Sunday, August 8, 2010

Success is Diverse....

When my age is creeping towards a new number, (not gonna be two in front anymore...), I started to realise how I see things differently, how my quest of life is now diverting to something more meaningful, more soulful, how wisdom is deemed more enjoyable than entertainment per se. I thank Allah for this change and I still pray that it stays on the correct track though.

I started to track down my success in this 29 years of living, and how I want to succeed until how long more my life would be. Do we consider success only when we get good pointer and grades in study? Or when we manage to get promoted every three years of our career? Or when we marry our lover and bear healthy and smart kids out of the marriage? Or one most important success but always be left behind and forgotten is when we succeed to stay in great strong Iman, be on the Highest stage of Taqwa only to Him the Almighty. This is one diversity in success.

Another diversity in success is, how today's success never determines the success of tomorrow. We work hard for a better tomorrow, but always expect that failure may still come even after series of hardwork, for the ultimate power is still in the hands of Allah. That is when do'a, tawakkal and redha has to always be in a package of hardwork, and never doubt Allah's power and also His Love.

We may not win a competition we compete in, but we may succeed more in the future from the winner itself. This is what we call 'rizq'(arabic word for Luck and Provision). It also definitely out of hard work and Allah's willingness to give us the success that we deserve. One example that I can only think of right now (at this wee of hour 2.13am!May not be a good one but simple to see and link with) is Aizat the singer from a reality show A**d*mi F**tasi*. He wasn't even one of the finalist of that show, but I would say he is successful in what he is doing now. Composing his own song, knows what he wants in his career and realizing it to not be a dream or plan anymore but a real success in life. He was good then when he was in the show, but he was still voted out as the 'Winner' title was not meant for him, as Allah has something much more better in store for him. And because he believes in that but not yet assured of it, he work hard for it, and he is where he is now.

I leave you with his latest song, being he himself as the composer and also the lyricist i think. A good composition indeed!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

What is Autism Disorder

Autism is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests.

Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.

Symptoms of Autism?

The main signs and symptoms of autism involve problems in the following areas:

• Communication - both verbal (spoken) and non-verbal (unspoken, such as pointing, eye contact, and smiling)
• Social - such as sharing emotions, understanding how others think and feel, and holding a conversation
• Routines or repetitive behaviors (also called stereotyped behaviors) - such as repeating words or actions, obsessively following routines or schedules, and playing in repetitive ways

The symptoms of autism can usually be observed by 18 months of age.

There are many possible red flags for autism - behaviors that may be signs or symptoms of autism. Some features may mean a delay in one or more areas of development, while others may be more typical of autism spectrum disorders. If you think your child shows red flags for autism, talk to your health care provider.

Causes

The cause of autism is not known. Research suggests that autism is a genetic condition. It is believed that several genes are involved in the development of autism. Research studies in autism have found a variety of abnormalities in the brain structure and chemicals in the brain; however, there have been no consistent findings. One theory is the possibility that autistic disorder is a behavioral syndrome that includes several distinct conditions. However, parenting behaviors are not the cause or a contributing factor to the cause or causes of autism.

Treatment for Autism

Specialized behavioral and educational programs are designed to treat autism. Behavioral therapy is used to teach social skills, motor skills and cognitive (thinking) skills. Behavior modification is also useful in reducing or eliminating maladaptive behaviors. Individualized treatment planning for behavioral therapy is important as autistic children vary greatly in their behavioral needs. Intensive behavior therapy during early childhood and home-based approaches training and involving parents are considered to produce the best results.

Special education programs that are highly structured focus on developing social skills, speech, language, self-care, and job skills. Medication is also helpful in treating some symptoms of autism in some children. Mental health professionals provide parent counseling, social skills training, and individual therapy. They also help families identify and participate in treatment programs based on an individual child's treatment needs. Specific treatment will be determined by your child's physician based on:

• your child's age, overall health, and medical history
• extent of the disorder
• your child's symptoms
• your child's tolerance for specific medications or therapies
• expectations for the course of the disorder
• your opinion or preference

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Autism..A new Challenge

At last..I blog again after so many posts I don't bother to write on. So many to start with of course. But one important one is, I decided to tender my resignation from my present company that I work with and to be exact the only company I work with after I graduated and that means, it's good 7 years in the company. At last! I would say.

Since I made a decision to quit the job, of course I have to have plans on what would be next. Of course not another bank, because if it is, it should be years ago. I decided to do something that I like and something very near to me. Definitely it's teaching and writing. Lecturers (part time or full time), tutor, tuition teacher, writer, news broadcaster, documentary producer, script writer (to list a few of what I once dreamt of becoming and is still dreaming of becoming). After giving much thought and pray for the courage, it is Now or Never.

Ok, i think you guys would already have an idea of how my life would be after this, and what I am through now. But, what moves me to blog, (not even an excitement journey or holiday manage to make me blog even though I always wanted to, but the urge is not this strong, not as strong as what I feel now.)

After I decided to quit the job, I have been actively seeking for a private tuition teacher opportunity. there's a few offer, but this one that I get, I know would be a great challenge for me. I was contacted by a parent who wants me to private-teach his son with autism. I am not all blank about autism. I've heard about it, watched one movie on autistic people, have friends who has family members on autism, but definitely I am not all ready with what to do, how to handle or all fluent with their characteristics and 'spectrum' (even this word is after a few research on Autism)of this disorder. I am all excited but at the same time nervous of what's waiting for me. But being a geek me, I like this challenge because at least from today onwards, I know what to search for, I know what to write on, what to work on for and I have an objective and goals to work on towards.

I found so many interesting facts on Autism, and how never an autistic child are with the same characteristic with another autistic child. I even stumbled upon an autistic blogger who is already a professor himself, an autistic group in Facebook, and many more to come. Whatever it is this is really exciting! And I promise to have a log book of my autistic student and to share every experience that I will go through. Pray for me!