having spent so much time on this forum the one thing that stands out more than anything is the lack of support from the government and authorities who seem to be letting families and children down who are in desparate need of help, i was talking to my mum on the phone about it and she suggested some how we all stand together on this and fight as its more likely to be heard than fighting individually , any thoughts on this? Eg writting to MPs etc.
Considering this is supposed to be about autism awareness and making it a better world for autistic people I can't see how there would be such a commercial reasoning. The relatively low cost is probably just to cover NAS costs in making the modules, not to make a profit, as much as it is to encourage professionals to use it.
You don't need to see specific material to be informed what the general content is. You can just ask what is covered.
And something else bothers me. There really is very little information up front about what these modules contain: four fairly similarly worded course outcomes, and some brief hints at interactive functions, really does not tell potential customers much.
On the other hand £24 per module is relatively cheap, and as it is price per module, someone could try them out by just buying one. But there's nothing to say that picking one of the later modules you could try independently of the others.
As a lecturer myself I spent years writing and marketing teaching products for self-directed study and remote study. I was also on panels for Foundation Degree Frameworks and 14-19 Diploma. There's a really difficult decision to be made how much you say about the modules without giving away enough for someone else to guess the content and replicate.
Indeed one argument says you lay a lot of detail on the line, but make it apparent that to benefit from the material, you need the paid for components. And if it is interactive material that's difficult to replicate, video clips and other personal info, that's not easy to replicate, why not be more generous with the in-between content?
What I do know is, if you market a "pig in a poke" - and I'm sorry to be blunt but as they stand these are "pig in a poke" modules - people may be disinclined to gamble. After all NAS isn't necessarily that highly regarded, if you look at what else is going on.
On the other hand if you market too cheap, there's nothing to stop a pirate buying a module, replicating the easily copyable stuff and generating their own versions of the video clips and personal experiences. So why be so secretive?
Also, how do people with knowledge assess if NAS is doing the right thing - not withstanding they are blowing their own trumpet pretty loud, without having to buy.
Is NAS sending free modules to friendly critics to corroborate NAS's own good opinion of themselves in other media?
I recall, trying to sell a course to a company to teach their staff in house using our material, after a lot of soul searching, we let them peruse all the module texts. After a lot of provaricating, when it was looking good, suddenly they declined to take the matter further.
Our managers quickly got scared and we had to ask for all the course materials to be returned. The company protested that we shouldn't be so suspicious and were slow returning the stuff. We know they photocopied the lot, and used it discretely. But what can you do, if you are trying to sell courses?
So aren't NAS being a bit petty saying hardly anything about the content? Or maybe they end up sitting on these for months and months because nobody will buy. It happens.
If you just take part, I am sure there will be some inkling given of what will be included, for instance I expect they will ask particular questions to get autistic adults' responses to and use selected parts of responses in the modules. That's my own supposition. You could always email the co-ordinator and state that you are interested in taking part but that you want more information on the types of issues that are addressed.
Re the forum, you can just put down that you are an autism advocate/other.
Wow fantastic longman and intense world thank you both for replying, have any of you seen the kids film Ants? Well of u haven't a breif discription and this is how i see things, the ants have to work hard to get food for the grass hoppers but the head grass hopper realises even though they are bigger and stronger than the ants IF the ants stood upto the grass hoppers like an army then the grass hoppers would have no chance , power in numbers is what im talking about i know it might sound silly the way i have put it i don't even know if its achievable but I cant stand thevfact that so many are suffering and being ignored.
Ah but to find out what it contains I have to fork out £24 per module. And while I could email to get involved, will I be any the wiser what messages are being sent out?
I have to lie to get on the forum because I'm currently retired, and therefore it seems I cannot fit into a category.
I think you will be interested in this Longman (which I will also put up as a new thread):
From Carol Povey, the NAS Director of the Centre for Autism:
"The first 5 modules of ask autism are now finished and this morning it was launched. Further details can be found on http://www.autism.org.uk/askautism. Within 20 minutes of launching, we had our first enquiry.I want to take the opportunity of thanking all of you who have contributed to making this the unique product it is. The aim of ask autism is to educate and enlighten professionals and others about what autism is, from the perspective of those who know best, - adults on the spectrum. There is nothing quite like it in the market, and I hope and expect it will make an enormous difference in peoples understanding, directly benefiting autistic people not only in the UK, but across the world. This could not have been done without the contribution made by each and every one of you. The generosity with which you have shared your experiences, insight and amazing skills, is truly inspiring. Everyone has contributed to the work in a different way, and we now have a training product that will not only reflect the autistic voice, but also its fabulous diversity. I particularly want to thank Damian who has been the mainstay of the work, and Dinah, who inspired it in the first instance. (I think it may have been a conversation she had with Mark Lever!)We have had challenges on the way. To try to keep to the principles of true co-production and participation when faced with tight deadlines, funding uncertainly, branding and language issues, and technical delays has been difficult, and at times we have failed to always keep each other as involved as we had planned and hoped. There are lessons for the future, but today, we need to count our many reasons to celebrate. We need to tell the world not only what a fabulous training product we've developed, but also that it really does come directly from autistic people. I hope this collaborative way of working can be brought into so many more areas, now we have shown it can work.The unique aspect of Ask autism is that it is the voice of people on the spectrum - your voice. I hope you feel it reflects your experiences and I hope you agree with me that we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a big difference with this training.Now that the launch is underway, we will be planning our next steps. I hope to see many of you at the autism and participation conference on 28th January. Soon will then be deciding what our next modules should focus on. I hope you will stay involved, and look forward to working with you in the future."
Ah Adel, do you mean "Push for Action" perchance. It has still only been pushed a number equivalent to less than 20% of those adults diagnosed with autism. I have to say it has lost momentum. The NAS website gives conflicting messages, and undermines its credibility.
Part of the problem is still that most lobbying is done by parents groups on behalf of children.
The fact those children grow older and become adults, not to mention all the adults out there, seems to make no odds. Even though it is like a conveyor belt with everyone piling off the end at 18, parents groups still only fight for children on the spectrum.
And remember NAS is primarily a parent power organisation. The messages NAS sends about adults (as I've demonstrated on this forum), is muddled and is not having the necessary impact.
The problem for adults with autism is that parents are getting old and on reduced funds as a pension or have passed away. They cannot continue fighting for adults.
The adults, because of the difficulties they face, may be unemployed or in a poorly remunerative job that means they cannot fund their own advocacy and representations.
But worse, if you admit you've got autism, you are not considered capable of making a case. I don't mean in the legal sense, but officialdom will blank you just because of an attitude problem towards the disabled.
As a scientist and academic I've tried to enter discourse with the Sheffield and Cambridge autism organisations, and other research centres, and have been brushed off, very much in the manner that if I've got the condition I cannot help.
And then there's this theory, still doing the rounds, that if you've got a good job, or you have a lot of ability, you cannot really have autism. So you don't count. There's even this idea that still persists, that university academics get diagnosed because it enhances their professional image (don't ask me how they work that one out).
And then there's the old cookie about the public at large. Everyone knows the little man in the street has opinions, often inaccurate or ill informed. You only listen to bona fide scientists. But the scientists studying autism, as I've pointed out on another thread are doinf very little on adults with autism, and if at all it is only on those severely affected.
So who is speaking up for adults on the spectrum?
NAS needs to start listening to us, and acting for us, rather than simply pushing the latest campaign at us. I've followed up on campaigns, writing the required letters to MPs and Local Authorities and doing the research. I feed it back to NAS and if indeed I get a reply it doesn't sound like they are interested. But I also do a lot that is not a response to NAS initiative, but my own quests, and believe me it is hard going trying to get people to listen.
Whether we could act collectively I don't know. This discussion forum would be a good way to get concerns across, if we knew officials and health professionals were reading this.
They've got their own discussion forum, which we cannot really join without lying. And whereas they could come on our forum without registering, as guests, we cannot go on their forum as guests. Which should tell you something more about the snooty attitudes out there, which are not helping....
Hello donnzmail,
The NAS campaign for change website pages may be of interest to you. Please click on the following link for more information on NAS campaigns around the UK.
http://www.autism.org.uk/Get-involved/Campaign-for-change.aspx
Adél (NAS mod)
Longman is the one to speak to about that, he's very good at looking into legislation and also seems to know who to contact about things.
Maybe we should all march on Parliament! Picket line at no.10!
