6 | June 2013 www.womanthismonth.com Letters WRITE IN AND WIN This month’s star letter will win a one-of-a-kind gift from Glasshouse Terraniums. To win a 'garden in a bottle' worth BD50, send us your views and opinions on our May 2013 edition either by email to [email protected], by fax to 17 813-700 or by post to PO Box 20461. Changing perceptions I read the story on autism and Mr John Holmes last month. It’s superb! I loved reading it; it gave me so much confidence that autism was finally being taken seriously and that your magazine is spreading the word to bring about awareness in the society. Mr Holmes must be doing a great job at school, but it would be wonderful if we get to read more of his expert opinions and expertise in this regard. Maybe we could ask him questions through your magazine, and get answers from him here. I know quite a few people whose children are autistic but cannot afford an expensive school like the Children’s Academy. They could benefit from his opinion. Fadia H Qureshi, by email. A new place The ‘Yin and Yang’ article inspired me a lot, especially because I’m tired of my room looking exactly as it did three years ago. Unfortunately, I’m not in a situation to afford a whole makeover. But I liked the whole idea of playing with black and white pieces. So I went hunting around the house for some accessories that I could swap with those in my room and, believe it or not, I even got to paint my furniture! I love DIY projects. I made my own photo frames and printed out my favourite pics with the grey tint. I recycled my old black and white clothes in stripes and prints to new coasters, table runners and pillow cases. I also embroidered my initial onto my new cushion covers. It’s shocking how with a little bit of rearrangement my room is as good as new! Yasmine, by email. Now Write Write Here The little things I’m new to Bahrain and I do find it a little difficult to adapt to the laidback lifestyle. Coming from New York, it is hard to deal with a ‘mellow’ city. My friend suggested I go sight-seeing and “discover Bahrain”, like many people tend to say here. Anyway I happened to go through your magazines at a coffee shop near my home and I have to admit it took me by surprise. I wanted to congratulate your team on your great work and I even follow you on Instagram now! I just needed an eye-opener I suppose. As for the May issue, I’d like to say that you got me to do two things: shop for mint jeans and try out the lettuce wraps at Blaze! I love them both. Gabrielle, by email. 8 | May 2013 www.womanthismonth.com Shopping Editor's Choice If you want to add some colour to your wardrobe and bold shades are not in your comfort zone, green mint is just the hue for you. The feminine shade, present in many runways, has a calming and refreshing quality, making it a good pick for your decor items as well. This season, go green! Geox Respira Coach House of Bath Gap Mango SteveMadden Emilio Pucci The Body Shop 38 | May 2013 www.womanthismonth.com www.womanthismonth.com 39 May 2013 | Home Yinand Yang We explore the beauty of opposites this month. Inspired by the ‘black and white’ trend on the runways, WTM adopts the style to home décor. Find your inner minimalist. By Elma Bartholomew There is a certain sense of power that is reflected by the contrasting hues — black and white. Playing with ‘light and dark’ is perhaps the easiest concept one can adopt in respect to decorating a home. It’s simple; it’s clean. An advantage of this everlasting interior style is that there are several ways of incorporating it into our humble abode. The first step is to invest in soft goods like pillows, bedding, tablecloths, throws and rugs. We have our eyes set on the tyre track rug by Smartville for BoConcept. Working with an existing scheme makes things tougher. So grab a bucket of black paint and make a day of refurbishing your dining room. You needn’t overdo the look by coordinating every single item to the colour scheme. Your everyday white crockery will certainly pop in such a setting. The tropical printed set from Zara Home is perfect for the season. Portraying a message on your clothes is in! The trend has extended to home décor as well. Who hasn’t noticed the ‘Ctrl-Alt-Del’ sofa cushions on Two and a Half Men? This trend is great to work with typewriter fonts. A fun take on this is the crockery from @home that helps you categorise your plates and jars based on its purpose. Nothing says ‘ageless’ like black frames with monochrome images. THE One has just the thing for those who can’t get enough of this style. If you’re looking for a new way to stack up your collection of books, it would help to take a look at Roche Bobois’ unique wall units. Zara Home THE One The classic duo We know most of our house-proud readers were waiting for spring and summer to add a splash of colour to their homes. However, not every room needs to look like a rainbow used to live there. The black and white combination is a timeless style that leaves a lot of room for your creativity to be displayed. Those who can accommodate a major revamp ought to have a look at Versace Home’s new wallpaper collection. The Herald print presents luxurious floral scrolls, adding a hint of romance to the ambience of a stylish home. @home Roche Bobois BoConcept Versace www.womanthismonth.com 51 May 2013 | Campaign Changing Perceptions Bahrain has a long way to go when it comes to dealing with autism, but we’re on the road to developing a better understanding of the disorder. Having dedicated the month of April to autism awareness, we decided to speak with special needs and disabilities advocate John Holmes, who teaches at the Children’s Academy in Bahrain. John has a master's degree in autism in children and has worked in education for 15 years. Before moving to Bahrain in mid-2011, he spent years working with special needs children at the Grange School in Bedfordshire. The first thing that we need to learn about autism, John believes, is that it’s a developmental disorder for which there is no known definite cause, and hence, no definite cure. “The sooner parents realise that there are no quick fixes here and come to terms with the condition, the happier and more meaningful lives they can lead with their children,” he explains. The stigma associated with the condition stems mainly from ignorance, but autism is a fascinating and mysterious subject to unravel. John is currently in talks with Bahrain TV for a documentary on autism that will be aired in Bahrain to promote its awareness and education. At the Children’s Academy, the learning imparted to children is aimed at attaining independence, both at home as well as on the streets, so that these kids are self-sufficient. This includes functional skills, such as dressing themselves, as well as basic health and safety training. “Children with autism are capable of academic feats, but many fall behind because they’re not being taught in a way that suits them. These children depend more on their sight and touch for learning, so the linguistic part should be simplified in the teaching process,” notes John. The learning programme in his classroom is highly structured; using picture schedules and other visual clues to enable a child to feel safe in his space and work comfortably. John’s philosophy involves an acceptance of these children for what they are, simply because they don’t have a choice about their condition. “Parents and care givers shouldn’t try to change them for it’s their essential right to be who they are. As long as they don’t harm themselves or anyone around, they should have the freedom to do what they want the way they want to,” he advises. With the incidence of autism going up (one in 80 children have autism worldwide) in recent years, the government should map its autism demographic as well as lay the framework in managing this condition. Schools in Bahrain presently cater to children between six and 16, but there is a void afterwards. “The UK has an annual review system to chart the process of special needs children as well as colleges of special education, where trained young autistic adults can attain work experience. It’s time for Bahrain to devise a plan to predict its future needs in this direction,” says John. By Simi Kamboj John Holmes STAR LETTER
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