It's scary, as the majority of Macintosh users have been very lax when it comes to security for their Macs, as the Macintosh is generally a very secure platform.  Be that as it may, it's a concern as to what you can do about this issue.  PC Magazine has an article on what to do to take care of your computer.  Something else you can do is run a little shell script to check for and eliminate the malware, which is found here:#!/bin/sh# ================================================================================# check-for-osx-flashback.K.sh## Script to check system for any signs of OSX/Flashback.K trojan# Checks are based on information from F-Secure's website:# http://www.f-secure.com/v-descs/trojan-downloader_osx_flashback_k.shtml## Hannes Juutilainen, hjuutilainen@mac.com## History:# - 2012-04-03, Hannes Juutilainen, first version# ================================================================================# Check for rootif [[ $EUID -ne 0 ]]; thenecho "This script must be run as root" 2>&1exit 1fi# ================================================================================echo "Checking /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info.plist for LSEnvironment key"# ================================================================================defaults read /Applications/Safari.app/Contents/Info LSEnvironment > /dev/null 2>&1if [[ $? -eq 0 ]]; thenprintf "%b\n\n" "===> WARNING: Found LSEnvironment in Safari Info.plist"elseprintf "%b\n\n" "---> Not found"fi# ================================================================================echo "Checking if /Users/Shared/.libgmalloc.dylib exists"# ================================================================================if [[ -f /Users/Shared/.libgmalloc.dylib ]]; thenprintf "%b\n\n" "===> WARNING: Found /Users/Shared/.libgmalloc.dylib"elseprintf "%b\n\n" "---> Not found"fi# ================================================================================echo "Checking /Users/*/.MacOSX/environment"# ================================================================================shopt -s nullglobUSER_HOMES=/Users/*for f in $USER_HOMESdoecho "---> Checking $f/.MacOSX/environment.plist"if [[ -f $f/.MacOSX/environment.plist ]]; thendefaults read $f/.MacOSX/environment DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES > /dev/null 2>&1if [[ $? -eq 0 ]]; thenprintf "%b\n" "===> WARNING: Found DYLD_INSERT_LIBRARIES key in $f/.MacOSX/environment"fifidoneshopt -u nullglobprintf "%b\n\n" "---> Done"exit 0But the best way to take care of your computer is to download and install the free Sophos Home version of their anti-virus software for the Mac, which will eliminate the malware from your computer once it finishes it's sweep.And if you haven't already, download the new update to Java for the Mac.  It's free if you use your Software Update (Apple menu -> Software Update).  That patches the hole and takes care of the issue.  Then change your password for your login.So what lesson should we take from this?  Well, Macs, now that they are taking a more prominent view in the computer market, are becoming a target for software hackers.  Make sure you take appropriate measures to secure your computer.

Article first published as Autism Awareness Month and Families on Technorati.The CDC's latest estimate of children with Autism is 1 in 88 children. That's a significant representation of our children, and it means that Autism is more widespread then first thought. Many families out there have been touched directly or indirectly by Autism.So what is it like for a family who has a child on the spectrum? It's very stressful. Not stressful in the way you may think, with children behaving oddly all the time at home or with chaos reigning at home. To tell you the truth, most parents with children on the Spectrum have already worked out their lives around the spectrum. No, we are more worried about what others think of us.So, we tend to try to compel proper behavior with our children with more vigor than may other parents. We give our kids less of a chance to misbehave, and control their stimulation to be sure their experiences are more positive. And we do it with constant fear that it will fail.Still, in the safety of our homes, we have a lot of fun with our kids. Right now I'm writing this article with both of my boys on the Spectrum sitting by me, cuddled under a blanket while both are enjoying their iDevices. My oldest is playing a game, while my youngest is going through a digital book. It's an experience that I had actually hoped I would have with my children before we found out about their condition, and yet it still has happened with their Autism.I can't tell you the difference between parenting a child with Autism and not, because I have never experienced anything other than Autism with my children. I still help them with their homework, and try to find more active ways to get them engaged into their learning. I would do the same thing with any child, as assessed by their ability level. Autism just means you need to address learning in a different way.Parenting doesn't stop because your child has a condition that makes him or her different from other children. It just makes your approach different from those parents who have neurotypical children. It's a challenge that can be exciting at times, and frustrating at others. Just like parenting, I'm told.So when you hear about the "Autism epidemic", I want you to think about what it really means. It just means that parenting has changed for a significant number of parents, and many of these parents need help in order to get their children with Autism ready for the world.

Article first published as What Autism Means for Me on Technorati.This month is Autism Awareness Month. All month organizations will be trying to bring the awareness of Autism and it's impact on families to the forefront of all who care to listen. It's a cause that is near and dear to my heart, having now both children on the Spectrum.So what is Autism? It's a disorder, and in ever-deepening levels. First, it's a disorder of the brain that causes social dysfunction, speech delays, and odd, repetitive behaviors. It's a disorder in that parents need to spend more time focusing on their child on the Spectrum to help them learn and keep up with their peers. It's a disorder that changes family dynamics for siblings of a child with Autism as their parents spend more time with the child on the Spectrum than with them. It's a disorder that places a burden on school districts to provide classes that focus on the Autism Spectrum disorder. It's a disorder that affects a family's choice of school districts, places of worship, daily routines, places of employment, and even the choice of where to live. Everything seems to revolve around this disorder.The United States Center for Disease Control has increased the estimate of Autism occurance in the United States to 1 in 88 children. It used to be 1 in 150 when my son was first diagnosed, and then went up to 1 in 110. There are cries of an epidemic, calls for funding to find a "cure", rallies and walks to raise funds in order to help these children. Governments are being tasked with finding ways to fund therapies to intervene as early as possible in order to increase the chances of a child on the Spectrum to contribute positively to society. Companies are being established that use the unique abilities of many adults with Autism in order to help them take care of themselves. Political candidates, talk show hosts, researchers, and parents are doing everything they can to bring awareness to their particular point of view of this mysterious condition.So what is Autism? For me, Autism is an older son that, at 7, remains simply on the cusp of speaking but not quite there. Yet he can type on the computer, use an iPad without difficulty, write, read, and now draw faces and stick figures. Autism is a boy who will do everything himself if he can, yet has trouble with some basic functions like using the bathroom. Autism is a son who has an amazing mechanical sense, able to take toys and, well vaccuums apart, and put them back together again (and they work).Autism is a younger son, 3, who speaks in memorized phrases instead of words. A son who can also type, has taught himself adding and subtracting for the most part, excellent at matching objects and a love of reading. Autism is a son who is happy to see you one minute, and then frustrated that you don't understand his needs immediately.Autism is a wife who is tired after getting up early with a son who had trouble sleeping, excited to learn what she can to help her children, and willing to accept conditions as they are and move on. Autism is a family who, in a true stoic sense, look to help in anyway they can while understanding the limitations we as a family have.Autism is getting up at 1:30 AM and putting on old Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies to quite down a now wide awake 3 year old while trying to snooze on the couch. Autism is making time to talk with my sons' teachers to discuss what they have been doing in class what what needs to happen at home to support their efforts. Autism is accepting that my sons will most likely never be sports stars, popular at school, or accepted by their peers when they are mainstreamed. Autism is accepting the heartache that will come when my children will be bullied at school because they are different.Autism is coming home from a long day at work, exhausted, and finding two children bouncing off the walls full of energy, giggling and waiting for a good tickle session. It's missing movies that you would be excited to see because you want to put your children's needs first. Autism, to me, means being thankful for the support and love of those around you, even when you can't seem to find the words to thank them personally.If you have a child with Autism, perhaps you can relate. If you don't, it's hard to explain what is so different about the experience than raising neurotypical children. It's difficult to say, as I do not have any neurotypical children. But I love both my kids, and wouldn't have it any other way.

This morning, as I got off the bus, a policeman was there checking fares. I didn't mind, as I had my pass with me, it beeped, and I was sent on my way. The gentleman behind me seemed to take exception to being requested to show his fare. He held up the line as he argued with the policeman, until (I assume as he was not ticketed) he finally showed his pass.The disturbing thing is, as he walked away from the bus, he started singing, "Sieg Heil!" at the top of his voice. Clearly he was trying to draw a parallel between checking for fares on a bus and the rule of the Nazis in Germany during World War Two. This disturbed me, so much so that I found it hard to think about anything else. I had met some of the survivors of the Jewish Concentration camps in Auschwitz. I talked with old soldiers from that era, on both sides of the war. I studied the period that lead to one of the greatest breach of inhumane treatment in modern times. Checking for a bus pass or a ticket doesn't even come close to the tyranny the people's of Europe, including the Germans, had to live with during that period.And yet, this young man was determined to paint the officer as a follower of Hitler, simply because he was inconvenienced for a few moments. It's a worrying trend I see more and more in the news. Activists are invoking the Nazi name, and the vintage of Hitler, at a drop of a hat. Determined to polarize and focus dissent or anger, they willingly flaunt the horror that was Nazi rule as easily as they would fling a quote from a favorite movie.I don't subscribe to any particular political party, nor do I find partisan politics more useful than functioning government. But I resent the implication that one political leader or another is another Hitler simply because you don't agree with his policy. To make such a wild accusation so flippantly is embarrassing to the accuser at best, and insulting to the memory of those who suffered so much at their hands at worst.