Hello ladies and gentlemen! The name's Asher; you can call me Asher! I am 18 years old and live in Las Vegas (yes, yes, THE Sin City). And I am now... here! Wowza!

I do not have SPD; however, some of the children I have tutored have had SPD (I have worked as a math tutor for various organizations here in the Vegas valley). I was quite unfamiliar with SPD until I was enlightened by a certain individual, which, if my sources serve me correctly, was the same individual who founded this site. I've dealt with every sort of condition under the sun (Aspergers, ADHD, etc.), so I'm quite familiar with everything!

A couple of things about me: I am a musician who plays with a couple bands in the Vegas area; I'm in the current process of recording two albums (one for my main band and one as a solo effort). I'm also a writer and a photographer, currently working on a novel and various art projects. I just graduated high school (thank goodness!), and in a couple of months, I will be departing for Seattle, WA to attend college. It is going to be a totally different experience all together; I can't wait! On a lighter note, I am a huge fan of animation (Toy Story 3, anyone?), movies, trivia, pilates, Mexican burritos, and lemonade! Mmm...lemonade... Anyway, that's it for now! Wonderful to meet you all, and catch you around!

So how have your students SPD affected their Math learning? What adjustments have you had to make to your Tutoring style to better assist your SPD students versus someone without SPD?

Hey Asher! Welcome to SPD International .

(06-19-2010, 11:34 PM)Asher Wrote: I do not have SPD

You know? I want to remind people here that there is no need to have SPD to be a part of this group. All I ask is that you be understanding of other member's sensory issues, and be willing to socialize with them .

Quote:I was quite unfamiliar with SPD until I was enlightened by a certain individual, which, if my sources serve me correctly, was the same individual who founded this site.

Oh, cool! Who is he? I must meet him!
Yeah, I have to do a little shameless self/site promotion from time to time. I'm always willing and wanting to spread the word about SPD though, wherever I am and whoever I'm speaking to for the most part.

Quote:A couple of things about me: I am a musician who plays with a couple bands in the Vegas area; I'm in the current process of recording two albums (one for my main band and one as a solo effort). I'm also a writer and a photographer, currently working on a novel and various art projects.

Until I read this, I wasn't aware of how busy you are musically!
I wish you the best on those endeavors. There are a lot of music enthusiasts here, honestly. Music is a form of therapy that is quite useful for people with SPD/ASD. We can really get into the music, due to our noise sensitivities and seeking. We each have our own style of music that soothes us best, but many of us can sit down and listen to the same stuff over and over again for a long time, lol.

I'm thrilled to have you over here Asher. You're a great guy, and I admire your ability to make it out on your own at such an early age. I can tell you're ready for it .
Take good care, and best wishes. Enjoy your time on the site!

Oh, very cool, another musician! Bet you don't do opera, though. lol What kind of music do you perform?

I, too, would enjoy hearing more about your tutoring efforts and what sort of special tools you use to help them. I find that a fascinating subject.

Looking forward to hearing more from you!

Wow, thanks for the responses guys!

(06-20-2010, 03:39 PM)beck7422 Wrote: So how have your students SPD affected their Math learning? What adjustments have you had to make to your Tutoring style to better assist your SPD students versus someone without SPD?

Most of the time, it's more of a thing of 'focusing;' many of the kids I tutored (not just SPD but also others like ADHD, ADD, etc.) simply had to work on focusing and concentrating on their work. I cannot give exact way of how I tutor because every kid is different; one has to go through a different routine for each kid one tutors.

I had one kid who was really sensitive to light (I told the mom that it would be a good idea to take him to a specialist, and it turned out it was a variant of SPD or something similar to it). He had a hard time concentrating in bright light, so we just turned off the lights in our study room. It worked like a charm. If I had had a kid who had SPD in relation to the auditory senses, then I would have made sure we were in a really quiet area and go from there. Each kid is different and needs a different method; it all depends on the kid.

(06-20-2010, 06:21 PM)D1G1T Wrote: Oh, cool! Who is he? I must meet him!

Yea, he's a nice guy...sometimes...

Quote:Until I read this, I wasn't aware of how busy you are musically!
I wish you the best on those endeavors. There are a lot of music enthusiasts here, honestly. Music is a form of therapy that is quite useful for people with SPD/ASD. We can really get into the music, due to our noise sensitivities and seeking. We each have our own style of music that soothes us best, but many of us can sit down and listen to the same stuff over and over again for a long time, lol.

That's good to know! Next time I tutor, I'll make sure to blast some Metallica and Black Sabbath while my kids are studying to "soothe" them!

Quote:I'm thrilled to have you over here Asher. You're a great guy, and I admire your ability to make it out on your own at such an early age. I can tell you're ready for it .

Oh, you're too sweet, Dan!

(06-23-2010, 11:51 AM)mawkinberd Wrote: Oh, very cool, another musician! Bet you don't do opera, though. lol What kind of music do you perform?

Looking forward to hearing more from you!

I might not sing opera, but I listen to Andrea Bocelli and Renee Fleming! Does that count?

Right now, I do the majority of my music with two bands: one is pure hard rock, and one is progressive blues rock. I sing for both, but also play bass and rhythm guitar for the latter. I used to play piano for a jazz band, and I do my own solo stuff as well (it sounds a bit like a mix of Ray LaMontagne and Iron & Wine). All in all, lots of stuff going on haha!

Heavy Metal and Opera are both great for me to study to. If I have to learn something, it is best if I am playing one of these two musics in the background. My reading comprehension goes way up when Metallica is on.

On the light sensitivity for one of your students, that is a major problem of mine. I highly recommend Irlen Lenses. They help to block out the wavelength(s) of light that are causing interferrence in processing information. I went from no longer being able to read to going back to being a speed reader with Irlen Lenses.

Hehe... I'll keep quiet about Bocelli, but I'm not much for hype. Renee, though... ah! Like her jazz cd? I love how she fit Wozzeck into it so that it was completely natural... oi!

It does sound like you have a lot of music going on. And I've blasted some (old) Metallica and Black Sabbath to soothe my savage beast on occasion. Sometimes it works better than the Chopin Nocturnes, sometimes it doesn't.