learning disabilities

Filed under: Regular Contributors, Lewis Schofield, Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids

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Quoting trentu.ca:

The Trent University Award for Youth Leadership recognizes individuals under the age of 25 who play a leading role in their community. Lewis Schofield educates youth and adults globally about Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and Myasthenia Gravis, a rare and complex neuromuscular autoimmune disease for which there is no cure. Mr. Schofield raises money for Autism organizations in Canada and the United States while promoting awareness, tolerance and acceptance of difference through his artwork, writings and videos in the classroom, in the community and on the internet. Mr. Schofield is 14 years old and has Asperger Syndrome and Myasthenia Gravis. To accelerate the establishment of the student bursaries in honour of the Community Leaders Award winners, donors can take advantage of the Ontario Trust for Student Support Program (OTSS). Established by the Government of Ontario in 2005, OTSS matches endowed donations on a dollar-for-dollar basis to provide bursaries and awards to Ontario students. On October 26 2009, Trent University will host a gala event to pay tribute to the 2009 winners.

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Quoting a recent article about Lewis, also on trentu.ca:

[Lewis] raises money for autism organizations in Canada and the U.S. by selling his Art Cards online. He is also a junior moderator on FAM Family Autism Forum on Yahoo groups, providing parents with insight and understanding from a kid’s perspective on living with what he calls “an alphabet soup of diagnoses.” Lewis is also a “SouperIntendent” and regular contributor to Irked Magazine, where he has attracted readers globally since 2006 for his writings, interviews, information and currently a series of humourous videos, “Wisecrackin’ with Lewis Schofield.” “I guess I’m just not afraid to say what I’m thinking when it really matters to me,” he explains. In his interview with the International Best-Seller, Donna Williams, Lewis is asked about the “extras” that he has been diagnosed with. “I understand that you’re a kind of burger with the lot, that your AS includes added extras,” Williams asks. To this Lewis replies, “Boy oh boy–do I ever have extras and it’s ketchup for sure. I have Anxiety Disorder, Sensory Integration Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities, Severe Allergies and Asthma. That’s a lot of things to have on a burger, don’t you think?” Lewis was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis in 2008, a rare autoimmune disorder and neuro-muscular disease usually found in seniors that causes extreme fatigue and muscle weakness, slack jaw, semi-closed eye lids, face droop and trouble breathing. He created a video called, “Tell Me What Time It Is,” on You Tube describing his experience with the diagnosis and explaining the procedure of Intravenous Hemo Globulin (IVIG) treatment. The video includes text with facts about the disease, narrated with original music composed by Lewis. “He exhibits a startling and rare ability to take his pain and play with it, to communicate it to others and have them learn from it,” writes Sacha Vais, Managing Editor of Irked Magazine . . . Lewis describes how being the way he is makes him strive harder to get things right: “It makes me want to change things in the world so kids and babies feel safe almost all the time. It’s not enough to want to make things better for people. You have to really make things better…You don’t have to do something really big to make a difference. You just have to do something. Otherwise, nothing changes or gets better.”

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Learn more >>

Article in The Peterborough Examiner

News segment on CHEX Television

Click here for all Irked posts by Lewis

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Filed under: Themes, Blind Visionaries, Auties & Aspies, Irked Videos, Irked Audio

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Filed under: Regular Contributors, Lewis Schofield, Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids

Banished To This Place

An Atypical Writing Exercise by Lewis Schofield, 2007

Whenever a teacher assigns a typical writing exercise such as “What I Did On My Summer Vacation” or “My Hero” I roll my eyes just like the other kids do. Click to continue »

Filed under: Themes, The UpDown Report

Starting My Own Business

by Michele Glaser, Founder of MSG Personalized Creative Services

I can write about my experiences for you. I can write about being an entrepreneur with mental illness.

I can tell you that it has not been an easy road, but I never give up and I keep trying to find new ways of letting people know about what I do.

I recently went to a place that makes t-shirts and I had them do something special for me. I had my logo put in the middle of the shirt and my documents kind of circle the logo and I have my business card on the right hand side of the t-shirt.

I do have business cards and I usually strike up conversations with people about what I do. I was talking on Friday night to a lady who is a salesperson for a calendar company and I happened to have showed her the t-shirt I made and she now wants to get her dog’s picture on a t-shirt with my program that I have for cat and dog lovers.

I do a lot of email marketing, and I always send samples of what I do to potential customers. The first ones are free, and after that I charge $10.00 per document (plus .85 mandatory sales tax if you live here in Illinois).

In the four years since I registered my company (MSG Personalized Creative Services) with the Illinois Department of Revenue, many of the orders I’ve gotten have come from my Mother’s friends, who wanted to make things for their children and grandchildren.

I had someone personalize the baby documents that I do. One is called the Unofficial Birth Certificate and the other one is called Welcome Baby.

I got the idea for calling what I do “Novelty Documents” from the people who publish InfoSource, who put things into their database that way. Which is how I came up with the domain name I purchased: www.noveltydocuments.us (under construction).

I have also attached some of my Novelty Document Flyers for you, which were done by a wonderful advertising firm here in Mount Prospect, IL called BN Creative Services.

When I first started out my father said I was spending too much money on postage (sending out samples). So I got out the phone book and I called up BN Creative Services. I went to visit their office, and I showed them what I did and I also personalized their First Name Meanings for them-and they have been helping me for the last couple of years.

They scanned the documents onto one page and when I got more documents they created another flyer for me.
  
I cannot think of anything else to write at the moment.

Thank you for this opportunity.

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I tired out last night telling you my story so I am going to continue.

About 20 years ago I was working 40 hours a week and taking 2 night classes at a local community college, which I did for 7 years straight. I did not miss a semester between the fall of 1994 and the fall of 2000.

It was only discovered in 2002 that I was Manic-Depressed, and by that time I had lost 13 out of 20 jobs that I had.

I was having mood swings, spending sprees, and other things happening to me that I did not understand.

My job performance went down and I was eventually laid off from a company that I had worked at for six years.

I now can only work mornings at an outside job; after that I lose my concentration and get very agitated. I cannot wait to get home and get on the computer and check my e-mails.

I do some e-mail marketing of what I sell to gift stores and online websites.

Tomorrow I celebrate 2 years on this part-time job, where I do Telesales for an IT Consulting Firm-I put consultants into projects and now also do Permanent Placement.

In this job you have to develop relationships with the prospects you are calling, and it can take up to two years for them to finally have a need and it is also a matter of timing.

My disability does go beyond just the bi-polar because I also have other medical problems. I have a microfracture in my right knee, and the pain is usually what gets me up in the morning.

I now take Fosamax for Osteopenia because I am prone to a fracture in my right hip. This is something I have inherited from my mother.

I also have an overactive bladder, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and I am going through Menopause. I do not know if the rest of these are considered to be disabilities but I do take a lot of medication which does make me drowsy, which is another reason I can only work 2½ hours in the morning outside of the home.

My SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) lump sum money is in my mother’s hands and she is the trustee on the account and I am the beneficiary, although my monthly deposit from the U.S Treasury will be going into my checking account.

I also have a learning disability when it comes to math, and I have a terrible time trying to keep a positive balance in my checking account.

To order a personalized novelty document, contact Michele Glaser at mglaser4260056@yahoo.com.

Related:
Click here to see a Novelty Documents promotional flyer.
Click here to see an example of an “On This Day in History” gift (The day Irked was born!).
Click here to see an example of a “Birthday Chronicles” gift.

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Filed under: Regular Contributors, Lewis Schofield, Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids

What Day Is It Today In French?

 by Lewis Schofield

When I started school in Saskatchewan, my mom signed me up for French Immersion kindergarten. She thought I might like it better than English kindergarten. 

Madame came into the classroom every morning and say cheerfully, “Bonjour!” This was our routine. She would say, “Bonjour!” and we would say, “Bonjour, Madame.” This went on for quite some time and it became a habit to see Madame cheerfully announce, “Bonjour!” 

She tried teaching us other words in French, like the days of the week and our colours. We had mat time when she read stories in French and show-and-tell time when people brought things to class to share with everyone else. 

One morning, Madame started her class the way she always started class. “Bonjour,” said Madame and we all answered together. Then she went to the first child to her right and said, “Bonjour. C’est quel jour aujourd’hui?” 

In English that means, “Good morning. What day is it today?”

The boy looked at her and said, “Bonjour, Madame. Aujourd’hui c’est lundi.” Madame smiled and said to the boy next to him, “Bonjour. C’est quel jour aujourd’hui?” Again, this child answered, “Bonjour, Madame. Aujourd’hui c’est lundi.” Madame continued moving from student to student, always asking, “Bonjour. C’est quel jour aujourd’hui?” Each time, the child would answer, “Bonjour, Madame. Aujourd’hui c’est lundi.” 

When she got to me, she asked, “Bonjour, Lewis. C’est quel jour aujourd’hui?” I thought for a minute or two and finally replied in my best English, “Bonjour, Madame. I have absolutely no idea what day it is today.” 

My mom had to come to school that day. People at school weren’t very happy with my answer and I knew I was in trouble again. It was always like that. I would tell the truth and people would get upset. 

My mom asked me to explain to her what had happened because she had heard the teacher’s version already. So I told her about Madame saying good morning to each student and asking what day it was and how every student said good morning to Madame and answered that today was Monday, except in French it was lundi. 

But when she got to me, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake. You see, she kept going from student to student asking what day it was. I knew the correct answer was ‘lundi’, But Madame kept asking. so it couldn’t be the answer Madame was looking for after all. Instead of answering incorrectly and instead of answering with ‘lundi’ as every one else had, I told her the truth. I had absolutely no idea what day it was in her world. 

My mom was totally ok with that answer and told Madame that, too. 

I never really did get the hang of French Immersion Kindergarten. I graduated to English Immersion Grade One and I only learned to say one thing in French. I learned to tell people I was an English speaking boy who only listens in French.

P.S. My mom helped me with spelling the French words in this story

Lewis Schofield is Irked Magazine’s Alphabet Souperintendent. He, and his marvelous brain, can be found at http://www.thisislewis.net.

To buy Lewis’ beautiful art cards (with 20% of the proceeds going to autism organizations) CLICK HERE.

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Filed under: Regular Contributors, Lewis Schofield, Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids

“Chromosomes”—a story about being in Grade 3 by Lewis Schofield

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Filed under: Regular Contributors, Lewis Schofield, Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids

How old are you?
by Lewis Schofield

On my 6th birthday, the bus driver who took my mom and me to the daycare centre, asked me how old I was that day. 

“Today, I’m 3, 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 25, 32 and 48,” I answered. He scrunched up his face at me, surprised at my answer. 

“But Lewis,” he said with a smile on his face, “I thought today was your birthday. Aren’t you turning 6 today?” I jumped for a minute. I didn’t realize the bus driver meant how old was my body. I thought he meant how old was I — Lewis — on the day that just happened to be my birthday.

“Well, yes, today my body is 6,” I answered, “but the rest of me is 3, 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 25, 32 and 48.”

“How can you be all those ages at once if your body is only 6?” he asked. 

I took a moment to get the words just right in my head and then said, “You see, I have many abilities but they aren’t all at the same level. So today, I’m 3, 5, 7, 10, 16, 18, 25, 32 and 48. And my body is 6.”

Lewis Schofield is Irked Magazine’s Alphabet Souperintendent. He, and his marvelous brain, can be found at http://www.thisislewis.net.

To buy Lewis’ beautiful art cards (with 20% of the proceeds going to autism organizations) CLICK HERE.

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Filed under: Regular Contributors, Lewis Schofield, Themes, Auties & Aspies, QuIrked Kids

Living with Asperger’s Syndrome

Muses by Lewis Schofield

I’m a kid with Asperger Syndrome and a lot of other disabilities like Anxiety Disorder, Sensory Integration Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities, Severe Allergies and Asthma. 

Like my mom says, just because I have an alphabet soup of disorders doesn’t mean that I am alphabet soup. I’m a kid with cool ideas and I know a lot about computers, gaming systems, video games and some about programming. I have my own website (www.thisislewis.net) and it’s my job to make sure that everything on the site works well for visitors. 

Everything on my website is original content because I’m a professional kid with Asperger’s and cool ideas.

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