Tim Minchin – The gift that keeps on giving

Under all of the untamed blonde hair, striking eyeliner and a comedic charm which has propelled a 36-year-old Northampton, Great Britain-born entertainer into a successful man of many trades from making audiences laugh on a global level to writing and producing infectiously fun songs, Tim Minchin has a side which can be admired and must be praised.

From beginnings in Australia, a nation which later became a second home as the majority of Minchin’s childhood and adulthood was spent in Perth, Australia before university life was experienced at the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Arts degree being obtained in English and Theatre coming along as a result of study, discovering a talent to help others enjoy themselves came after first appearing at the Butterfly Club in Melbourne, Australia and frankly, the laughs haven’t stopped yet.

However, the second of those earlier mentioned strings to the metaphorical bow is beginning to show a charitable side to a seemingly kind nature and with this, raise money for a society which is aiming to help Brits that live with a myriad of disorders that fall under the autistic spectrum.

Criminality or uneducated belief?

Every now and then, stories will break on a national or international basis which will become the talking point at the water cooler, wine bar or the basis of a good conversation over the telephone.

While this can be seen as a good or bad thing when the subject matter is bought into context, a lack of seeing the big picture and understanding the whole situation could create shocking consequences – this being the entire reason behind two criminal cases of recent times that I am about to discuss so please do share your thoughts on what is mentioned below.

Providing a sense of interest and perhaps to use such a word, voyeurism, as news offers a view on the world which people may be unable to discover by other means, reports can usually be taken for how they are described but can also be misconstrued as motives and reasons behind a story are completely avoided as an issue of uneducated belief.

Welsh autistic assistance placed under the microscope

Becoming the first country within the United Kingdom to launch a government strategy in relation to the autistic spectrum, Wales’ national assembly has created an action plan which outlines how those in power will aim to not only meet the needs of those affected by disability but also their families.

Initially published in April 2008, their ten-year ASD Strategic Action Plan discussed how needs of those affected would be met by authorities throughout the country with an implementation phase putting any beneficial changes into place over a three year period.

Using this time-frame to identify gaps in care for those with autism, develop assistance in localized areas and provide funding for schemes which would help Welsh people that required it most, initial ideas were developed and implemented though research taken last year has shown how those affected would like to see improvement made.

‘Being Normal’: A definition or state of mind?

Normal – adjective. Conforming to a standard; usual, typical or expected:

it’s quite normal for puppies to bolt their food

normal working hours

• (of a person) free from physical or mental disorders.

Apparently it’s possible to define a sense of ‘normality’, therefore making it possible for people to brand others as average or not?

This is surely a wrong move in an incredibly mixed society that has become commonplace throughout the modern world?

‘Striving as an autistic student’ – An article written by myself for Sonar Magazine

- In an article written for the Southampton Solent University Student Union magazine that is produced monthly during term-time, I decided it would be good to share my experiences for a source which could inspire other students in my situation:

As a student at Southampton Solent University who is 24 and still finds himself in full time education, it could be considered by an outsider with limited knowledge of another person’s situation that periods of time have been wasted by merely sitting back whilst opportunities to earn valuable experience in any area of work has constantly evaded them.

This would be an understandable thought because life is often about grasping chances when they come along which may change any career for either good or bad reasons, though there are also people who blossom slower than others for circumstances beyond their control.

Disco dancing, musical brilliance and spectacular singing – The culmination of BBC Three’s Autistic Season

Following initial documentaries looking into personal battles with autism both academically and socially, production companies are now showing viewers slightly more positive aspects of it’s related disorders.

Knowledge of not only autistic behaviour but also the spectrum is limited, meaning numerous difficulties continually felt in daily life cannot be identified by physical reactions alone.

This sense of invisibility can naturally make things difficult for those who don’t understand which makes spreading awareness important, something that broadcasters are now doing consistently through various media forms.

BBC Three’s Autistic Season: A review of The Autistic Me – One Year On and Autistic Driving School

In 2009, BBC Three showed a documentary called The Autistic Me which told the story of three young adults and how they cope with having autism, something that has not been attempted before on British television.

What they showed received critical acclaim and bought great success not just through ratings but for autistic people, this coming about because a degree of clarity finally began to emerge that everybody isn’t the same who has any sort of spectrum syndrome.

As the initial broadcast featuring now 16 year-old Tom, Oliver (20) and Alex (25) proved so popular, a follow up was aired just over a week ago to show changes in their lives 12 months later.