UK FAMILY "RIDDLED WITH DYSLEXIA." In the Daily Telegraph, Anabel Heseltine, daughter of a prominent businessman and politician with dyslexia, describes how her brother and at least three of her four children are also dyslexic. She describes the appearance of the condition in each her children, how the family has handled the situation, and a little about how the state and schools in the UK handle children with dyslexia. Read more.
AN ARTICLE IN MODERN MOM asks the question, "Should you get your kids 'tested'?" -- as in cases where a three-year-old doesn't sit still. The author provides advice on when to worry and when to act. The author's bias? She thinks "we’ve lost sight of what constitutes a natural diversity between people and the interesting vagaries of small children," noting that the subject three-year-old had intelligent, individualistic parents. Read the article.
NATIONAL PARENTING GIFTED CHILDREN WEEK is July 18-24, reminds SENG and Sally L. Find out more at the SENG website.
CHANGING THE NEGATIVELY MOTIVATED. On July 20th, ASCD and Dr. Judy Willis offer a free webinar titled "How Can I Motivate My Students?" -- especially the ones who don't believe in their own potential. The webinar promises "neuro-logical" strategies to reverse negativity and reverse behavioral problems. Find out more.
A FINAL POST FOR THE WEEK. Do you like to influence which teacher your gifted or 2e child has in school? Or do you leave that up to the school? The alternatives are the subject of a USA Today article, with opinions served up on both sides, including one from the non-intervening mother of a gifted girl. Read the article.
ASPIE IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW. CEC SmartBriefs pointed us to an article describing the arrest of an eight-year-old Aspie girl at school. When the girl allegedly "spit on and inappropriately touched two instructors," school personnel evidently called police, who handcuffed the child and took her to the county juvenile lockup, according to the article. The school's contention: police backup was in the girl's "safety plan." And the parents? They contend lots of things in the half-million-dollar tort claim they filed against the school district. Read about them. NOTE: This is not the first time we've heard of police action against a grade school Aspie. We tend to believe that if teachers and staff had a better understanding of Asperger Syndrome, this type of [editorial, sorry] ridiculous and traumatizing situation could be avoided.
WE WERE WONDERING if the entire week would go by without coming across anything interesting or relevant to pass on about giftedness and twice-exceptionalities, but then an issue of the LD Online Newsletter arrived in our mailbox...
CONSIDERING A SPECIALIST TO EVALUATE FOR LDS? LD Online offers tips for engaging a specialist, questions to ask yourself, and questions to ask the specialist. The article also provides links to other, related articles on the LD Online site. Find this article from 2007.
THE RELUCTANT WRITER is the topic of another article highlighted in the current LD Online Newsletter, this article from 2002. We all know that lots of 2e kids hate writing. The article covers the subskills of writing, approaching it as a process with subtasks such as planning and organizing, writing, proofing, editing, and preparing a final draft. Find the article.
THE STATE OF LEARNING DISABILITIES. Finally, the issue of LD Online Newsletter pointed out that the NCLD has issued "The State of Learning Disabilities 2009" report. According to the newsletter, the report "provides benchmark data on the number of people in the U.S. with LD and how they are faring in schools, universities, and workplaces." Find it.
MORE ITEMS (HOPEFULLY) as the week goes on...