POOL interview

I am very chuffed to be the ‘featured contributor’ on ABC Radio National’s POOL website. Andrew Davies, from the ABC, interviewed me recently and my responses have been thrown in the POOL.

If you don’t know what the POOL is have a squiz. Basically the ABC have built an online community for all Australians. It’s a place where anyone can upload creative work including stories, poetry, photos, videos, documentaries, interviews, and animations. It is also a place for individuals to collaborate or remix material. Occasionally the ABC will select pieces to be recorded on ABC Radio.

‘Pool brings together ABC professionals and audiences in an open-ended process of participation, co-creation and collaboration.’  POOL

I’d like to thank Andrew for the opportunity to be interviewed.

P.S In the POOL I have a pseudonym which is GB (but Andrew has busted my cover).

Wildlife on the shores of Hervey Bay

Come on everyone, snap out of it!

Just some of my favourite photos that I’ve taken in the last year or so.

Humpback Whale

Look to the left, look to the right

You looking at me kid!

Look at my lovely fingernails!

Let me back in mummy.

Look into my eyes.

Lorikeet feasting on Malaleuca blossoms

Chinese Silkies and Lorikeets

Pelican (I had to get in the water for this one)

Rainbow Lorikeet

Fishy Fish (for Aletha)

Close up (for Benedicte)

Water Lilly

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Need a little colour in your life?

For anyone who might be feeling a little down at the moment!

Here’s a little bit of colour.

Rainbow Lorikeets

2010 International Asperger Day

Aspergers Services Australia are celebrating 2010 International Aspergers Day (the anniversary of Dr Hans Asperger’s birthday) with an event that includes the following guest speakers:

Professor Tony Attwood

Ms Rachel Harris

Ms Camilla Connolly

Mr Alex Goodwin

Date: Saturday 20th February 2010

Time: 9.00 – 3.00pm

Location: Brisbane – The Holiday Inn, Brisbane Transit Centre, Roma Street

Contact:  07 3866 2911 or email stef@asperger.asn.au or visit their website at www.asperger.asn.au

Songwriting with Deborah Conway and Willy Zygier

Tomorrow I start a 10 week online songwriting workshop run by the fabulous singer, songwriter and performer Deborah Conway and her songwriting partner Willy Zygier.

I found out about the course through the Australian Poetry Centre (APC). It is the first time the APC has run such a course and it should be lots of fun. Deborah and Willy provide feedback on lyrics each week.

We have to have a draft song submitted by tomorrow so I have been working up a some stuff. I’ve modified my Rat Race poem using rhyme and the verse, chorus structure and a tune in my head (which I’ve already forgotten, but that’s OK, it’s just a tool to help with the rhythm).

What I am mostly interested in is the relationship between poetry and song lyrics, and doing this course should help open my eyes. I have a feeling that the songwriting will help with my poetry and vice-versa. We’ll see.

I think you learn a lot more by actually doing something than just reading about it. There’s a word for that, but I can’t remember it – if anyone knows, please let me know?

I would also like to show you a fantastic illustration that my blogging friend, the splendiferous artist Benedicte Delachanel drew as an image for my poem Rat Race.

Short and Twisted 2010

My poem ‘The Fortune-Teller’ will be published in this year’s Short and Twisted, an annual Australian publication of short stories and poetry with a twist. Follow the link for my poem and comments.

Rat Race

I’m driving sluggish
out of the city’s leaden grasp
engine and brain overheating.

Toxic breath hot from metal lungs
infuses the city shroud
and my lungs groan.

Tentacles of bypass, overpass
tunnels and bridges take their toll.
They should be paying me
compensation for damage done.

Octopus stranglehold untangles
loosening with kilometres passing
clean air flows freely once again
through my trachea.

Altered State – A Concert for Autism

Autism Awareness has organised a concert to raise funds for autism.

The concert is on Wednesday 3rd February at the State Theatre in Brisbane.

Altered State will be a night of music and comedy from many of Australia’s leading entertainers

Autism Awareness are committed to making a difference for individuals and families affected by autism. They do this through a variety of  projects including the 1000hrs campaign. In order to continue this great work, they need your help.

The Eyes Have It: The Autism Files

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulty with eye contact. They don’t like looking directly into eyes or maintaining eye contact in order to share experiences with others.

Looking into a face, and particularly the eyes, gives us information about what people are thinking and feeling. We are reading and interpreting facial expressions. Individuals with ASD are missing out on this information, reducing their ability to understand what is going on in social situations.

Children and often adults with ASD not only avoid looking into eyes, but when they do try to read eyes, they are not very good at it. Here is a quote from a person with Aspergers Syndrome.

People give each other messages with their eyes but I do not know what they are saying (Wing 1992, p 131).

When my son Michael was two years old some relatives commented that he didn’t have very good eye contact. I hadn’t really noticed. Later I did notice that he would turn his head away from strangers or people he didn’t see very often. He would look at people with sideways glances and became an expert at using peripheral vision.

Michael’s speech therapist pointed out that he couldn’t see things that are directly in front of him. This upset me greatly as I couldn’t fathom what it meant. Was he blind in some way or was he choosing to do this. When she interacted with Michael she would place objects to the left or right of his visual field.

I think that eye contact was very confronting for Michael and that looking sideways reduced the discomfort. It was interesting but I found that if there was a physical barrier between Michael and someone, such as a glass window or a mask, then he was quite happy to look directly at the person. One year he played Santa Claus at the school play and he interacted perfectly normally with all the other kids. In fact, revelling in the attention he was getting as Santa Claus, hidden as he was behind the beard and moustache.

Another thing that he did, which may be related, was backwards hugging. A front hug appeared to be too confronting so he would back into me and wrap my arms around him.

When Michael was running in races at school he would have his head facing to the right. This looked very peculiar, but he was seeing directly ahead with his peripheral vision. Friends gave Michael a motorized Jumbo Jeep and he would do the same thing, head turning to the right but seeing clearly in front of him as he drove the car and never running into anything. It was very funny.

Teachers like children to look at them. They think the child is not paying attention or is being rude if they don’t look at them. However, children with ASD find it incredibly difficult to listen and look at the same time. They may be able to listen better if they are NOT looking at the teacher. This is an issue of teacher education. They need to understand that children with ASD should not be forced to endure eye contact. It is not essential to listening and learning and may be detrimental to both.

People with ASD can be taught to look at a persons nose, chin or ears instead of the eyes. The one being looked at will probably not even realise that they aren’t being looked in the eye. Everyone is happy.

References

Wing, L., (1992)  ‘Manifestations of social problems in high functioning autistic people’. In  E. Schopler and G.B Mesibov (eds) High Functioning Individuals with Autism. New York: Plenum Press.

Frog Lodge

I got back from Brisbane yesterday after visiting for one week. I am now safely back home at the Frog Lodge in Woodgate, a small town on the shores of Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia.

Yes, that is what we call our house – the Frog Lodge.

You may have noticed there are not so many frogs around anymore. There has been an alarming reduction in frog populations around the world, including Australia. They absorb air and water through their skin, so are easily affected by pollution. Humans have polluted the air, the water and the land. Frogs are also affected by loss of habitat.

If you are lucky enough to have a lot of frogs near where you live, you know that the local environment is quite healthy. Listen for the croaks after the heavy rains arrive. Conditions are good for mating when it rains, so the males are quick to take the opportunity for a slimy embrace as soon as they feel the water on their backs. Generally only the males croak and they do it to attract female frogs for breeding. The croak also warns other male frogs to stay away.

Splat

There are still lots of frogs where we live and there were when we moved here about 3 years ago. But we love them so much that we have done a few things to attract even more frogs to our home.

Here is the Frog Fast Food Factory. When we put the bug-catcher on at night the frogs come over for a party.

Frog Fast Food Factory

Here is the frog pond designed and built by my better half Andrew (also known as Shirl). I feel it’s a work of art and am in awe of such an accomplishment. I wouldn’t even know where to start on building such a thing.

Frog Pond

Frog Pond

Andrew goes toad hunting regularly (toads are an introduced species and need to be destroyed!) to remove the toads from the area around the pond. If my son Michael hears the call of the toad he gets very upset, especially late at night, and immediate action is required.

Here is some things you can do to help save frogs.

Help our frogs.

Ps. If you pick up a frog, make sure you wash your hands first. They will absorb whatever is on your skin.