Aspies For Freedom

I don't listen to music much, but when I do, yes, I'll listen to the same one over and over.  My son is the same.

I listen over and over. But usually I am learning the bass line and am trying to pick up the nuances. When I get through I am sick of the tune.

Yes.  
There are two particular musical pieces I listen too much according to my counter on itunes.  
I also tend to read the same book over and over again.

Yes, I do the book thing too!

My son is funny - he listens to music on his CD player and he refers to songs, not by name, but by their track number.

Is he reading well ?

Yes.  We were at a parent/teacher meeting yesterday and the only negative thing she had to say about him was that his handwriting is "inconsistent".  He gets 90 -100% on his weekly language and maths tests.

I think it's because he sees the track number shown on the front of the CD player as the song is playing.  The CD player in the car is the same.  For some reason, tracks 10 and 15 are often favourites, regardless of the CD.

Teachers always say that when the parent/teacher meeting is going well..they have to pick on something...my hand writting is ''inconsistent''.  I remember one english teacher in the International School requested that I use those pen/pencil grib holders to help me write neater and consistently.  It didn't work.  

Refering to track number on the CD Player is actually quite handy.  It's catalogued and organised and whilst I don't do that with my music I organise my books in alphabetical order of author (sometimes I change it to genre and title but that's slightly disorganised).

Yes, but his handwriting is very inconsistent - to the extent that when you look through his jotter it looks like it's shared by loads of different children.  I'm going to get him one of those wee notepad laptop things and teach him to touch type.

My books are hopelessly disorganised at the moment.  I should organise them, so I can find books more easily.  Might do that tomorrow, seeing as I'm on the sick and have nothing else to do.

Slightly off topic..but I hope that you get better soon Marcia.  

As for getting your son a notepad laptop..that is a good idea.  Hope it works out.

Thanks, Saft.  I've been signed off for 4 weeks with stress and I really think I do need the time to heal up a bit before I pick myself up and carry on.

Thanks, buckthesystem.  We discussed this with his teacher and she is going to see if she can identify when and why his writing becomes larger and less legible.  I suspect his writing is worse when tasks are time-limited, even though he does have enough time.  It's the added pressure.  This was something which was spotted during his assessment for autism.

And yes, he will need to be able to write legibly throughout his life.  Mind you, these days and with a diagnosis, he should be able to use a keyboard for exams, at school and uni.

For some reason, touch typing isn't taught as widely as it should be.  When I was at uni more recently all course work had to be typed and very few of us were able to touch type.  It's definately a boon!

Yes, music, movies, computer and imaginative games(redoing the same level, rerunning the same scenario e.g. when playing school with a set of porcelain dolls, always doing the register and a maths lesson then repeating). I wore out several of our VHS tapes when I was younger. Books as a whole I don't do, but a page to a chapter I do - Oscar Wilde's fairy tales & Diana Wynne Jones & Discworld(containing Granny Weatherwax) excepted.

I wish I could touchtype. After six months of having a class in it for two hours a week I can use the main eight keys mostly accurately. I can type "lads had slags fad".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphia

Thanks for that link, ZodRau.  

Motor dysgraphia describes my son very well.  He is very good at spelling, but will sometimes mispell words, or spell them three different ways in succession in his written work.  I was at something of a disadvantage at the parent/teacher meeting as my husband came along and he tended to dominate the meeting.  His handwriting is very poor as well, and some of the issues he raised in respect of our son actually do apply to him, although he chose not to mention that.

I quite simply accept that my son's writing skills are never going to be great, but as long as he can achieve legibility - which he can - then it's not a big deal.  As far as I am concerned it is related to his autism and that's just the way he is.  He is growing up in a culture in which keyboard skills are paramount and I will be speaking to the school about accommodations and equipment for him.  He's on a waiting list to see an Occupational Therapist and this will be something the OT will assess and make recommendations about.

I've had this song in repeat a lot lately, it's addicting.

Tick Tock