MedWorm Tags: capacity

A Young Person Refuses Life-Saving Treatment: Is That Ok?

Better Health — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:00:00 +0100

Discussion: (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat* (Source: Better Health)

Do You Look Good In A Bathing Suit? Dr. Val Offers Summer Fitness Tips To ABC News

Better Health — Wed, 11 May 2011 22:51:19 +0100

The weather is heating up, and soon most of us will be back in shorts and t-shirts… and worrying about looking good in our dreaded bathing suits. I had the opportunity to offer some evidence-based weight loss and fitness tips to ABC News in Washington, DC. You can view the clip or read my summary below: (more…) (Source: Better Health)

The Inner Savant In All of Us

SharpBrains — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:06:39 +0100

Darold Treffert, M.D. is considered one of the foremost experts on savantism in the world. Dr. Treffert has published two books on savant syndrome: “Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome” in 2006 and “Islands of Genius: The Bountiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired and Sudden Savant” in 2010. […] In his efforts to raise public understanding about autism and savant syndrome he has regularly appeared on programs such as 60 Minutes, Oprah, Today, CBS Evening News and many others. Dr. Treffert was a technical consultant to the award-winning movie Rain Man that made “autistic savant” household terms and he maintains a very popular website at www.savantsyndrome.com hosted by the Wisconsin Medical Society. Dr. Treffert was gracious enough to have a wide-ranging conve...

Obama and Infrastructure

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 18:43:58 +0100

By Tad DeHavenThe President is continuing his push for the federal government to go deeper into debt in order to fund infrastructure projects. While nobody disputes that the country has infrastructure needs, the precarious nature of federal and state finances indicate that policymakers need to starting thinking outside the box. Specifically, policymakers should be looking to make it easier for the private sector to fund and operate infrastructure projects. As my colleagues Chris Edwards and Peter Van Doren have explained, the main problem with government infrastructure spending is the lack of efficiency: More roads and transit capacity may or may not make sense depending on whether the benefits exceed the costs. One sure way to find out is to have private provision and user charges. If use...

Nursing Times 2010 (Vol. 106 No. 31)

Fade Library — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:08:40 +0100

This article discusses possible causes of this higher prevalence nad examines interventions to reduce obesity and associated risks. Contact the Library for a copy of this article. Filed under: Current Awareness, Journals, Ooops Missed Category! Tagged: Cardiovascular Diseases, Care Pathways, Interventions, Learning Disabilities, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Obesity (Source: Fade Library)

Publication of Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards quarterly activity data

Fade Library — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 05:55:10 +0100

Title: Briefing on Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Skinny: Short briefing to accompany the Information Centre for Health and Social Care’s quarterly activity data for Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (MCA DOLS). It draws together the headlines about the first nine months of MCA DOLS activity and reminds practitioners of the guidance in the Code of Practice in relation to five specific practice issues that have been raised regularly with the Department during the first year of the implementation of the Safeguards. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 4p. Published: 26/05/10 Filed under: Grey Literature, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Mental Health, NHS Tagged: Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, Ethics, Grey Literature, Legislation, Mental Capacity A...

Increased rate of encephalization

Gene Expression — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 06:16:28 +0100

A week ago I pointed to a controversy about the rate of growth of human cranial capacities over the past few million years. I asserted that the rate of growth was gradual, with no major discontinuity. Over at Genetic Inference Luke Jostins’ has done a more formal analysis. He finds: The model shows a definite speed-up of brain size increase recently, and fits the data significantly better than a simple trend line (F(1,90) = 15.8, p < 10^-5). I estimate that the speed-up occured 252kya, and can say with 95% confidence that it lies between 203 and 377 kya. This result is pretty robust to exactly what model we use; I also tried using a model where brain size grew exponentially with time, and this gave a similar break-point: 250kya, with a 95% interval of 167-402 kya (see this graph). Re...

The North West health community: Five years at the heart of the EU

Fade Library — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:24:18 +0100

Title: The North West health community: Five years at the heart of the EU Skinny: The North West Health Brussels Office (NWHBO) has acts as a dedicated North West resource in Brussels, promoting the interests of the North West health community in Europe, facilitating lobbying on EU policies that impact the NHS and on wider health issues and assisting in developing European partnerships and projects for public health objectives. Now in their fifth year this is their annual report Publisher: North West Health Brussels Office Size of Publication: 16p. Published: January 2010 Posted in Grey Literature, Human Resources, Interagency Relations, Legislation, Public Health, Risk Evaluation Tagged: Advocacy, Capacity, European Community, Financial Management, Grey Literatuer, Interagency Relations...

Guidance on the completion of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards data collation sheet – 24 December 2009

Fade Library — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:30:03 +0100

Title: MCA DOLS Data Collation Sheet User Guide – version 1.4 Skinny: Replaces previous guidance on completion of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards data collation sheet as the result of an additional data item added for the third quarter data collection period. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 18p. Published: 29/12/2009 Posted in Grey Literature, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Mental Health, NHS Tagged: Deprivation of Liberrty Safeguards, Grey Literature, Guidance, Mental Capacity, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Mental Health, Statistical Data (Source: Fade Library)

The second year of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Service: 2008/2009

Fade Library — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:44:30 +0100

Title: The second year of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Service: 2008/2009 Skinny: Annual report of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Service created under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 57p. Published: 23/12/2009 Posted in Ethics, Grey Literature, Legislation, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Mental Health, NHS, Primary Care, Public Health, Quality Tagged: Advocacy, Grey Literature, Mental Capacity, Mental Health (Source: Fade Library)

Out of hours training for GP registrars

Fade Library — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:00:13 +0100

Title: Out of hours training for GP registrars Skinny: Dear Chief Executive letter from Clare Chapman dated 17 December 2009. It draws attention to PCTs’ responsibility to commission increased GP Out of Hours (OOH) training to reflect the recent extension of training undertaken in GP practices from 12 to 18 months. Following this extension, the capacity for OOH training effectively needs to be increased by 50%, but GP Directors are reporting this increase has not been realised. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 2p. Published: 17/12/2009 Posted in Grey Literature, Medical Education, Primary Care Tagged: Capacity, Commissioning, Grey Literature, Medical Education, Out of Hours, Primary Care (Source: Fade Library)

Journal of Medical Ethics 2009 (Vol. 35, No. 12)

Fade Library — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:57:45 +0100

content page Fade Fave: Best interests, dementia and the Mental Capacity Act (2005) Fade Skinny: The Mental Capacity Act (2005) is an impressive piece of legislation that deserves serious ethical attention, but much of the commentary on the Act has focussed on its legal and practical implications rather than the underlying ethical concepts. This paper examines the approach that the Act takes to best interests. (NHS Athens is required to access this article online) Posted in Athens Password, Current Awareness, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Athens Password, Current Awareness, Dementia, E-Journals, Mental Capacity Act 2005 (Source: Fade Library)

Wave 1 action and learning sites 2008-09 final report

Fade Library — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:34:05 +0100

Title: Wave 1 action and learning sites 2008-09 final report Skinny: Sets out the work and progress made by the 12 user-led organisation (ULO) action and learning sites (ALS) funded as Wave 1 for the period April 2008 – March 2009. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 17p Published: 13/11/2009 Posted in Grey Literature, Voluntary Sector Tagged: Action Learning, Capability, Capacity, Grey Literature, Voluntary Sector (Source: Fade Library)

The right to die

Mental Nurse — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:09:17 +0100

This case fills me with all kinds of conflicting emotions. Kerrie Wooltorton is believed to be the first person to have used a living will to kill herself. She was admitted to hospital after poisoning herself but doctors said they had no alternative but to allow her to die. The 26-year-old had written the will on 15 September 2007, three days before she drank poison and phoned an ambulance, the inquest heard this week. She was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University hospital, where she presented staff with the document. The will said that if she called for an ambulance it was not because she wanted life-saving treatment but because she did not want to die in her flat alone or in pain. Wooltorton died the next day in hospital. As a general opinion, I’m of the view that suicide is not...

On coercion and ethics

HealthSkills Weblog — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:21:58 +0100

NB: this post is opinionated. It represents my own opinions and not those of my employer, my colleagues, my family or my dog. It’s mine all mine. If there is something that gets me really riled up, it’s bullying. Maybe I had too much bullying when I was a kid, maybe I just believe in justice, but for whatever reason I get very grumpy when I see bullying. Unfortunately this time, I think I’m being bullied – and not by a small-time bully either. This is a very large organisation that refuses to pay an invoice for services provided because of a paragraph I wrote in the final report. The paragraph is factual and directly related to the issues the patient raised during the pain management programme. It just doesn’t suit some members of the organisation...

President Obama Subsidizes President Obama with Tire Tariff

Cato-at-liberty — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:44:18 +0100

Who benefits from 35 percent duties on Chinese-produced tires? U.S. producers? No, they are the ones who, pursuing profit-maximizing strategies, have consciously shifted production of low-end tires from their U.S. plants to their Chinese plants over the past few years. They will now have to incur the costs of shifting production from China to production facilities in Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and other developing countries, where it makes economic sense to produce low-end tires. U.S. workers, then? Nah. Low-end U.S. tire production workers won’t see an increase in U.S. capacity, capacity utilization, hours worked, or wages because, as implied above, production isn’t coming back to the United States. Meanwhile, U.S. workers in tire wholesaling, distribution, and other segment of the ...

Critical care strategy: managing the H1N1 flu pandemic

Fade Library — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:19:18 +0100

Title: Critical care strategy: managing the H1N1 flu pandemic The Skinny: Establishes the Department of Health approach to managing critical care during the swine flu pandemic by increasing the number of available critical care beds and preventing people becoming seriously ill as a result of swine flu. Supported by a Dear Colleague Letter from Ian Dalton, National Director of NHS Flu Resilience that emphasises the need for whole systems thinking and this is reinforced by a Dear Colleague Letter from the Chief Medical Officer. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 30p Published: 10/09/2009 Posted in Capacity, Grey Literature, Influenza, NHS, Pandemic Tagged: Capacity, Critical Care, Grey Literature, H1N1, High Dependency Care, Influenza, Intensive Care, Pandemic, Strategic Planning, Who...

Exercise Prometheus

Fade Library — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:01:18 +0100

Title: Exercise Prometheus guidance handbook The Skinny: Exercise Prometheus is an exercise for the social care sector to assess and develop its resilience planning in readiness for a second wave of the pandemic swine flu. It is designed primarily for use by local authorities in partnership with their local providers of social care, the exercise has been developed by the Health Protection Agency from experience gained in previous pandemic influenza exercises. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 17p Published: 09/09/2009 Additional Documents: Download introductory PowerPoint presentation Download modelling spreadsheet Download scenario and questions Download lessons identified template Posted in Business Continuity, Capacity, Grey Literature, Influenza, Interagency Relations, Local Au...

Guidelines for the clinical management of people refusing food in immigration removal centres and prisons

Fade Library — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:37:02 +0100

Title: Guidelines for the clinical management of people refusing food in immigration removal centres and prisons The Skinny: Information, for health professionals in prisons and immigration removal centres, on the physical effects of food refusal, the most effective practical and clinical management of individuals refusing to eat and drink, legal aspects and the relevance of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. It also addresses the considerable dangers and risks associated with refeeding individuals who have been starving but who then decide to eat again. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 51p Published: 28/08/2009 Posted in Clinical Governance, Clinical Guidelines, Diet, Ethics, Grey Literature, Legislation, Mental Health, Prison Health Services, Prisons Tagged: Asylum Seekers, Clinical Guide...

Mental Capacity Act 2005: Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards – standard forms and guidance for best interests assessors

Fade Library — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:00:38 +0100

Title: Guide to standard forms for best interests assessors The Skinny: Document containing all the forms, with guidance, that best interests assessors need in carrying out their responsibilities. Publisher: DH Size of Publication: 5p Published: 14/08/2009 Posted in Grey Literature, Legislation, Mental Health Tagged: Best Interests, Deprivation of Liberty, Forms, Grey Literature, Guidance, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Mental Health, Safeguards (Source: Fade Library)

Functional capacity evaluations – do they predict function in the ‘real world’?

HealthSkills Weblog — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:32:49 +0100

What do you do when a client has a goal ‘to establish functional abilities for work’, spends a lot of time looking at setting baselines at home, develops a good knowledge of how to maintain consistency, starts to work and sustains abilities in a specific workplace, then completes a functional capacity evaluation that says he can do more than what he’s identified he can? I’ve had a long-standing interest in whether functional assessments carried out in a clinic or work setting over a single session (or even two-day period) can predict sustainable function in a ‘real world’ setting such as work. There are many different types of ‘work sampling’ methods that purport to measure functional ability, ranging from specialised machines and standardise...

Coercion and consent monitoring the Mental Health Act 2007–2009: The Mental Health Act Commission Thirteenth Biennial Report 2007–2009

Fade Library — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:39:44 +0100

Title: Coercion and consent monitoring the Mental Health Act 2007–2009: The Mental Health Act Commission Thirteenth Biennial Report 2007–2009 The Skinny: Provides an overview of the care provided to people detained under the Act. MHAC found examples of people receiving good care during their visits to services and meetings with patients. But the report also indicates that there is variation across services. Publisher: TSO Published: 19/07/2009 Size of Document: 250p Posted in Mental Health Tagged: Acute Services, Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Psychiatry, Children, Communication, Community Care, Consumer Participation, Ethnic Groups, Gender, Grey Literature, Information Technology, Internet, Learning Disabilities, Legislation, Mental Capacity, Mental Health, Mobile Telephony, Patient Con...

Recent Health Related Statutory Instruments

Fade Library — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:45:45 +0100

SI 2009 No. 1839. Criminal Law, England And Wales. The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (Drinking Banning Orders) (Approved Courses) Regulations 2009 SI 2009 No.1884. Mental Capacity, England And Wales. The Lasting Powers of Attorney, Enduring Powers of Attorney and Public Guardian (Amendment) Regulations 2009 Posted in Alcohol, Capacity, Crime Prevention and Control, Legislation, Mental Health, Statutory Instruments Tagged: Alcohol, Crime Prevention and Control, Legislation, Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health, Public Health, Statutory Instruments, Training (Source: Fade Library)

Pandemic flu managing demand and capacity in health care organisations (surge)

Fade Library — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:53:46 +0100

provides guidance on managing demand and capacity in health care organisations. The aim of the guidance is to support NHS and social care organisations to build on their existing preparedness plans and enable clinicians to work within an ethical framework during a pandemic, when there may be a significant increase in demand for care. The aim of the guidance is to support NHS and social care organisations to build on their existing preparedness plans and enable clinicians to work within an ethical framework during a pandemic, when there may be a significant increase in demand for care. This document is intended to provide staff with guidance on the following: operational issues around the increase in demand for services supporting clinicians with the decision making processes on triaging ...

Response to the consultation on the extension and revision of Direct Payments Regulations

Fade Library — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:31:35 +0100

which looked at implementing extended direct payments to adults who lack the capacity to consent to their receipt under the Health and Social Care Act 2008. It summarises the responses to the consultation and outlines what subsequent action the Department of Health proposes to take. Posted in Health Economics, NHS Tagged: Capacity, Direct payments, Grey Literature, Health Economics, Social Services, Vulnerable People (Source: Fade Library)

The Overflowing Brain: Most Important Book of 2008

SharpBrains — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:22:02 +0100

We have tracked for several years the scientific studies published by Torkel Klingberg and colleagues, often wondering aloud, "when will educators, health professionals, executives and mainstream society come to appreciate the potential we have in front of us to enhance our brains and improve our cognitive functions?" Dr. Klingberg has just published a very stimulating popular science book, The Overflowing Brain, that should help in precisely that direction. Given the importance of the topic, and the quality of the book, we have named The Overflowing Brain: Information Overload and the Limits of Working Memory The SharpBrains Most Important Book of 2008, and asked Dr. Klingberg to write a brief article to introduce his research and book to you. Below you have. Enjoy! --- Re...

Brain Teasers to Exercise Our Minds: Our Top Five

SharpBrains — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 04:41:16 +0100

Here you have 4 of the most popular brain games in our blog, plus a bonus stress management tip. Brain Teaser 1. In which direction is the bus pictured below traveling? Do you know the answer? The only possible answers are "left" or "right." Still don't know? When pre-school children were shown this picture and question, they all answered "left." When asked why, they answered "Because you can't see the door." Believe it or not, this simple teaser generated a very lively controversy with over 50 comments...some of my favorites "I've been looking at the bus for a long time now and it is not moving at all" (Peter), "Fools! It is falling, because there is no ground under it! How's that for logic? (Richard), and "I would like to r...

Mental Capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Code of Practice and regulations: report on consultation

Fade Library — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:39:10 +0100

details the response to a consultation exercise that took place between September 2007 and December 2007 relating to draft Code of Practice guidance and two sets of draft regulations concerning the deprivation of liberty safeguards introduced into the Mental Capacity Act 2005 by the Mental Health Act 2007. (Source: Fade Library)

Consent: patients and doctors making decisions together

Fade Library — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:30:11 +0100

from the GMC is new guidance to doctors on consent which: sets out the key principles of good decision-making, which apply to all decisions about care from simple treatment for minor and self-limiting conditions to major surgery takes account of changes in the law, in particular about making decisions when patients lack capacity reflects the shift in professional and public attitudes towards more patient-centred care contains practical advice on sharing information and discussing treatment options includes guidance on how to approach discussions about risk (Source: Fade Library)

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards implementation tool

Fade Library — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:42:32 +0100

The Department of Health has developed an implementation tool (XL spreadsheet) (covering letter) that local Mental Capacity Act implementation networks may wish to use when estimating the number of assessments and staff that are likely to be required in 2009 / 10. (Source: Fade Library)

Guidance on nominating a consultee for research involving adults who lack capacity to consent

Fade Library — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:05:34 +0100

establishes how to identify an appropriate consultee for the purposes of section 32 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Researchers are required by the Act to take reasonable steps to identify a person who, as a result of an existing relationship with the person who lacks capacity, can advise the researcher about that person’s participation in the project. Where no such person can be identified, the Act requires another person who can provide this advice to be appointed in accordance with guidance. (Source: Fade Library)

Musical training as mental exercise for cognitive performance

SharpBrains — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:54:22 +0100

We often hear (gladly!) how teachers use our blog articles and brain teasers in their classes. We also hear how many psychology and biology teachers are getting their students excited about brain research, and, to contribute to their efforts, we like to recognize some great initiatives. Last year, Jeffrey Gonce, a Psychology teacher at Red Land High School (West Shore School District, PA) asked his students to "complete a project describing a recent brain (or genetic) study that affects behavior." The students could opt to post their articles online, and Jeffrey was kind enough to send us a link to read the results. We enjoyed reading them all, and published in our blog this beautiful essay, titled "Tis better to give than receive", written by Alexandra, which was subse...

Who’s health is it anyway?

Mental Nurse — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 03:00:32 +0100

A recent scenario gives me cause to vent. But also to raise for discussion the ethically debatable issue of ‘where to draw the line?’ when it comes to detained mental health treatment. The Shrink raises similar issues in his blog on issues of capacity and Advanced Directives. My scenario revolves around Pt X who has a [...] (Source: Mental Nurse)

Don’t panic Mr Manwaring…

Mental Nurse — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:33:46 +0100

When I trained as a nurse, I recall the ongoing debate of the ‘theory/practice gap’. In the advent of the Health & Safety turbo-charged steamroller (recently convereted here to run on “Duty of Care” fuel), over the last 20 years or so, I would like to declare the “panic/common-sense gap” our new clear winner.I know [...] (Source: Mental Nurse)

Mental Capacity Act 2005: Deprivation of liberty safeguards

Fade Library — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:34:22 +0100

The Mental Health Act 2007 (Explanatory Note), which received Royal Assent in July 2007, as well as amending the Mental Health Act 1983, was used as the vehicle for introducing deprivation of liberty safeguards into the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (Explanatory Note, Code of Practice). This briefing sheet sets out information about the deprivation of liberty safeguards. Key Elements are: People who suffer from a disorder or disability of the mind, such as dementia or a profound learning disability, and who lack the mental capacity to consent to the care or treatment they need, should be cared for in a way that does not limit their rights or freedom of action. In some cases members of this vulnerable group need to be deprived of their liberty for treatment or care because this is necess...

Diet, Lung Capacity and Asthma Links and Stories

Breath Spa for Kids — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:42:00 +0100

Children who eat an inadequate diet may be at risk for respiratory conditions This is an interesting paper but it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions about the results. The researchers report that teenagers with a low intake of some micronutrients tend to have a slightly reduced lung function that has little impact on them but may have consequences in the future. In addition, some of those teenagers may be more prone to respiratory symptoms, including chronic bronchitis, wheezing and asthma.However, the researchers acknowledge that it is difficult to know if the teenagers present diet is less relevant than their diet in early life. I was startled to learn that teenagers rely so much upon fortified drinks for their vitamin C. They further mention that teen smoking in combination with ...

Could adult blood stem cells treat diabetes?

The Diabetes Blog — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100

This study caught my eye, especially in light of President Bush's recent veto (once again!) over lifting restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Now here's one way to make an end run around the Bush roadblock. An early-stage mice study has shown adult blood may yield insulin-creating stem cells. Not only that, the adult blood could be a better source than the ethically-debated stem cells from fertilized eggs. Dr. Zhao from University of Illinois extracted insulin-making stem cells from the blood of diabetic mice. The cells were then condensed into a solution. After injecting the solution back into the mice, normal blood-sugar levels were maintained for three months, no treatment required. Dr. Zhao is planning to seek National Institutes of Health funding for huma...

Patient-doctor relationships during possible viral outbreak associated with toxic-waste-created-river-monster

hemodynamics — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 05:13:00 +0100

I've kept a clip from The Host (Gwoemul) at the top of this blog (and I'll put it back into this post once this post is archived), because it's the best three-way battle of US-military-toxic-waste-created-river-monster vs. Centers for Disease Control vs. ramen-stand-owning-family-on-the-run that you'll see this year. Or any year. It's definitely not going to be even 50% as good on DVD, so go see it before it leaves the theater. Buy popcorn.And since the clip kept playing whether you wanted it to or not, I've removed it for now... you can get clips and previews at the movie's web site. (Source: hemodynamics)

Name, rank and number - A new love of speech delays

Whitterer on Autism — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 22:58:00 +0100

With homework completed we move onwards, but not necessarily upwards, to the review section. [translation = torture session] Every day we must practice his full name, his address, telephone, date of birth and birthday. We learned these facts a few years ago. We were given specific instructions to learn them forthwith. I am uncertain whether typically developing children have to be specifically taught these things, nor how much difficulty they experience to acquire them. For some reason, this is a common gap with autistic children. Mine have no interest in their acquisition. Quite by chance I learned that they could absorb them and retain them, if we sang them. Problem solved. Or it was. Now it has recurred. There are two problems with my solution. Firstly, if you cannot recall the tune, wh...