Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
My name is Lila Kossyvaki and I'm from Athens, Greece. I've just finished my PhD in autism
where I researched the impact of adult interactive style on the spontaneous communication of
children with autism at school.
I worked for a year in a research centre at the University of Athens, where we were developing
and implementing educational interventions for children with autism and other special
needs at home and in school.
The University of Birmingham and more specifically the Autism Centre for Education and Research
(ACER) are renowned in Greece. The academics working here are well known and the 'name'
which attracted me here was Professor Rita Jordan. I had also heard from a number of
alumni that they were very satisfied with the quality of studies within ACER and the
Special Needs Department at the School of Education.
What did I like the most?.... I really liked working here and that's the reason I stayed
at the University of Birmingham. I like the way the University operates; the library (e-library
and library books). There is a huge range of resources. The academics are very down
to earth people; you can talk to them and they are always there to support you. What
I found difficult was...the weather; I struggled with that the most. However, every decision
has pros and cons and being in a very pleasant working environment, doing what you've always
dreamt of and having your work acknowledged and respected I think is more important than
good weather.
The campus is very beautiful and it's not just me who thinks this, many friends of mine,
both Greeks and non-Greeks who came to visit me, are of the same opinion. It's very beautiful,
secluded within the city of Birmingham, green and you can find everything here (e.g. restaurants,
supermarkets and coffee shops). Birmingham is a big city with all the advantages and
disadvantages of a big city. Birmingham is a multi-cultural city where you can find almost
everything (e.g. e.g. restaurants from many different countries, religious places, international
shops).
To be honest when I first came to England, I thought I would find more similarities with
the Greek way of living than I actually found. The English lifestyle is quite different to
the Greek one and you have to adapt to a quite different culture. The English we learn at
school in Greece and through private tutorials is quite different to spoken English in the
UK and Birmingham (i.e. it's more formal/written English) so watching English television programmes
before moving to England might prepare you better in terms of the language.
I have already secured a post at the University as a Research Fellow. In the project I am
involved in, we introduce technologies into schools and try to make it work for children
with autism. We also want to explore how children with autism learn, and, in the long run help
them do so in an easier way.