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Showing posts with label social needs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social needs. Show all posts

From the Publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter

ONLINE SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED. Stanford University is about to rename its online high school for gifted youth, calling it the Stanford Online  Highschool. Five years old, the school has graduated 75, most of whom have gone directly to four-year colleges. Find out more about this and other online schools.
DOCUMENTARY ON ASPERGER'S. A video professional whose son "enjoys engineering and physics and studies Japanese for fun" but who has “zero friends” has created a documentary to fill a gap in resources for parents in similar situations. According to an article in the San Antonio Express-News, "the 68-minute documentary is aimed at families grappling with the realization that their child may take a different path in life than what they'd hoped for and dreamed of." Read more.
RESOURCE FOR CLINICIANS. The Centers for Disease Control have released "Autism Case Training (ACT): A Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Curriculum" to help future healthcare providers identify, diagnose, and manage ASD. The curriculum is PDF based but includes videos. Find out more.
RESOURCE FOR EDUCATORS. Edutopia has assembled a free PDF guide on the topic of brain-based learning to help K-12 educators learn more about the field. Find it.
GIFTED DEVELOPMENT CENTER. If you're a fan of this non-profit organization, be advised that GDC is soliciting donations to upgrade its computer systems, among other needs. Find more about this and other news from the GDC in the Thanksgiving edition of their newsletter.
THE DAVIDSON INSTITUTE, in its November eNews-Update, shares information about the recently honored 2011 Davidson Fellows, each awarded scholarships ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. (Remember: this and all the other contributions that DITD makes stem from the generosity of two people, Jan and Bob Davidson.) Also in the newsletter: pointers to a variety of gifted-related news and resources. Read the newsletter.
GIFTED EDUCATION PRESS QUARTERLY. Maurice Fisher has distributed the winter edition of his newsletter, which marks 25 years of publication. Among the articles: one on how Steve Jobs' ideas can be applied to gifted education. Find the newsletter.
MATH ANXIETY can be overcome, according to researchers at the University of Chicago. The trick: controlling emotions prior to doing math. Find out more. 
EXCLUSION, BULLYING, FRIENDSHIP, AND STRESS. Having friends can ameliorate the effects of exclusion or bullying, according to the results of a new study of fourth-graders. The researchers measured the level of the hormone cortisol in kids who suffered exclusion or bullying. Read more.
TWITTER AS A RESOURCE. Two items came to our attention today that promoted Twitter as a way to connect with people of similar interests -- specifically, in the areas of education or giftedness. On the Education Week site, Peter DeWitt reveals how he became hooked on Twitter for exploring elementary education resources and connections. Secondly, Joel McIntosh, head of Prufrock Press and someone whose judgement we respect, emailed about the use of Twitter at conferences, and invited attendees at next week's Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented conference to sit in on a session on using social media to connect with gifted ed supporters; find his email.
AND FINALLY, THIS. Happy Thanksgiving (Thursday) to our friends and subscribers in the United States. For those of you outside the U.S. -- take a minute to reflect on what you have to be thankful for as well; eating turkey to go along with your thanks is optional.

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.

AD/HD AND SOCIETY. Is AD/HD a metaphor for our culture-- the distractions, multiple demands on attention, sound-byte society? An M.D. writing in The New York Times assures us that it is not -- and then goes on to succinctly summarize what's known about AD/HD's causes and history. Read the article.
GIFTED WITH NON-VERBAL LEARNING DISORDER. NJ.com tells the story of a young, gifted boy who "Before the age of 1... could hum Brahms’ lullaby and the theme from Jeopardy. At 2, he could name the U.S. presidents in order and recognize their faces." But as he grew older, he struggled with a variety of problems -- struggling with motor tasks, and difficulty in play with other children, for example. The article goes on to explain that the boy was diagnosed with NLD, and provides an interesting primer on the topic. Read it. 
HIGHLY GIFTED IN MINNESOTA -- and getting services to dispel boredom. The state initiated funding for gifted education in 2005, and schools across the state are setting up programs for gifted elementary students. (The article quotes Wendy Behrens, a recent contributor to 2e Newsletter.) Find the article and see what Minnesota is doing.
STARTING A PARENT GROUP to support gifted children is the topic of a new publication from NAGC and Prufrock Press. You may download the guide at the NAGC site. NAGC has also launched a Career Center to help teachers find job opportunities in gifted ed. Find out more.
MEDS FOR ASPIES. A clinical trial is underway with a medication that  might improve social functioning for those with autism spectrum disorder. The medication, D-Cycloserine, was originally used to treat TB, and seems to resolve social deficits in a particular strain of anti-social mice. Read more. 

EDUCATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE. A SharpBrains.com blog posting notes that teacher ed programs are now being encouraged to include neuroscience relating to child and adolescent development. The blogger then lists 24 books for educators and for general readers. Find the list.
ATTENTION RESEARCH UPDATE. In November's edition of this e-newsletter, David Rabiner examines a study in which parents were enlisted as "friendship coaches" for their AD/HD offspring in the hopes of helping the children achieve greater social success. The study indicated that parent friendship coaching helped kids with AD/HD in their social skills and peer relations, although not to a "normal" -- non-AD/HD -- level. Read Rabiner's newsletter.
WRIGHTSLAW. A late November edition of Special Ed Advocate noted the 35th anniversary of IDEA and provided a history of the legislation. Find Special Ed Advocate.
EDUCATION WEEK CALENDAR. The bastion of education-related news Education Week encourages organizations to share upcoming events with them for possible inclusion in a variety of calendars appearing in Education Week, Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook, and edweek.org. The deadlilne for submissions is December 15. Find out more.

October 28, 2009 -- An Event, Resources, and "Dysrationalia"

GIFTED ONLINE CONFERENCE PRESENTATION. On November 11, 6pm to 8pm, Judy Galbraith will present a webinar through Our Gifted and Talented Online Conferences, OGTOC. Galbraith is the founder of Free Spirit Publishing, which caters to gifted young people. The topic: recognizing and meeting the social and emotional needs of the gifted. A donation is requested. More information about the webinar. More information about Judy Galbraith.

PARENT GUIDE TO RTI -- that's what Wrightlaw's Special Ed Advocate is offering in the current edition of the newsletter. If you have a child who learns differently, chances are you should know about Response to Intervention. Find the newsletter.

ATTENTION RESEARCH UPDATE. David Rabiner's latest newsletter is now posted on his site HelpForADD.com, and in it he reviews a study in which he was involved, one that evaluated the effectiveness of computerized interventions in attention training. The study compared Computerized Attention Training and Computer-Assisted Instruction. The results showed mild improvement in classroom attention immediately following the training, no long-term benefits, and limited effects on academic achievement. Read the report.

HEAD TO THE LIBRARY and check out the November issue of Scientific American Mind for a couple of good articles, neither of which is currently available on the publication's website. One article is called "What Does a Smart Brain Look Like?" and it addresses how the brain's structure influences intelligence and abilities. Seems that an individual pattern of gray and white matter affects specific cognitive skills. For example, more gray matter in a particular brain area might boost spatial intelligence; in another area, it might boost the ability to retain factual information. Males and females have different architectures of these specific areas. The tissues in these specific brain areas may, according to the article, "predict a person's unique pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses across a range of mental abilities." Neuroimaging could conceivably help tailor learning programs based on students' individual brain characteristics... The second article in this issue of Mind is about rational and irrational thought, "The Thinking that IQ Tests Miss." The author uses the term "dysrationalia" for the condition of having "the inability to think and behave rationally despite having adequate intelligence." (Sounds familiar.)