LD MISCONCEPTIONS. PBS Newshour focused on LDs recently and offered a primer in the issue, noting that kids with LDs drop out of school at a rate 2.5 times their non-LD peers. Listed and explained were five beliefs, including "Learning disabilities usually correspond with a low IQ." Find out how the writers dispel that and other misconceptions. One of the broadcasts in the series focused on LDs and the arts, how the arts can allow students to show strengths and build confidence; find a write-up of the show.
TEACHING KIDS WITH LDs. A Scientific American article notes that lots of private schools will help kids with LDs succeed, but that such opportunities are usually lacking in public schools. The article profiles a Canadian elementary school program called THRIVE where one teacher helps 15 kids that "normal classrooms have left behind, defeated, and, too often, deflated." The article explains how the teacher plays to strengths which may include spatial aptitudes. Read more about techniques that can apply to most 2e kids.
JONATHAN MOONEY. To get a glimpse of how this author and lecturer engages with his audiences, take a look at a piece he wrote for ADDitude Magazine titled "How I Channeled My Energy Into Success." Read how he couldn't sit still, and how, as he says, his advocates saved him. Find the article.
RTI AND 2e. This Wednesday the 28th NAGC offers a webinar on RTI that will cover the use of RTI with gifted and 2e learners. From the NAGC blurb: "RTI identification criteria and gifted students may elude detection solely through classroom achievement measures, RTI approaches need to be adapted for gifted children and supplemented." Find out more.
DYSLEXIC ADVANTAGE NEWSLETTER. At their website, the Drs. Eide offer a chance to sign up for their newsletter. The March edition points to a variety of resources on the topic.
AUTISTIC ADVANTAGE. A man with Asperger's who graduated from college with a 4.0 grade average but whose success in finding a fulfilling job was not good finally founded AutVantage, according to the Jackson, Mississippi, Clarion Ledger, "a startup information technology company focused on employment opportunities for autistic professionals." Read the story. Separately, a study indicates that people with autism "have a greater than normal capacity for processing information even from rapid presentations and are better able to detect information defined as 'critical.'" Read more.
ESSAY CONTEST. Rand McNally is sponsoring an essay contest for kids in grades 7-12 asking them to respond to the question, "What's the one place in the U.S. that truly inspires you?" The contest organizers offer a $10,000 scholarship to winners, so get that gifted writer you know to this site to find out more.