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Showing posts with label WISC IV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WISC IV. Show all posts

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

COLLEGE AND LD: FOLLOWUP. In our last post we noted an article in The New York Times dealing with the issue of what to disclose, if anything, about an LD when applying for college. As it turns out, the Times has made available an admissions expert to answer questions online from readers about applying to college with a learning disability. If that young person you teach or raise is nearing college age and you have specific questions, this could be a great resource. Find it. 
2e PIONEER SUSAN BAUM is presenting a workshop titled "Bright but Challenged: Understanding and Treating the Twice-exceptional Learner." To be held on December 9 in Portland, Maine, the workshop is geared to learning specialists, educational therapists, classroom teachers,  parents and mental health practitioners. Find out more. Susan Baum is on the Editorial Advisory Board of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter.
GDC'S NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER is out. It notes the 100th anniversary of the IQ test and presents an article titled "The WISC-IV Integrated for 2e Learners," with tips for identifying and accommodating 2e kids through WISC-IV results. In addition, the newsletter notes that four GDC speakers will present at the TAGT conference coming up in Austin. Find the newsletter. Separately, Linda Silverman was able to arrange a "conference within a conference" at TAGT on testing the gifted. She says, "Anyone who tests gifted and 2e kids should be there. Find more about TAGT.
GIFTED MYTHS. The Washington Post published five myths about gifted kids, offering commentary on the reality versus the myth. One myth: "Students with learning disabilities cannot be considered gifted or talented." You knew the truth about that, but it's good to see publications like the Post spreading the word. Find the article.
ASD DIAGNOSES DIFFER BY CLINIC. A study has found that clinics vary in how they apply diagnostic criteria for ASDs and in the final diagnosis they come up with. A study author is quoted as saying, "...in those borderlands of autism spectrum disorders, there is a lot of confusion." That means that where one clinic might diagnose a child with autism, another might apply the Asperger's label. Read more.

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

2e STORY. As an 11-year-old, broadcaster and author Nelson Lauver was evaluated by the family doctor, who concluded that Lauver "had limited intelligence and lacked serious motivation," according to an article at PennLive.com. Social promotions kept him going from grade to grade until he graduated at the bottom of his class. At age 29, Lauver discovered that he had dyslexia. He has authored a memoir, Most Unlikely to Succeed, The Trials, Travels and Ultimate Triumphs of a ‘Throwaway’ Kid. Find out more. 
HEARING AND ACADEMICS. An article in THE Journal states, "a growing body of research indicates hearing loss--even a minimal amount--can have a dramatic effect on everything from attention and behavior to academic performance." According to the article, about 20 percent of K-12 students might have some type of hearing difficulties. Read the article.
UNWRAPPING THE GIFTED. Still sharing her experiences from Edufest, Tamara Fisher related four "epiphanies" shared with her by teachers at the conference. One started out this way:
  • Fisher: What did you used to think and believe about gifted students and gifted education? 
  • Teacher: I used to believe that gifted ed starts in 3rd grade and that students who are gifted always do well academically unless they are lazy.
Can you guess where that leads? Find Fisher's blog and the rest of the teacher's insight.  
BRAINWORKS. Carla Crutsinger continues on the topic of handwriting and dysgraphia in a Q&A titled "Is It Laziness or Is It a Handwriting Problem." Got a kid with bad handwriting? Check out the newsletter. (And be sure to read the introductory "dialog" between teacher and pupil.)
FISH OIL AND BRAIN POWER. Thinking about using fish oil (DHA) supplements to improve focus in that 2e kid you know? Check out an article in the Los Angeles Times that covers the claims and the evidence for the effectiveness of the supplement.
AUTISM AND PRONOUNS. Children with autism may refer to themselves as "you," an error reflecting "a disordered neural representation of the self," according to a new study. Brain imaging showed "diminished synchronization" in two brain areas during pronoun use. The error may also be connected with an inability to shift viewpoints. Read about the study.
WISC-IV DISCREPANCIES. A thread at the "Gifted Issues Discussion Forum" at the Davidson Institute website concerns big gaps between processing speed and working memory scores, on the one hand, and perceptual reasoning and verbal comprehension on the other. You might know that such gaps can be markers of twice exceptionality. Find the thread.
AND FINALLY, THIS. A University of Essex study of video gamers indicates that rather than running away from something during play, the gamers are actually trying on new traits or characteristics -- in effect, according to the researchers, "running towards their ideals. They are not escaping to nowhere, they are escaping to somewhere." Read more to understand that gamer in your household.