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Showing posts with label dyscalculia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dyscalculia. Show all posts

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

RITALIN NAY-SAYER. Yesterday's New York Times contained an opinion piece by a psychologist who is down on the use of drugs to help AD/HD. He writes, "...when given to children over long periods of time, they neither improve school achievement nor reduce behavior problems. The drugs can also have serious side effects, including stunting growth. Sadly, few physicians and parents seem to be aware of what we have been learning about the lack of effectiveness of these drugs." He contends that the drugs are only effective for a matter of weeks or months, and disputes certain findings of brain differences based on brain imaging. Find the article. 
UNIVERSITY PROGRAM FOR ASPIES. Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, has established a program to help high-functioning autistics for the "real world." From an article about the program, which also featured a highly intelligent young man: "Mercyhurst's program, which costs about $4,000 a year above tuition, includes social tutoring and the option of not having a roommate, but pushes students toward self-sufficiency. Students, with varying levels of monitoring, become responsible for their own food and medication -- often for the first time -- and must adhere to the same code of conduct as every other student." Read more.
AUTISM DIAGNOSIS. A new study indicates that brainwave patterns can indicate a risk of developing autism as early as six months of age. The study found differences in the waves between at-risk and "typical" children when they were shown pictures of of faces looking at the child... and then away from the child. Read more.
DYSLEXIA DIAGNOSIS. MRI scans can show differences in the brain activity of children at risk for dyslexia even before the children learn to read, according to a study at Children's Hospital Boston. Find out more. Separately, a blogger at the NY Times site responds to a mother's request for apps to help a dyslexic child with reading and math. The blogger suggests a few and readers provide many more. Find the blog.
THE DAVIDSON INSTITUTE eNEWS UPDATE for January is out, featuring information about challenging summer programs, the Google 2012 Global Science Fair for gifted kids 13-18, and more. Read the newsletter. Separately, a thread on the DITD Gifted Issues Discussion Forum begins with a post from a mom worried that her gifted daughter might get an AD/HD diagnosis... and then continues in a discussion of "AD/HD versus gifted" and possible confusion between the two. Find the thread.
THE SHARPBRAINS NEWSLETTER, just out, features an article on dyscalculia and working memory and one on neurofeedback for AD/HD. Go to the newsletter.
AND FINALLY, THIS. As we ready the upcoming issue of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter, featuring in part apps for 2e kids, we received a press release on something that sounds like a sure-fire winner --  a $14.95 app for the iPad called "Inside the World of Dinosaurs." According to the release, it features hundreds of interactive 3D models of dinosaurs, 200 pages of original text, five hours of narration, and dozens of videos, pictures, dinosaur sounds (really?), and descriptions of dinosaur hunters (modern-day, presumably). What we'd guess will be the biggest attraction: "40 fully interactive 3D recreations of dinosaurs in mid-fight," viewable from any angle. What gifted kid will be able to resist? Find the app's website. 

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

A BELATED HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all you dads of twice-exceptional children. You get the chance to spend extra time, effort, money, and loving care on your kids because they're gifted and learning challenged. Go for it!
DYSCALCULIA. A study published last Friday may point to a marker of dyscalculia versus just having a bad time with math. The study was longitudinal, tracking kids from kindergarten through 9th grade. It turns out that a test of estimating the magnitude of numbers showed significantly different results for those in the lowest 10 percent of math achievers. Researchers have also identified a part of the brain that is less active during basic number processing. Read more at Education Week or in Science Daily.
LD ONLINE has an area of the website called "Gifted & LD," which addresses "how teachers and parents of gifted children with LD can implement the itnerventions necessary for the learning disability while still providing opportunities for enrichment." Go there.
BRAINWORKS. Carla Crutsinger's latest newsletter addresses the issue of AD/HD and cyber-addiction in high-ability kids. Read more. 
ASD AND IT. A British study has found that autism diagnoses are more common in geographic regions rich in information technology (and, therefore, information technologists). From an article on the Cambridge University site: "The researchers predicted that autism spectrum conditions (ASC) would be more common in populations enriched for ‘systemizing’, which is the drive to analyse how systems work, and to predict, control and build systems." Read more.
AND FINALLY, THIS. A New York Times book reviewer looked at one book on psychopathy and one titled The Science of Evil. The first offers a self-administered checklist  where you can rate yourself on psychopathic traits; the second offers an Empathy Quotient checklist, where you can rate yourself on the personality dimension the author hypothesizes is absent in those who are evil. Read more.

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

2e ACHIEVER. Trudie Styler is an actress, filmmaker, mom, and partner of "Sting." According to the Huffington Post, Styler also struggled with AD/HD and dyslexia as a child. Like some parents, she got her own "official" labels when her children received them. In the article, read about familiar topics such as being lost at school, unsympathetic teachers, and family difficulties. In the end, of course, her strengths prevailed. Read more.

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY is the latest school to make the news for its efforts to include students with disabilities such as ASD and other cognitive or social/emotional issues. Help includes a four-day camp for high-schoolers to acquaint them with the demands of college and coaching. Read more.

A CANADIAN FRIEND reminds us that Bright Math Camp is gearing up for the summer. It is to be held at Carleton University near Ottawa. Find out more.

DYSCALCULIA. The University College of London has released a paper on dyscalculia, supposedly as prevalent ( 7 percent) as dyslexia. An article in Science Daily provides a primer on the disorder and tips for dealing with it. Find the article.

AUTISM BIOMARKERS. Researchers have found distinctive gene expression patterns in the cerebral cortex of the brains of those with autism. An article in Science Daily quotes the researchers as as saying that the discovery was a common thread, even though individuals may have distinct immediate causes of their conditions. Read more.  

SMART, CREATIVE, AND ENTREPRENEURIAL? Drop out of college. PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has established the Thiel Fellowship, where young people under 20 compete for a $100,000 grant along with mentorship in starting a company. The hitch? They must drop out of school. His goal is not to encourage everyone to drop out, but rather for students to consider their options. Find out more.

AND FINALLY, THIS. The head of an industrial design studio offered a seminar on design to middle-schoolers at the School at Columbia (University). The seminar, "Tools for Schools," became part of the curriculum, involving math, science, etc. Kids worked in teams on particular projects, doing research and coming up with ideas for improving the products they were assigned (the desk, the chair, the locker). The results were impressive, and the head of the School at Columbia stated, "This will transform how these kids think about education." Read why.

WE'RE WAAAY BEHIND. We took a two-week vacation, intending to post while we were gone. But good intentions did not translate to action. We'll post often until we catch up.
MENSA FOR YOUR GIFTED CHILD? USA Today carried an article noting that Mensa has members of all ages, including more than 1300 under the age of 18. One young member was quoted: "I have the coolest group of friends, and that's only grown over the years. I've learned so much. Not the type of academic learning we're used to in school, but learning though conversation, interacting." Find out more. 
BASHING MEDIA USE. A British study indicates that more than two hours a day of TV or computer games may lead to a 60 percent higher risk of psychological problems in children. Concerned about media use in your gifted or 2e child? Read more. Separately, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement on media use. The Academy encourages pediatricians to ask at least two questions related to media use in each patient visit. Read the updated policy statement.
DYSCALCULIA. LD Online has posted information about math-related LDs, including strategies to overcome math difficulties, how the brain processes math-related information, and resources to remediate dyslcalculia. Find the information.
IMPULSIVITY -- CAUSE AND CONTROL. According to Science Daily, a research team has pinpointed the area of the brain that controls impulsive behavior and the mechanisms that affect how impulsive behavior is learned. Furthermore, the team trained rats to control impulsive responses until a signal was presented. The findings may help 2e kids with AD/HD and OCD. Read more.
MENTAL PROBLEMS IN ADOLESCENTS. Anxiety is the most common disorder in adolescents, according to NIMH researchers, followed by behavior disorders, mood disorders, and substance use disorders. Forty percent of those with one disorder had a second, comorbid disorder. Overall, disorders are suffered by about one child in five, 22 percent. Read more. 

2e NETWORK IN LOS ANGELES. A couple of our readers in the Los Angeles area who have twice-exceptional children have, because of their struggle with the area schools to obtain services, formed an email support group called 2e Network, with a Yahoo group called 2e_Network_LA@yahoogroups.com. If you'd like to contact the parents directly, please let us know and we'll forward your email address to them.

VIDEO GAMES AND YOUR CHILD. Here's a recent notice from the American Academy of Pediatrics on the topic: Television viewing has been associated with attention problems in children. A new study, “Television and Video Game Exposure and the Development of Attention Problems,” published in the August print issue of Pediatrics (published online July 5), found a similar effect for video games. Researchers assessed 1,323 children in third, fourth and fifth grades over 13 months, using reports from the parents and children about their video game and television habits, as well as teacher reports of attention problems. Another group of 210 college students provided self-reports of television habits, video game exposure and attention problems. Researchers found children who exceeded the 2 hours per day of screen time recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics were 1.5 to 2 times more likely to be above average in attention problems. Furthermore, early adults showed a similar association, suggesting that early video game exposure may have lasting consequences. Read or download the article... for free! (Thanks, AAP.)

BUT NOT OUR CHILDREN, OF COURSE. The New York Times carried an article about college cheating, and we were surprised not only by the high-tech ways in which students try to cheat but also by the prevalence -- 61 percent of students surveyed admitted cheating on assignments or exams, a figure that made us suddenly feel old-fashioned... or just old. Colleges are fighting back with high-tech methods, although some still prefer "honor." Read the article.

GIFTED PROGRAM TESTING AT 3... That refers to test subjects who three years old, which is what is happening in New York City as parents try to get their children into gifted programs. The item generated some debate, which you can read here.

GIFTED AND MATH CHALLENGED? We stumbled on a site called "The Dyscalculia Forum" where a discussion is in progress about how it feels to be gifted and to have dyscalculia. Find it.

WHAT'S YOUR STAND ON FOOD DYES? One of the partners here at 2e Newsletter forward us an item noting that the Center for Science in the Public Interest recommends banning chemical dyes used as food coloring because of "serious health risks." The news item also mentions the effects on children. In the email containing the link to the item, our partner asked, "Haven’t parents been saying this for a long time?" Yup. Read more.