The Ringer

I wanted to stay away from another movie (even though I only have two others), but this movie was worth noting on this blog. It is a movie about a guy who needs some money really fast. His uncle gets the idea for him to fake being someone with a developmental disability in order to win the Special Olympics. His roommates figure out what is going on and decide they want him to continue faking it so he can beat the Special Olympic favorite, Jimmy Washington. I won't say what all happens, but our faker main character realizes that his new, developmentally disabled friends are indeed, special. But not just in that way.

When I first heard about this movie, I thought, "No way!" I didn't think this movie would be any good because it would just be making fun of those with disabilities. The writers of the movie were the same ones that did "Dumb and Dumber" and "Stuck On You" so I thought it would be another, irreverent comedy. Also, Johnny Knoxville was the main character and he is best known for his work on "Jackass" on MTV. I didn't think it would be any good. Before I watched it though, I heard that they wrote they script and sent it to those in charge of the Special Olympics to get their approval. They got their approval.

They even loved that Johnny Knoxville was going to be the star. In the extras, one of the main people in charge of Special Olympics talked about why that was. He said that he asked some of their athletes what they thought about Johnny Knoxville being in the movie and they thought that was a great idea because they said that all of the kids that watch "Jackass" are the ones that call them "retards." At one point in the movie, the main character's uncle says, "'tard" and the main character stands up and says to never, ever say that word again. It was a good moment in the movie and the athletes liked that part because if Johnny Knoxville said to never say the word "retard" again, those kids might listen and not say it.

I really liked this movie because it was sensitive to the people who have developmental disabilities. It didn't make fun of them. It treated them with the utmost respect. It also brings to light the fact that just because someone has a disability, it does not mean that they are stupid or incapable of doing anything. It also breaks down barriers that people have who just don't know how great those with disabilities can be. It also hammers anyone who uses the word "retard" which I especially like, since that word is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

Famous People Who Stutter

I hadn't planned on doing such a simple entry like this one, but I think this has a lot of value, so I am including it. The above picture is just a few of the many people who stutter. I spent some time on the website http://www.stutteringhelp.org/ and one of the first links I clicked on was the link about famous people who stutter.

As a society, we are obsessed with famous people and while I am not as enthusiastic about this topic as some are, I do enjoy learning about famous people. I was astonished with the list of people that they had that stutter(ed). If you go to the website and click on the famous people link, it gives you a good pamphlet that you can save and print that includes some famous people. The above picture is part of this pamphlet. Interestingly, one of the people on the list, Alan Rabinowitz was part of a video about stuttering that I had watched already (not for this class).

I knew about some of the people, like James Earl Jones, John Stossel, Marilyn Monroe and Winston Churchill, but there were some that surprised me. To name a few, Tiger Woods, Kenyon Martin, Bo Jackson, John Melendez (voice of the Tonight Show), Jimmy Stewart, Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs host and Ford promoter), B.B. King, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Col. Joshua Chamberlain (the unsung hero of Gettysburg, it could be argued that he alone provided the win for the Union. The movie "Gettysburg" provides insight into his character and Jeff Daniels plays him extraordinarily well), King George VI, even Moses (purportedly) and Demosthenes (greatest Greek orator of ancient times).

That list blew me away. And I know that there are probably plenty more that just aren't on the list for whatever reason. I love seeing this many famous and successful people on a list of people who stutter. It can give hope and promise to the estimated three million people in the U.S. that stutter. It doesn't need to be overcome for a person to be successful. Also, it makes me think about all of those people. I am sure they had people throughout their lives tell them that they would never make it and look where they are now!

More on Stuttering

There was an article I read from the April 2010 Journal of Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools about stuttering. It was a letter to the editor and it was written by Marilyn A. Nippold. The title of the article is "It's NOT Too Late to Help Adolescents Succeed in School.

It was a very interesting, although short, article about why we should not give up giving someone services just because they are getting "old." While early intervention is absolutely neccessary, we should not stop giving people services because they are in high school and the focus is often on those in preschool and the early grades, not leaving much time for the older kiddos to get services. There are plenty of high school students that still have speech and language disorders. They need are are required to have services as long as they are in school.

One idea she recommends, though not her original idea, is to not use the pull-out method for those requiring services. Instead they should be offered credit for speech and language services. The idea is that if they have an actual class where they can earn a grade and receive a credit or two, they will be much more likely to participate and try to do well. This would also help them to "avoid the stigma of being removed from other required courses" during their time at school.

This was a good article and I enjoyed reading it. I would have liked it to be longer. It was good because I will be working in the school districts when I recieve my degree and I need to be well informed and this article helped me think about things I hadn't thought about yet.

Inclusion Module

This was an online module I did for EDSE 201. We didn't have class and so we had a choice of doing this or going to a panel on Special Education. I needed to help my wife with our kids last night so she could get a little break, so I didn't go to the panel. So I did this module instead.

It was fun to review what we had already learned about inclusion. The videos we watched were really good. The videos were of a meeting that a mom of a student with special needs was having with those involved in her daughter's education. They were informative and it was good to see the mother being so strong in the videos. She had suggestions and everyone was willing to listen and implement what the mother said. They didn't treat her like she had no idea what she was talking about. That was refreshing.

I also enjoyed answering the questions at the end of a case study. They challenged me to think about what I have been learning this semester and putting it into practice. This was good as I will be involved in these kinds of situations as a Speech-Language Pathologist. I am glad I got to do this and be put to the test!

Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome

"Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence" is a book written by a 13 year old boy named Luke Jackson. He has Asperger Syndrome (AS), but is very high functioning. So much that he wrote this really good book on the subject.

Luke has six siblings including three brothers and three sisters. His oldest brother has Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. The brother just older than Luke, Joe, has ADHD. His youngest brother, Ben, also has autism, though it seems to be a bit worse than Luke's.

This book was really well written, especially for a thirteen-year old. He discusses all aspects of what it is like to have AS. He talks about his diet (gluten and casein free), bullies, dating--though he admits that being only thirteen, he isn't very experienced--and what people involved in the lives of those with AS can do to make their lives easier.

One of my favorite parts of the story has to do with literalism. He was supposed to be working on "maths" and began to daydream. He saw his teacher come slowly by and stop in front of his desk. His teacher said, "Jackson. Would you care to tell us exactly where you are?" Luke, knowing that he was in a classroom said, "Class E2, Sir." It made sense to him. But his teacher responded "Are you trying to be smart?" Luke thought about that and replied, "Yes sir. Of course I am trying to be smart." That made his teacher mad because his teacher thought he was trying to be sarcastic, but he had thought to himself "I am at school because I am trying to be smart." So that is exactly how he answered the question.

I really liked this book. I have worked in the special education field for ten years now, going back and forth between residential settings and schools. I have worked with people with different forms of disabilities and various degrees of disabilities too. I have learned that there is always something to learn about people with disabilities as no-one is the same. This book helped further my understanding of those with disabilities and how best to help someone with a disability.

This is a movie that takes place in 1976 in South Carolina. It is based on a true story of a developmentally disabled young man who is befriended by a high school football coach. He slowly becomes part of the football team as a sort of mascot. The coach takes a special interest in the young man.

The movie follows the progression of a pretty rough football season for the team. They end up only winning half of their games. Some of the people from the town thought that they lost their games because the coach was distracted by Radio. The football season ends and soon Radio starts spending time in the coach's classroom.

Then basketball season starts and Radio helps them out as well. He is also allowed to join school as an 11th grader, where he wanted to stay...and does. He is currently still an honorary coach for the team and is very involved with the school.

There were several quotes that I thought were really meaningful and have felt myself about individuals over the course of the last ten years that I have worked in the special education field.

"The way he treats us all the time is the way we wish we treated each other even part of the time."

"He's got himself a good heart. Most people just don't take the time to get to know that."

It is important for us to remember that a person is not defined by the way they look or the way they act. Those are nothing compared to what is in the heart. That is where a person truly is.

"Best Friends"

My wife found an article in Ladies' Home Journal (I don't normally read this magazine...) about a family who has two children with autism. The mother, Sharon Lindsey, said that her son, who was five when this was written, can undo any lock and be outside in no time. He has been known to take off and go missing on a few occasions which scares Ms. Lindsey. They live near a busy street and it makes her worry a little.
The other child with autism in the family is nine years old and is terrified of strangers. As a parent that is sometimes a good thing, but not all of the time. She sometimes had a hard time even playing in her backyard or leaving the house to go anywhere.
That was until they got an autism service dog named Brock. He is trained to watch for signs of meltdowns, which the Lindsey's five-year-old had on a regular basis. He has gone from around 25 a day to three or four mild outbursts a week. Brock has also helped the nine-year-old become more and more social. She is comfortable enough now to go to birthday parties and she even attended a summer camp.
It is amazing what animals can do to help all kinds of people. They can help blind people get around, they can help kiddos with autism become more social and less behavioral and even just provide comfort for those who need it.