Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[STMO123]

I wish I could think of a way of putting my lads 'skills' to good use so that I could guide him into something he may be good at when he leaves school. He is 14 in May and, as some of you know, has aspergers. He is great on computers but, I think, is not good enoughto excel when I see what some others can do. He is very good at maths but only pure maths, not so good at anything abstract.
Before Christmas I asked him what he thought of the rubiks cube. He'd never heard of it. So we started him off on a 2x2x2 little one. It took him three days to crack. On Christmas day I gave him the proper 3x3x3 one, it took him till boxing day to complete' not just once but over and over. We sent off to amazon for a 4x4x4 which arrived yesterday lunchtime. I shuffled it properly and he disappeared upstairs. 10 c'clock last night...done. He has been online and 'learned' the algorithm (he tells me) so can do it quite easily. I had a look and...hahahahaha......jibberish to me.

He has just yelled out from the bedroom and, when I asked what was wrong, he said he had just lost on 'Simon' on his ipad when he was:up to 62. 62! I can do about 12

It's all really clever stuff, but.......what use can it possibly be?

I'm worried he's destined to sit solving pointless puzzles for the rest of his days.

[Gaffers]

if he is good at algorithms and puzzles he would make an excellent crypographer

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Your lad Steve appears to have a talent with puzzles and importantly maths.  As he is only 14 he has plenty of time to become even more proficient at both.

He sounds to me to be talented and could well go into the IT field.  You and me often think that the young of today are "wasting their time" sittings around on computers, but actually they are honing the skills the future will demand.  It was not that long ago that young men who were good at problem solving and mathematics were suitably employed at Bletchley Park breaking codes.  So a job at GCHQ or another 'national service' facility could be an aim for him.

Everyone has a talent, no matter what, and he just needs to find his role.  I would run with his likes at the moment, but give him more complicated, mathematically based puzzles.  Maybe you could seek help with that.

[STMO123]

if he is good at algorithms and puzzles he would make an excellent crypographer

Possibly, Matt.......possibly. I reckon the best place to do something like that would be in the services, and his aspergers would stop him doing that. I wasn't really expecting a definitive answer, just thinking out loud. He is a lovely kid...and it's a shitty old world

[STMO123]

Your lad Steve appears to have a talent with puzzles and importantly maths.  As he is only 14 he has plenty of time to become even more proficient at both.

He sounds to me to be talented and could well go into the IT field.  You and me often think that the young of today are "wasting their time" sittings around on computers, but actually they are honing the skills the future will demand.  It was not that long ago that young men who were good at problem solving and mathematics were suitably employed at Bletchley Park breaking codes.  So a job at GCHQ or another 'national service' facility could be an aim for him.

Everyone has a talent, no matter what, and he just needs to find his role.  I would run with his likes at the moment, but give him more complicated, mathematically based puzzles.  Maybe you could seek help with that.

IT is what I was thinking, Lizzie, but when I try to understand what some of the lads on here are saying regards computers, it seems like such a huge leap from where he is now.
The teachers at his school dont help, they have no ambition for him.

[STMO123]

We are lucky in the respect of my wife being a headteacher who understands his condition and is well-paid enough to ensure that he doesn't have to spend his life scraping a living. I just hate the thought of him wasting his life when I'm sure he is capable of doing something.

Having said that, of course, thre are plenty of willing, talented kids leaving uni without much hope of finding anything decent.

As you get older, you start looking to the future a lot more and worrying but, as my wife tells me, I should just chill and let it all happen.

[bigegg]

nowt wrong with just going to UNI to do pure maths (I'm sure something in that subject will interest him.

If you want to set your mind at ease, try:
A Beautiful Mind - Russell Crowe film (wonderfully miscast, but excellent piece of acting from him)
and:
The Man Who Only Loved Numbers
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Who-Loved-Only-Numbers/dp/1857028295

both true stories of people with issues who did incredibly well in acadaemia - and pure maths in particular

[Rods2]

I started computer programming at his age where my school was well ahead of the norm, using punch cards on a local collage mainframe.

Buy him a Raspberry pi computer and see how he gets on.

[STMO123]

nowt wrong with just going to UNI to do pure maths (I'm sure something in that subject will interest him.

If you want to set your mind at ease, try:
A Beautiful Mind - Russell Crowe film (wonderfully miscast, but excellent piece of acting from him)
and:
The Man Who Only Loved Numbers
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Who-Loved-Only-Numbers/dp/1857028295

both true stories of people with issues who did incredibly well in acadaemia - and pure maths in particular

Thanks....I will have a look at them.

And stop trying to make out I'm confused. 

[STMO123]

I started computer programming at his age where my school was well ahead of the norm, using punch cards on a local collage mainframe.

Buy him a Raspberry pi computer and see how he gets on.

I keep trying to get his IT teacher to let the rest of his class try this Rod: www.scratch.mit.edu
Its great for kids to learn to start using code. Ben loves it and has made some really good projects.But teacher is not for it.

[bigegg]

Thanks....I will have a look at them.

And stop trying to make out I'm confused. 

your welcome.
but I don't understand the confused bit?
are you perhaps mistaking me for someone else?

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Your lad Steve appears to have a talent with puzzles and importantly maths.  As he is only 14 he has plenty of time to become even more proficient at both.

He sounds to me to be talented and could well go into the IT field.  You and me often think that the young of today are "wasting their time" sittings around on computers, but actually they are honing the skills the future will demand.  It was not that long ago that young men who were good at problem solving and mathematics were suitably employed at Bletchley Park breaking codes.  So a job at GCHQ or another 'national service' facility could be an aim for him.

Everyone has a talent, no matter what, and he just needs to find his role.  I would run with his likes at the moment, but give him more complicated, mathematically based puzzles.  Maybe you could seek help with that.

IT is what I was thinking, Lizzie, but when I try to understand what some of the lads on here are saying regards computers, it seems like such a huge leap from where he is now.
The teachers at his school dont help, they have no ambition for him.

In that case Steve, through your wife's educational contacts, enquire if there are any computer courses he can attend now, and then work towards increasingly advance college courses over the next three years.  One of my grandson's with autism receives special help from the local authorities, so see what help is out there, especially in the way of computer and mathematical courses. I personally would even go so far as paying for private tuition for him, in both those fields.  You really cannot rely on your local school to help him as they should, but rarely do with "special needs" children!

[STMO123]

Thanks....I will have a look at them.

And stop trying to make out I'm confused. 

your welcome.
but I don't understand the confused bit?
are you perhaps mistaking me for someone else?

Why.....you'd have people thinking I didn't know what I was posting....or wasn't 

I saw what you did there by the way. Quite clever......for you

[STMO123]

Your lad Steve appears to have a talent with puzzles and importantly maths.  As he is only 14 he has plenty of time to become even more proficient at both.

He sounds to me to be talented and could well go into the IT field.  You and me often think that the young of today are "wasting their time" sittings around on computers, but actually they are honing the skills the future will demand.  It was not that long ago that young men who were good at problem solving and mathematics were suitably employed at Bletchley Park breaking codes.  So a job at GCHQ or another 'national service' facility could be an aim for him.

Everyone has a talent, no matter what, and he just needs to find his role.  I would run with his likes at the moment, but give him more complicated, mathematically based puzzles.  Maybe you could seek help with that.

IT is what I was thinking, Lizzie, but when I try to understand what some of the lads on here are saying regards computers, it seems like such a huge leap from where he is now.
The teachers at his school dont help, they have no ambition for him.

In that case Steve, through your wife's educational contacts, enquire if there are any computer courses he can attend now, and then work towards increasingly advance college courses over the next three years.  One of my grandson's with autism receives special help from the local authorities, so see what help is out there, especially in the way of computer and mathematical courses. I personally would even go so far as paying for private tuition for him, in both those fields.  You really cannot rely on your local school to help him as they should, but rarely do with "special needs" children!

I'll see what happens Lizzie. He gets his options at the end of this academic year (gets to drop what he doesn't want/need to do). He should get to spend more time on the important stuff.

[bigegg]

Why.....you'd have people thinking I didn't know what I was posting....or wasn't 

I saw what you did there by the way. Quite clever......for you

no I didn't