tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post6048781248436453960..comments2024-01-18T05:02:46.000-08:00Comments on Tiny Grace Notes (Ask an Autistic): Motivation to Speak (My Macedonian Son Speaks English)Elizabeth J. (Ibby) Gracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08330631899371657005noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-82478626552122593412013-04-14T04:29:47.083-07:002013-04-14T04:29:47.083-07:00english translation below
zdravo Maja, pozdrav od...english translation below<br /><br />zdravo Maja, pozdrav od ungarija. kako ste i kako e DJ? meni me zvuči deka angleski mu e specialna zanimanja. makedonskiot jazik beše eden od moite specialni zanimanji pre nekolku godini i brzo go naučiv. Jas mislam deka ke DJ nauči makedonski vo svojata vremena, i drugi jazici ke nauči ako bide sakal da gi nauči. <br /><br />hi Maja, hi from Hungary. How are you and how is DJ? It sounds to me like English is one of DJ's special interests. Macedonian language was one of my special interests a few years ago and I learned it quickly. I think DJ will learn Macedonian in his own time, and other languages too if he wants to learn them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-9575836328926931892012-10-21T20:42:49.679-07:002012-10-21T20:42:49.679-07:00My current research is in how medical students are...My current research is in how medical students are taught to think about disability and what factors influence their attitudes. I'm still at the literature review stage. When I get to actually designing curricular interventions, I may well be looking to collaborate! But that's easily 3 or 4 years in the future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-12747873591280681192012-10-18T12:32:34.072-07:002012-10-18T12:32:34.072-07:00It is a magic article and you are doing magic thin...It is a magic article and you are doing magic things! Do you ever wish to do research with an education researcher? Does this fit in your schedule and plans?<br /><br />IbElizabeth J. (Ibby) Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08330631899371657005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-74163060492916718182012-10-18T12:31:29.020-07:002012-10-18T12:31:29.020-07:00Maja and Jane you are excellent and one reason I a...Maja and Jane you are excellent and one reason I am so happy that I made this blog even though I was afraid to do it is that I met you two. :) <br /><br />Your boys are both lucky :) :) :)<br /><br />It is a great idea for DJ to help his Grandmother learn English! She can learn the hip young English of cartoons! :) :) :)<br /><br />Best, <br />Ib<br /><br />PS Please write back a lot and also write advice for others if it comes to mind.<br /><br />Elizabeth J. (Ibby) Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08330631899371657005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-1244051286613775942012-10-11T18:25:36.310-07:002012-10-11T18:25:36.310-07:00Maja, If I've learned one lesson, it is that I...Maja, If I've learned one lesson, it is that I'm not only facing a lot of uncertainty and unknowns, but I am constantly being challenged and doubted by "experts".<br /><br />These experts are well meaning and they have a collection of experiences: they serve a purpose. I have known my child all his life and am an expert in *my* child: I also serve a purpose. The goal is to find where our purposes overlap in the child's best interest.<br /><br />Trust your role as a partner in this.Janehttp://rateofattrition.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-47184656476488642822012-10-11T18:17:17.647-07:002012-10-11T18:17:17.647-07:00Aw, thanks! It may be a magic article. I found o...Aw, thanks! It may be a magic article. I found out about it at a conference by a chance conversation with a psychologist acquaintance. After hearing data on bilingualism in typically developing children, I mentioned my young patients with language disabilities and autism who are exposed to only one language at home and only English at school or speech therapy. Their parents end up choosing between speaking non-fluent English at home to support what their child is learning in speech therapy, or continuing to speak their home language fluently. I often advise them to keep using their home language, but without any research to support that advice besides what has been done in typically developing children.<br /><br />I had to present an article on "autism research" to my department a few weeks later, and this was the perfect solution. I'm both a recently diagnosed (while long self-identified) autistic and a pediatrician training to care for children with developmental disabilities. So I have the ongoing challenge to fulfil my professional training responsiblities with research that remains respectful to the experiences of actual autistics.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-50416833328316445832012-10-11T15:52:00.293-07:002012-10-11T15:52:00.293-07:00Thank you, thank you so much, Ib. This is exactly ...Thank you, thank you so much, Ib. This is exactly how I felt for so long, but unfortunately his therapists didn't thought so. It is difficult task ahead of me to try to persuade them to change their teaching approach, but your post will be excellent starting point:)<br />At least I will not feel ashamed that I was not capable of following their advice. You see, for such a long time I was pressured to stop using English with him, and I was doing it anyway because I somehow felt that it is the right thing to do. However, at the same time I felt that I was failing him in a way. I do not know if the sentence above makes any sense to you, but when it comes to DJ my feelings are mixed up most of the time. There are so many things that I would do differently regarding his education and socialization, but then again I am not confident enough to assert my views. I always thought that therapists and teachers are better trained and have more experience and they know better then I do. At the same time, I am surrounded with mothers that are moving mountains to help their children: all sorts of diets, supplements, medications, different types of therapies for many long hours, so sometimes I feel that I am not doing enough for my son i.e. I am failing him on many levels. And then again, I would look really hard at him and I would see that essentially he is very happy child and I think that I am not doing such a bad job after all. And then my fears for him would return as we live in a very competitive world and he is not interested in competing with anybody ever, but he is content with his routines and his special interests. So you see, it all becomes very mixed up. <br />Anyway, I am looking forward to the English classes for my Mom (she is 64 and she doesn't speak English at all). But, since she spends a lot of time with him, she will have to do something about her English. On the second thought, I even may try to organize class whereas DJ would teach her English. That would be something:))) <br />I will read the book you recommended as soon as I get it, earliest next Friday<br />Thank you for calling him DJ, actually we all call him DJ at home:) <br />I am sorry if my post is confusing it is 1 am here, so I am a bit tired. Once again, thank you for your support.<br />Best regards,<br />MajaMajahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15268853082954526557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-60848267350801645542012-10-11T14:35:30.236-07:002012-10-11T14:35:30.236-07:00Chiming in here on multilingualism. First, I echo ...Chiming in here on multilingualism. First, I echo what Ibby said, about helping DJ develop his confidence and sense of empowerment and identity. I love that he is choosing what he wants to be called, at this stage. Second, we aren't a true bilingual family since English has become my "natural language" and I even dream in English, but my native tongue is not a roman-based language and is vastly different from English. Our child grew up being exposed to English, but I want to expose him to different languages because I don't have reason to believe that he will be confused. He was getting exposed to Spanish at preschool and he knows when he is counting in one language versus counting in another language. By DJ developing confidence and competence in one language, I think this can help him gain confidence in learning Macedonian, not because these languages are alike, but because he has experienced success acquiring the rules of one language and knows he can do it again for a different language.Janehttp://rateofattrition.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-83901675294128770082012-10-11T07:35:53.185-07:002012-10-11T07:35:53.185-07:00Dear Nightengale of Samarkand,
This is an absolu...Dear Nightengale of Samarkand, <br /><br />This is an absolutely fabulous contribution! Thank you so much! It is like an early Christmas present--exactly what I was hoping to find, and here you just came and gave it to me. What a sweetheart you are. With the powers vested in me by my admittedly heightened capacity for discernment of such things, I hereby pronounce you Awesome.<br /><br />Gratefully, <br />IbElizabeth J. (Ibby) Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08330631899371657005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1725958813857579465.post-18132476888156578742012-10-10T19:17:54.229-07:002012-10-10T19:17:54.229-07:00Not relevant to the actual question being asked, b...Not relevant to the actual question being asked, but I did recently read a Candadian study comparing language development in autistic children who were exposed to a bilingual home environment to those exposed to a monolingual one. They did not find any significant differences in the age of first words, first phrases or total vocabulary and both groups scored similarly on receptive language measures also. I work with young autistic children, incuding some who are exposed to one language at home and another at school or speech therapy, and have had questions about their language development. So I was pretty excited about the results of this study. (I was also pretty excited to find an article about autistic children that neither compare them to non-autistic children nor measured strategies designed to make them become or appear less autistic.)<br /><br />The complete reference is "The Impact of Bilingual Environments on Language Development in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders." by Catherine Hambly and Eric Fombonne, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2012) 42:1342-1352Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com