FROM WRIGHTSLAW this week -- more on IEPs for parents. The feature article in Special Ed Advocate is called "Play Hearts, Not Poker," in which the author suggests that a "hearts" card strategy is more productive than a poker strategy when it comes to participating in IEP meetings. The article also contains eight tips for better IEP meetings. Read the article.
EDUCATORS' RESOURCE. Teacher Magazine offers an online resource, the Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook: Different Students, Different Approaches. Included in the sourcebook is an interview with Carol Ann Tomlinson on differentiated instruction, a topic always of interest to those who raise and teach gifted and/or LD children; an article on curriculum compacting, which allows advanced students to learn at their own level; and another article on making reading assignments as enriching as possible to all levels of students. Find it.
THE WISDOM OF CROWDS. Edutopia magazine's question for readers for the next issue is: What is the most critical skill students should master to succeed? Got an opinion? Send a 25- to 100-word response to sage@edutopia.org by October 17th. Want to see previous questions and reader responses? Go here. See the current issue here.
GET RID OF THAT OPPOSITION-DEFIANT DISORDER KID. Parents in Nebraska are using a new "safe haven" state law to abandon older children at hospitals. According to the New York Times, the family situations include unmanageable children with behavior problems but also at least one case in which a single father gave up nine of his 10 children, saying he could no longer cope. Nebraska's safe haven law protects not just infants, but children up to 19. Read the article.
AD/HD THEATER. Minneapolis' Mixed Blood Theater is currently showing "Distracted," a play centered around AD/HD in a family. Here's what the theater says about the play: "This controversial comedy (bombarded by video and sound) asks whether genetics, living in a world of sensory overload, vaccinations, diet, and the environment, cause or contribute to ADD and ADHD. Are kids too readily diagnosed and overly medicated? And is it OK to laugh when discussing one of society’s greatest present-day barriers?" Read an article about the play or go to the theater's home page. If you live in the Minneapolis area, note that the play runs through October 19.
WISC WEBINAR. The organization Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) is organizing a webinar for parents, educators, and health professionals titled "Interpretation of the WISC-IV: What Every Parent of a Gifted Child Should Know." The presenter is Paul Beljan, a highly credentialed child neuropsychologist who frequently speaks at conferences such as NAGC's and has contributed to 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter. The 90-minute event takes place at 7 pm Eastern Standard Time on Saturday, October 18th. The fee is $40. Go here for registration (but no information). Find out more from SENG by emailing office@sengifted.org or calling 845.797.5054.
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