62 h. ago Maybe I’m Amazed by John Harris review – with a little help from John, Paul, George and Ringo

The Guardian journalist’s tender account of how music became a bridge between him and his autistic son, James, is full of wit and wisdomHalfway through Maybe I’m Amazed, there’s a photograph of John Harris’s son, James, with one of his heroes. James is a young-looking 10 in knee-length shorts decorated with stars. Ian Hunter of 1970s rock band Mott the Hoople stands beside him, a hand gently around his shoulder. “Sixty-nine years separate them,” Harris writes. “Here is proof of how songs and their creators find fans in the most unlikely of places.”Maybe I’m Amazed is the story of a growing child’s love of music, but it’s more than that: it’s also about how songs provided a whole world for James, and his family, after his autism diagnosis. It marks a departure for Harris, whose previous journalism, aside from his political work for the Guardian, has involved editing magazines and writing columns, reviews and other books about music. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Maybe I’m Amazed by John Harris review – a father and his autistic son bond through music

An honest and intensely moving book about the struggle of parenthood and the power of connectionOne of my favourite books growing up was my dad’s copy of The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics. I spent hours flicking through images of an eyeless, trombone-mouthed golden man swallowing naked bodies, and a full-page, black-and-white comic strip by legendary psychedelic artist Rick Griffin. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t yet listened to most of the songs – the surreal visual riffs felt like dispatches from an undiscovered country. Later, the Beatles became my favourite band. I chain-listened to the albums, read endless books, watched the movies and recited Beatles’ lore to anyone within earshot. “Oh dear,” said my mum one morning, as I reeled off an account of how a 40-piece orchestra improvised the rising crescendo in A Day in the Life, “you’ve become a Beatles bore.”Maybe I’m Amazed opens with John Harris’s 15-year-old son, James, ecstatically absorbed in a...

Politics

8 d. ago Several police cars and ambulance rush to Welsh school after 'medical incident'

Around seven police cars, an ambulance and a rapid response vehicle were seen outside Darland High School in Rossett, Wrexham, at around 2pm today

Events

9 d. ago I'm fighting the council to find a school for my severely autistic son... sending him to mainstream would be like torture

Sinead Woods, 36, of the village of Great Wakering, Essex, told MailOnline: 'Every day, every minute that I have off, I'm researching and fighting and trying to get him to a school.'

Sport

1 week ago South Lanarkshire Council back fight againt litter with Spring Clean Scotland

“Dropped litter is a curse across South Lanarkshire" said Councillor Robert Brown, chair of the council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee.

Sport

1 week ago Luke Humphries' true character summed up in Premier League Darts gesture

Luke Humphries has arranged a VIP night for an autistic Stockport schoolboy who was bullied so severely that his parents felt compelled to remove him from school

Politics

1 week ago Record number of pupils in England ‘severely absent’ from school – figures

More than 171,000 pupils missed at least half of possible school sessions in 2023/24, Department for Education statistics show.

Politics

1 week ago Debunked myths that vaccines cause autism are increasing stigma

As parents resist vaccines over vague potential harms, advocates call it a case of ‘morals more than science’The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is planning to devote research dollars to the debunked myth that vaccines cause autism – legitimizing stigma not only around vaccines, but around autism itself.Matthew Shallenberger, father to an 11-year-old autistic son in Tennessee, says this myth is harmful because “it treats autism as some dreadful disease to avoid at all costs.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Severed poles and trashed cameras: London borough's school streets hit 22 times in 'criminal sabotage'

Severed poles and trashed cameras: London borough's school streets hit 22 times in 'criminal sabotage'  Yahoo News UK

Events

2 w. ago ‘He nails it on the first take’: how the Beatles helped my autistic son find his voice

After John Harris’s son was diagnosed, conversation always seemed focused on the things he would struggle with. But a shared passion for playing music grew into something James could do – brilliantlyI start playing songs to my son James from the moment he is born. If I’m given the job of rocking him back to sleep, I usually put on reggae: Junior Murvin’s Police and Thieves and Dawn Penn’s You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) tend to do the trick. If my partner Ginny or I sing along to whatever is on the CD player, it brings him a gurgling kind of delight. In this, he is – obviously – no different from any other child. But not long after his first birthday, I get a sharp sense that music might speak to him in a particularly vivid, mood-altering way.I play James the title track of Clear Spot by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band only once. Its mixture of discordant guitar, growling vocals and knock-kneed drumming, I suspect, might strike him as curious and funny, like a big, monster-centr...

Politics

2 w. ago Actor Michael Sheen on paying off £1m of his neighbours’ debts; Marina Hyde on ‘grotesque’ JD Vance; and ‘how the Beatles helped my autistic son find his voice’ – podcast

Marina Hyde on 1,000 grotesque memes of JD Vance – they’re all more likable than the real thing. The actor Michael Sheen grew up poor, got rich, then lost everything backing the 2019 Homeless World Cup. Now he’s giving away more of his money to help 900 total strangers. When John Harris first started noticing that his baby had some unusual quirks, he wasn’t too worried. Then came an autism diagnosis – and a fear of the future. Could a shared passion for music give James a way to shine? Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Maintenance hole explosion at Texas Tech University causes fires, outages and cancels classes

Authorities at Texas Tech University say an explosion inside a maintenance hole set off fires and power outages on the campus, leading school officials to issue evacuation orders for several buildings and cancel classes for the rest of the week

Events

3 w. ago Mum hits out as autistic son's vital care package set to be scrapped

Julie Mitchell’s son Sol, 17, has a range of additional needs including hyperactive impulsive ADHD and autism.

Events

3 w. ago José Andrés pleads with Trump to release Michigan man seized by ICE while dropping off autistic son

Administration has removed over 50,000 migrants since January

Politics

3 w. ago David Attenborough joins fight AGAINST cyclepath as neighbours vent their fury at council decision

The broadcaster was written to by an 11-year-old boy who opposed the plans to cut down the trees on Clifford Bridge Road in Coventry.

Sport

3 w. ago Lawsuit aims to strike down LGBTQ antidiscrimination protections in Pennsylvania

Two public school districts and several parents are suing in Pennsylvania in a bid to undo antidiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people

Events

3 w. ago ‘We’re going backwards’: the Black student unions forced to close on US campuses

Black student unions at US colleges are fighting to stay in operation as state laws targeting DEI initiatives threaten their existenceFor Nevaeh Parker, the president of the Black student union (BSU) at the University of Utah, Black History Month is usually a buzzing time on campus.The school’s BSU hosts several events – kickback parties and movie screenings – throughout the month. The Black cultural center, where students would usually congregate and attend activities, would be full. And the month’s crown jewel would typically be a conference at the college for Black high schoolers in the area. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago ‘We’re going backwards’: the Black student unions being defunded on US campuses

Black student unions at US colleges are fighting to stay in operation as state laws targeting DEI initiatives threaten their existenceFor Nevaeh Parker, the president of the Black student union (BSU) at the University of Utah, Black History Month is usually a buzzing time on campus.The school’s BSU hosts several events – kickback parties and movie screenings – throughout the month. The Black cultural center, where students would usually congregate and attend activities, would be full. And the month’s crown jewel would typically be a conference at the college for Black high schoolers in the area. Continue reading...

Events