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From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

BRIDGES ACADEMY PROFILE. Those interested in the concept and reality of a school for twice-exceptional kids may enjoy an article in the Studio City (California) Patch about Bridges Academy. We've profiled Bridges in 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter, but readers can find the history and current information about Bridges in the Patch.com article.
THE LANG SCHOOL in New York City is hosting an open house on April 6th to let prospective families learn about their program for twice-exceptional children. Find out more, and read Lang School founder Micaela Bracamonte's excellent article called "Twice-exceptional Students: What Are They and What Do They Need?" at the 2e Newsletter website.
FOOD COLORINGS FOLLOWUP. Following Monday's announcement of the upcoming FDA reassessment of the effect of food colorings on children, other media outlets have weighed in, one being The New York Times; read what the Times has to say. (Note: the Times has changed its access policy; supposedly you still have free access to articles referred to in blogs like this one. Let us know if not.)
2e GOV -- That's Dannel Malloy, governor of Connecticut. He spoke recently at a school for children with language-based problems like those he grew up with. Read more about his challenges and achievements.
SENG RESOURCES. In its latest newsletter, SENG has published a couple article that might be of interest to parents and educators of twice-exceptional children. One is titled "Getting Over Overexcitabilities," by Debbie Michels and Teresa Rowlinson; the other is an interview with Christine Foneseca titled "Social and Emotional and Other Needs of Gifted Children." The SENG site offers a variety of resources; go there.
TV SERIES ON AUTISM. Robert McNeill will host a PBS NEWSHOUR series on autism. McNeill is the grandfather of a 6YO boy with autism. The series begins on April 18. Find out more.
DOCTORS FOR TEENS. There are only about 650 physicians in the U.S. certified in adolescent medicine, but if you're thinking of one for your gifted or 2e teen, read an article in the Wall Street Journal on the topic.
AND FINALLY, THIS. If the issue of vaccines and autism is still on your mind, read a scary excerpt from a new book on the topic; the book is called The Panic Virus.

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

THE AAP, KIDS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA.  Recognizing the increasing importance of all types of media in their young patients’ lives, pediatricians often hear from parents who are concerned about their children’s engagement with social media. To help address the many effects—both positive and negative—that social media use has on youth and families, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a new clinical report, “The Impact of Social Media Use on Children, Adolescents and Families” in the April issue of Pediatrics (published online today, March 28). The report offers background on the latest research in this area, and recommendations on how pediatricians, parents, and kids can successfully navigate this mode of communication. Find the report. 

FOOD DYES AND AD/HD. Whether artificial food dyes may trigger hyperactive behavior in kids with a predisposition may get a look from the US Food and Drug Administration. The Center for Science in the Public Interest has petitioned to have certain food colorings banned from foods. Is hyperactivity a problem in that gifted kid you raise or teach? Find out more about the issue. 

TREAT KIDS AS IF THEY'RE SMART is the premise of a North Carolina program for at-risk students. At the beginning of the study, no third-graders in the program had been identified as gifted. But when 5,000 K-12 students were taught and treated as if they were gifted (by specially trained teachers), it turned out that by third grade 15 to 20 percent were evaluated as gifted. Seems to us that this study is not only a validation for training teachers in gifted education techniques, but also (perhaps) for playing on strengths. Read more.

VISUALIZING HOW WE READ is the title of a new article at the Dana Foundation site. The article describes what imaging tools can tell about the way the brain works as it processes letters and language sounds. The article notes differences among dyslexics in terms of brain structure and the probability of reading improvement, and calls for more research on "how neuroscience can inform education." Find the article.

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

SURVEY OF MOMS OF GIFTED KIDS. A researcher (and member of the 2e community) is conducting a survey investigating the thoughts and feelings of mothers of gifted and twice-exceptional children (dads excluded). You may find out more and take the survey at SurveyMonkey.
AD/HD AND ATOMOXETINE. If you have a gifted kid with AD/HD, the choice of drug (or not to drug) is always a central part of dealing with the situation. According to Modern Medicine, the drug atomoxetine (Strattera) "is generally well tolerated and reduces core ADHD symptoms, but it fails to translate to overall clinical and functional improvement." Read more. 
INGENIOSUS. This gifted resource site contains a blog, resource listings, and archives of #gtchat, a weekly Twitter gathering on a particular topic. The site also mentions resources for twice-exceptional kids, such as 2e Newsletter and our (this) blog. Find the site. 
NOT MUCH NEWS -- that's it for today and this week. Have a good weekend!

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

EDUCATION WEEK is offering two free online chats tomorrow, Thursday the 24th. One is on Response to Intervention; the other is on using digital tools to personalize learning for student strengths and weaknesses. Find out more or sign up for a reminder at the respective links.
DO THE JAVITS JUMP. CEC points out that some members of congress are campaigning to save Javits funding for gifted education, in the tug of war that seems to take place periodically (we'd swear this seems to happen monthly). Find out more about what's going on and how you can act at the CEC site.
GIFTED LISTSERV. A Mensa listserv is the home of many discussions by parents (mostly mothers) of gifted kids on various aspects of giftedness, and occasionally on twice-exceptionalities. Recent topics: success stories in public schools; a request for advice on challenge and enrichment for a second-grader; reflections by the participants on challenges growing up at the extreme end of the bell curve; gifted preschoolers; summer camp; and what to do with a DS10 who won't stop talking. The site is public but registration is required; it is moderated. Find out more and subscribe.
DIVERSE LEARNERS. More than 90 percent of all middle and high school teachers surveyed in the new MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Preparing Students for College and Careers say that strengthening programs and resources to help diverse learners with the highest needs meet college- and career-ready standards should be a priority in education. Among that group, 59 percent say helping diverse learners "must be done as one of the highest priorities in education." Find the report "Teaching Diverse Learners" at the MetLife site.
WORKING MEMORY: THREE LAYERS. If your gifted but disorganized child has you paying attention to articles on executive function and working memory, check out a write-up on a recent study of working memory -- its three components and their functions.
AND FINALLY, THIS. A study in Australia shows that lots of relatively young kids (95 percent of those 7-10 in the study)  use social media, and that many of them feel there isn't much risk in social networking; this in spite of the fact that "the majority of surveyed students (72.4 per cent) indicated they had received unwelcome or unpleasant contact by strangers via their social networking profile," according to a report on the study. Find out more, and why do kids always do stuff that worries their parents!? 

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

ASPIE PRODIGY. There's a great article in the Indianapolis Star about a 12-year-old boy with Asperger's who:

  • Is the go-to guy for college classmates who need assistance in his calculus-based physics class at the Indiana/Purdue University campus in Indianapolis
  • Was knowledgeable about astronomy at age 3
  • Is working on his own theory of how the universe came about. 
His parents became worried when he started displaying ASD symptoms at age 2; but with a diagnosis of Asperger's, says the article, "Jake's parents decided to pay closer attention to the things their first-born son was doing -- rather than the things he was not." Read the article.Our compliments to the parents.

JACK KENT COOKE SCHOLARSHIPS. According to Northwestern University, a little over a month left for family to apply for The Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars program. Applications are due on April 25. Applicants must be in 7th grade, have high academics(A's and B's/ 3.65 on a 4.0 scale), and have unmet financial need (low-moderate income). Find out more at www.jkcf.org.
NEUROEDUCATION RESOURCE. If you're interested in the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and learning, the Dana Foundation now features neuroeducation in a section of its site. Find it.
BRAIN CHANGES IN NEW MOTHERS. A Yale study shows that mothers' brains grow slightly during the three months after the birth of a child. At least three areas of the brain are affected. Find out more.

AND FINALLY, THIS. In light of the fact that vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for children 4 and older, the American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its safety guidelines for children in cars. AAP now recommends that toddlers sit in rear-facing car seats until 2, or until they max out in terms of height and weight for the seat. A second recommendation, and one that will be more of a challenge for parents to implement, is that children should be seated in a booster seat until they are 4 feet nine inches tall and between 8 and 12 years old. Furthermore, children should ride in the back seat until they are 13, says the AAP. Read more.

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

MORE ON DIET AND AD/HD. We recently posted on a newly published study of the effect of restrictive dieting in ameliorating symptoms of AD/HD in children. A follow-up article in the Los Angeles Times solicits feedback on that study from a variety of professionals. Read the article.
DYSLEXIC SUCCESS STORY. The Ocean City, New Jersey, Shore News Today profiled a young woman's success with the "Wilson Program" for reading, a program used in the Ocean City schools. The girl has gone from being unable to read in third grade to being an honors student as she leaves middle school. The girl and her mother have become advocates for reading remediation. Find the article, which also explains the origins of the Wilson Program.
VIRTUAL SCHOOLS FOR GIFTED STUDENTS is the topic of an article in Education Week. The article describes various university-sponsored programs for high-achieving K-12 students. The programs aid in enrichment, build community among the online learners, and take a burden off teachers in brick-and-mortar schools who would otherwise have to spend time challenging and differentiating for the gifted learners. Read the article.
AD/HD AND CREATIVITY. A new study shows that young adults with AD/HD exhibit more creativity than typical young adults. Find out more about the study.
RTI: MORE RESEARCH NEEDED? Education Week examines the background and application of Response to Intervention, and asks whether more research is necessary to tell when and where to use it well. If you're into the topic, check out the article. 

AND FINALLY, THIS. The US Federal Government is moving to combat bullying in school, but a young Australian victim took matters into  his own hands (or arms) after he was repeatedly struck in the face by a smaller but agressive boy. Recorded by a bystander, presumably on a cell phone, a video of the incident has, as they say, gone viral. (We offer this without judgment on the propriety of the victim's actions.) Find the video.

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

THERAPY ANIMALS AND CHILDREN. An article in The New York Times covers the use of therapy animals for a variety of conditions, including autism (animals can cause a drop in stress hormone in their human companions) and AD/HD (animals can help a child learn to behave more calmly). While debunking the use of dolphins ("no evidence of benefit and considerable risk of harm to the animals and to the children"), the article lists a variety of ongoing studies of the effectiveness of therapy animals with children and adolescents. Find the article.
OWNERSHIP OF EDUCATION. A recent article described what happens when students can "own" their education by designing it and actively participating in its administration.  Eight Massachusetts high schoolers -- some in danger of dropping out, some honors students -- designed and ran their own "school within a school" and accomplished "transformative" results. Read more.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY might as well just be called "educational technology" because it may benefit all students, not just those with special needs, according to an article in Education Week. One expert positions the use of such technology as part of universal design for learning. Find out more.
SNOPES FOR THE AUTISM COMMUNITY. That's how the blog "The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism" bills themselves. The blog solicits and publishes essays on a variety of autism-related topics. Find the blog. 
ACUPUNCTURE FOR KIDS. It turns out that quite a few children are being treated with acupuncture these days, for conditions such as pain, nausea, migraine, and anxiety.  Find out more.
MISCELLANY that might be of interest: If your bright child plays a musical wind instrument, check here to find out what you should know about bacteria, mold, and fungi. Or, find out how 80 percent of kids under 5 use the Internet regularly. Lastly, if that young adult gifted offspring is a boomerang kid, find out how your assistance might not be bad.
AND FINALLY, THIS. We've updated some areas of the 2e Newsletter website, as well as posting items from the March/April issue. More on what's new here.

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

NITE NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY. The National Institute for Twice Exceptionality is surveying professionals about current intervention systems, and beliefs about, twice-exceptional students. "Professionals" include educators, counselors, and psychologists. If you fit the label, we urge you to help out our friends at NITE. NITE says the survey takes about 10 minutes. Find out about and take the survey. 

AD/HD AND DIET. Some parents of kids with AD/HD will tell you that diet "for sure" plays a part in their children's symptoms -- and a recent study may bear them out. The study indicates that a restrictive diet can significantly reduce AD/HD-related symptoms. In fact, one of the researchers told NPR, "AD/HD, it's just a couple of symptoms -- it's not a disease." Could be an understatement, but read more at the NPR site.
GIFTED AND SENSORY-SENSITIVE? And 18 or over? A PhD candidate in Australia invites you to participate in a survey investigating relationships between sensory-processing sensitivity, personality, and cognitive reasoning. She invites you to participate yourself or to share the survey with others you know who might be interested in furthering psychological research. Find out more about the survey at the survey site.
DYSLEXIA DIARY. A mom with a gifted and dyslexic daughter has started blogging the effect of the exceptionalities on life in her household. In a similar situation? Find the blog.
SLEEP PROBLEMS. The National Sleep Foundation has issued the results of a poll studying people's sleep habits -- whether they get good sleep, and what they might be doing to interfere with sleep. The study applies to a a number of age bands between 13 and 64, O Gifted One, so you might find information useful to both you and to that twice-exceptional child you raise or teach. For example: the study indicates that most of us spend time with electronics in the hour before bed, but also points out that "Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night suppresses release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness and shifts circadian rhythms to a later hour -- making it more difficult to fall asleep" -- which was news to us. Find out more.

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR AD/HD, LD STUDENTS. ADDitude has published a list of scholarships for kids with AD/HD and other LDs. Find out more.
PEER PRESSURE, ADOLESCENCE, AND THE BRAIN. In a study of young people from ages 10 to 13, researchers found that development of a specific area of the brain helps adolescents resist risky behavior and peer pressure. The brain area, the ventral striatum, is associated with reward processing. Read more. 
BABY MEDIA may not work, says HealthDay, reporting on recent research. Babies apparently learn words from their parents, but not from the screen because they are unable to connect what's going on on-screen with real life. Read the article, and be happy with the amount of genius your baby already displays. 
TOURETTE'S, ASPERGER'S, AMERICAN IDOL. A talented contestant on "American Idol" has Asperger's and Tourette's, according to an article in USA Today. The article relates the contestant's feelings about his situation, and also briefly profiles two other young people with Tourette's. Find the article.
THE PRES ON BULLYING. At a conference on bullying, President Obama spoke of his own experience as the target (as a kid, not as President), according to the Associated Press. "With big ears and the name that I have, I wasn't immune," said the President, throwing his support behind the anti-bullying movement. Read more.
AND FINALLY, THIS. A Zits cartoon from this week highlights how applying for college is different than it used to be. Find it, and maybe be glad you're not 18 again.

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

THE GT LABEL is the subject of continuing debate in Montgomery County, Maryland. According to an article at the Maryland Gazette.Net, "critics say the Gifted and Talented, or GT, label is damaging students because it ends up dividing them along racial lines and makes those who don't get identified as Gifted and Talented — typically about 60 percent of students — feel inferior. They also argue that what constitutes Gifted and Talented curriculum in Montgomery County Public Schools, such as critical reading skills and research projects, should be taught to all students." Read more about the controversy.
SOCIAL SKILLS IN AUTISM. A Scientific American article covers "how social intuition goes awry in individuals who have autism," touching on typical development of social behaviors and hypothesizing on the link with a certain cerebral structure (Con Economo spindle neurons) which shows disruption in autistic individuals. Find the article.
NASA'S INSPIRE program is accepting applications for the program through June 30. The selected students and their parents will participate in an online learning community with opportunities to interact with peers, NASA engineers and scientists. The online community also provides appropriate grade level educational activities, discussion boards, and chat rooms for participants to gain exposure to careers and opportunities available at NASA. Visit the NASA site for more information.
ON TEACHERS, THEIR BURDENS, AND THEIR REWARDS. Teachers, whether of the gifted or not, have come under lots of fire lately as states try to balance budgets. We offer pointers to several recent articles that might provide perspective to those interested in the issue. One is a New York Times article titled "Teachers Wonder, Why the Heapings of Scorn." Interesting reading after that is reader reaction to the Times article. And an article in The New Republic gives some international perspective on the issue of teacher pay and reward.
RESEARCHERS HONORED. Two researchers who devoted their careers to child development and mental health have been honored by the Child Mind Institute. Dr. Judith Rappaport did some of the earliest research on AD/HD, OCD, and child-onset schizophrenia. Dr. Jerome Kagan was a developmental psychologist; we've pointed to some of his articles from this blog. Read more at Medscape.com.
DIRECT LINE TO THE WHITE HOUSE -- at least, for education. We found out about this resource from a Mensa listserv. At a White House site, parents, teachers, and students have the opportunity to opine on education -- what's working and what needs change. It looks as though the topic is education for this week only, so if you'd like to share your opinions, do it quickly. Find the site and sound off about gifted education and  education for the twice-exceptional!
GOT A LEFT-HANDED KID?  You might be interested in an article on the topic that covers historical background (how it's been viewed in past times), the role of the brain (it's less asymetrical), and the fact that a high percentage of achievers seem to be left-handed -- including seven presidents as well as some dynamite baseball pitchers. Find the article.
NUTRITION. The American Pediatrics Association is using the book The Hungry Caterpillar in a campaign for healthy eating. Read more about how the book provides "teachable moments." Separately, eating apples -- or the antioxidants contained in them -- apparently extends the life of test animals by 10 percent. So there's evidently truth in that old saw. Read more.
AND FINALLY, THIS. Do you, O Parent of a Twice-Exceptional Child, complain about the property taxes used to fund education in your community? Then read an article that almost made us feel good about the amount of tax we pay, an article about a community where property taxes approach the level of the median annual US  household income.

FIRST AID FOR ANXIETY ATTACKS is the headline on a RedOrbit piece today. The piece mentions:
  • The fact that at any given time around 13 percent of Americans may have a type of anxiety disorder
  • An organization called Mental Health First Aid, which we had not heard of, that provides a 12-hour certification enabling non-professionals to respond to several mental health issues, including depression, anxiety disorders, psychosis, and substance abuse disorder, before professional help is involved.
The MHFA program originated in Australia but has been exported to other countries. Find out more information about it at the organization's website.
ATTENTION RESEARCH UPDATE. The February issue of this e-newsletter has been posted, and in it David Rabiner reviews a study of children's perspectives on living with AD/HD. Among the interesting conclusions in the study was one that indicated the youngsters with AD/HD may feel better about their quality of life than their parents perceive them as having. In addition, very few (23 percent) of the subjects regard AD/HD as an illness. Find out more.
AAEGT ANNUAL CONFERENCE. The 14th Australian National Conference on Giftedness and Talent is scheduled to be held in Adelaide, South Australia from July 12th to 15th, 2012. The theme of the conference is "Equity and Excellence for All." The event is sponsored by the Australian Association for the Education of Gifted and Talented (AAEGT) whose website is here. 
MINNESOTA GT FORUM. The third annual Hormel Foundation Gifted and Talented Education Symposium, scheduled from June 12-16, is billed as "an opportunity for educators, counselors, administrators and parents to gain greater understanding of the unique needs of gifted and high potential learners." Held in Austin, Minnesota, the event features an opening night reception at the SPAM Museum. Presenters include several familiar to readers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter, and some of the sessions deal with twice-exceptional topics. Session descriptions are posted at the conference site.
JAY MATHEWS offered an interesting column in Sunday's Washington Post about a family in which the parents did not let the kids know their SATs, and who pointedly did not pressure the kids achievement-wise. Oh, and while the kids evidently have LDs such as AD/HD, all three seem to be thriving. Mathews brings up the family's situation as a counterpoint to "Race to Nowhere," the movie about pressure and achievement we mentioned in this blog a bit ago. Find the column.
AND FINALLY, THIS -- ON HAPPINESS. We read about a Gallup poll that tries to measure the components of a high-quality, happy life. Gallup has identified certain traits that seem to be associated with happiness, and The New York Times asked Gallup to do a composite of "the happiest person in America." According to the polling company, "he’s a tall, Asian-American, observant Jew who is at least 65 and married, has children, lives in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a household income of more than $120,000 a year." Right, we thought; good luck finding that person. Well, The New York Times did -- except maybe for the tall part -- and he evidently is really happy. Read more.
 

SMOKING, TEENS, AND RISK. Yes, smoking apparently makes teens even more reckless than they already are by inhibiting activity in the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain supposedly responsible for rational decision-making. If  your bright young person smokes -- or if you want ammunition to discourage that habit -- find out more.
SCHOOL FOR ASPIES. Next fall, the Temple Grandin School will open in Lafayette, Colorado, to serve students in grades 6-12 who have Asperger syndrome and similar learning challenges. One of the school's co-founders, a special ed teacher with a teen son who has Asperger's, says "There's a whole lot of potential in these kids that is destined to be unrealized in a traditional school setting." This according to an article on the school.  
SECOND LIFE AND LEARNING DISABILITIES. Two universities plan to construct a virtual classroom in Second Life, an online "world," in which students with disabilities would be mentored. Interaction would be via avatars. The classroom is expected to open in the fall and to help high-schoolers, college undergraduates, and even graduate students who have a variety of learning challenges. Read more. 
TECHNOLOGY FROM APPLE. On a similar topic, Apple is reported to be developing technology that would make it possible for content to be delivered to learners in a way appropriate for the learner's particular challenge -- eg, by providing larger font sizes for visually impaired students or by converting text to speech. Find out more and about the patent application Apple has filed at Apple Insider. 
THE GIFTED DEVELOPMENT CENTER, in Denver, Colorado, has distributed the first in what we assume will be a series of e-newsletters for the gifted community. Find the newsletter; and find GDC's Facebook page. 
2e DOWN UNDER. The New South Wales Association for Gifted and Talented Children has scheduled a 2e Forum for May 14, in Strathfield. It's positioned as "an opportunity for parents, educators, and other professionals supporting 2e children to engage in a day of learning, discussion, sharing, and planning." Find more information. (Thanks to Gifted Resources' Jo Freitag for pointing us to this event, and also for mentioning our 2e Newsletter Network on Ning. Haven't been there yet? Go here to register (free).)
AND FINALLY, THIS. Oxford Learning Systems, a UK firm selling a reading program for those with reading issues, says of their instrument, "We are very disappointed if a child does not ask to do more Easyread after the trial lesson. We aim to make it fun and laugh-out-loud entertaining. Then we add in the prizes to carry them along." What kind of prizes? Evidently one of those is a "fart machine" to engage learners. This from a press release on the product. Find out about the product. Find out more about bringing fun to phonics. Read a testimonial about it. And have a good weekend.

IN THE OSCARS TELECAST last weekend, those watching saw one winner with a wider range of gifts and talents than most, a one-time semi-finalist in the Intel Science Talent Search. Read more about Natalie Portman and her straight-A average.
CHILDHOOD MENTAL ILLNESS. On March 1st, the Chicago Tribune hosted an online chat on the topic, featuring a couple noted practitioners in the field. The pair fielded questions from their audience, addressing topics that included AD/HD and PDD-NOS. The chat is available online. 
PRESSURED AND LOSING SPIRIT. At the Huffington Post, a Harvard grad who for years interviewed applicants to the school offers stories of those interviews illustrating the pressure and even self-deceit that some of the high-achieving applicants showed. The author, a family therapist, writes about rote responses, activities chosen only for how they'd look on a transcript, and kids whose spirits were beaten out of them at the same time they (and their parents and educators) packaged them for success. The advice offered at the end of the article -- don't frighten them; encourage a natural sense of wonder; and more -- applies to that gifted (and LD) child you raise or teach. Find the article. 
CONTINUING ON THAT HAPPY THEME, a reader jerked our chain by asking if we know about the film "Race to Nowhere." One of the partners at 2e Newsletter did; the other evidently spends too much time writing these blogs. From the film's website: "Featuring the heartbreaking stories of young people across the country who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, "Race to Nowhere" points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace, students have become disengaged, stress-related illness, depression and burnout are rampant, and young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired." Sounds like a film to see. Thanks, Catherine, for the email. (Catherine said in her email, "I had the opportunity to see a screening of it last weekend, and it was very informative and thought-provoking.")
RTI ENTHUSIAST? An Education Week article covers how RTI, which began as a way to help struggling learners, is being applied for all students. Find the article. 
AD/HD AND SLEEP. Losing even an hour of sleep a night affects AD/HD kids poorly, according to a study reported at Nurse.com. Find out more.
iPAD TECHNOLOGY FOR AUTISM. The Chicago-area Daily Herald ran an article on applications that can help not only young people with autism but also those with other learning challenges.  Among the challenges addressed by iPad apps: the need for structure; communication skills; and social skills. Read the article.  
SENG WEBINAR ON MARCH 24TH. "You Can't Make Me Do It," on the topic of encouraging "motivation from the inside," is to be presented by Cheryl Franklin-Rohr. The event starts at 7:30 pm Eastern time and costs $40. Find more information.
GOT THOSE DUE-PROCESS BLUES? Check out tips and advice from Wrightslaw in Special Ed Advocate. 
AND FINALLY, THIS. Dr. Seuss' birthday is today, March 2nd; he would be 107. According to The Baltimore Sun, his 60+ books sold over 222 million copies, even more than a good issue of 2e Newsletter. So today remember your favorite Seuss book or stanza, 'coz they entertained adults and kids alike. Read more.