At Home: Ottawa to set up city autism registry
Ottawa has announced a new city registry to ?help first-responders locate and assist autistic children and adults,? becoming the second Canadian city to do so.
As the CBC reports, the registry was set to launch on World Autism Awareness Day, April 2. The country’s first autism registry was launched late last year in Miramichi, NB.
According to the World Autism Awareness Day website, autism is a ?pervasive disorder that affects tens of millions? of people around the world. And in routine interactions with police, first-responders, or other officials, the actions of those with the disorder can easily be misinterpreted. As the CBC notes, those with autism may ?exhibit unusual patterns of behaviour, activities and interests.?
The registry will allow parents of autistic children to enter their child’s photo, name, and address as well as ?any other information that would be useful for fire, police and medical personnel.? It’s believed that the registry will also include info on autistic people of all ages.
The website will be run by Ottawa Police Services, with assistance from local school boards and Autism Ontario. Autism Ontario estimates there are some ?70,000 individuals with ASD? (Autism Spectrum Disorder) in the province.
In Foreign News: Teachers in Ireland working longer hours
The Irish Times reports that although second-level teachers are paid for 22 hours of work per week, they now put in ?an average of 46 hours a week.? That data comes from a recent survey commissioned by the Teachers? Union of Ireland (TUI).
The survey, known as the Behaviour and Attitudes study, found that teachers are spending an average of ?24 hours per week working outside timetabled teaching hours.? A majority of teachers who took part in the survey reported an increase in ?discipline and conflict issues? was taking time away from their core teaching duties.
Among the survey’s main findings are that teachers are working an average of ?between 43 and 46 hours a week during term time?; more than 80 per cent indicated ?discipline problems now take up considerable time?; and 87 per cent of those surveyed reported their administrative duties had increased over the past five years.
The general secretary of the TUI, Peter MacMenamin, told reporters that the survey results were no surprise and that teaching had become a ?demoralised profession in 2010. 1,200 teachers have lost their jobs at second level alone as a result of the education cutbacks.? He also noted that when a pension levy, pay cut, and the non-payment of an ?agreed increase? were added in, pay has ?been reduced by up to 20 per cent.?