HELP FOR GIFTED KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS. That's the title of an interview Michael Shaughnessy of EdNews.org conducted with Michelle Eckstein, a Colorado parent who immersed herself in gifted education and then obtained a Masters Degree in Education. Ms Eckstein is involved with gifted education in her school district and runs a blog (www.talentedandgifted.net) on gifted education and a website (http://giftedkidsnetwork), a technology-focused "variety of educational consulting services designed to support the academic, intellectual, social and emotional needs of gifted students." Read the interview.
FROM WRIGHTSLAW. The August 12th edition of Special Ed Advocate concluded the Wrightslaw online "Summer School for Parents." The assignment: learning to write SMART goals and objectives for an IEP. If you've got a gifted kid with an IEP, check out Special Ed Advocate and Wrightslaw.
ATTENTION RESEARCH UPDATE. In his August newsletter, David Rabiner reports encouraging data from a study he and a colleague recently completed on the adjustment of college students with AD/HD. Also included in the newsletter: a reprint of an article from a prior issue on the transition to college for students with AD/HD. Worried about your gifted and AD/HD college kid? Check it out. (Note: Be patient; the newsletter is often not posted until a week or two after it's emailed.)
FROM THE DAVIDSON INSTITUTE. The Institute's eNews-Update for August featured the announcement of the 2008 Davidson Fellows; a note about the Bellin-Blank Center's work on the relationship between giftedness and autism; more on the Fordham Institute report contending that top pupils now "languish" academically; and a variety of capsule reports on legislative action of interest to the gifted community. If you read this blog and find it relevant to your life and/or work, we really believe you should also subscribe to the Davidson Institute eNews-Update. Trust us.
RESOURCE REVISITED. We've mentioned iTunes U before in 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter and our monthly email briefing. Apple now says that iTunes U offers over 50,000 educational and audio programs for free download, and that the programs are from sources such as universities, museums, and PBS stations. Topics covered include literature, art, history, science, and many more. Our opinion is that this resource could be a great educational resource for curious, high-ability kids. Check it out.
THE HEAT'S OFF of homeschooling parents in California who were worried that the state would require homeschooling parents to have teaching credentials -- so homeschooling is still a guilt-free option for parents of gifted and twice-exceptional kids, parents who want to make sure the curriculum is made to fit the kid and not vice versa. Find out more about the most recent court decision.
ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY. This review was so positive it made us skeptical, but the product seems as if it could truly help and engage kids who struggle to read because of learning issues. The product is called the Tag Reading System, and it consists of an electronic, pen-like reader that can speak or interpret the contents of a page. A reader may choose to have the pen read a single word, a sentence, or an entire book; books are printed on special paper. The review says that one way the device engages is by initiating games involving the character or story. Read the review. Go to the vendor's website.
START A FORUM FOR GIFTED ASPIES? Autism Speaks has launched an autism social networking site on Ning (www.ning.com). The site is intended for members of the autism community to share insights, opinions, and information. There are currently over 800 members; forums on topics such as autism in the news, autism science, and autism resources; and around 20 groups devoted to various aspects of raising, educating, and coping with autistic children. A search on "gifted" yielded no results -- but that means the site is ripe for someone to start a group or forum on gifted aspies. Find the site.
EARLIER TESTING is now available to measure college readiness or show eligibility for gifted or enrichment programs, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times. The College Board has plans to introduce an eighth-grade version of the PSAT in 2010. Read the article along with the pluses and minuses opined by various educators in the article.
AD/HD BACK-TO-SCHOOL RESOURCE. ADDitude Magazine has released a free, downloadable, 14-page back-to-school handbook for those who raise and teach AD/HD kids. According to the magazine, the booklet covers securing accommodations; working with teachers and administrators; and talking to the child about goals, fears, and challenges impending in the new school year. Find the booklet.
REWIRING DYSLEXIC BRAINS. ScienceDaily brought to our attention a Carnegie Mellon brain imaging study of dyslexic students. The study indicates that the brain can permanently rewire itself and overcome reading deficits. The study used a course of 100 hours of intensive remedial instruction. Find out more by reading the original press release at CMU's site.
EQUITY VERSUS EXCELLENCE, ONE MORE TIME. A Texas teacher of special ed and of the gifted wrote an open letter to President Bush; the letter was published at EdNews.org this week. In it, the educator asks governments and educators to:
- Emphasize less the passing of every student and more the finding of the gifted.
- Find gifted kids as early as first grade.
- Encourage states to use certified G/T teachers to find and teach G/T students.
SUPERSTARS OF ADVOCACY. When people call us or email us with questions about IEPs, 504s, or advocating for their student, we send them right off to the Wrightslaw website, founded by Peter and Pam Wright. The Wrights also publish a weekly email newsletter, Special Ed Advocate, with content to help parents advocate for children, and the topics often seem relevant to educators as well. During this summer the newsletter has concentrated on "Summer School for Parents." For example, this week's edition is about measuring educational test scores and why parents must understand test scores; the newsletter comes complete with assignments and readings. Also included in this issue: tips on getting a private, comprehensive, independent evaluation to identify learning issues and a plan for addressing those issues. See the the July 29th edition of Special Ed Advocate or go here for the archives.
"I BELIEVE CHILDREN WHO DON'T LEARN TO READ ARE THE VICTIMS OF 'TEACHING DISABILITIES.'" That's what 76-year-old educator Don McCabe says in an interview with EdNews.org's columnist Michael Shaughnessy about reading problems in students. McCabe, who says he's dyslexic, AD/HD, and CAPD (which makes him, along with his presumed exceptional high abilities, 4e, right?), has written an autobiography called To Teach a Dyslexic. Read the interview. (You can also read the interview that Shaughnessy did with us, the publishers of 2e Newsletter, awhile back; find that interview here.)
LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT. Once, while kayaking in a pleasant, shallow stream in Michigan, I came upon my younger son, whom my wife and partner had just kicked out of her two-person kayak; he was wading back down the stream to Lake Michigan. The reason he had been kicked out, apparently, was that when she'd say "paddle left," he'd paddle right -- and vice versa. We still kid him about his occasional lapses in differentiating right from left and worry a little about what it might mean for him as he drives a car. This week, the Washington Post published a piece by a woman who starts off the article with "I can't tell left from right," and then goes on to summarize her experiences and what she's learned about research ("precious little") in the area. She reports no link between left/right confusion and handedness (lefty or righty), but reports that women are more likely to admit the confusion than men. The author even discovered a blog site with a conversation on the topic. Left-click here :-) to read her article.
HOW ARE KIDS DOING? Two reports released recently focus on America's children and teens. One, America's Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2008, is a federal government report of data on issues related to children and families. The Forum on Child and Family Statistics says this about the indicators they report on: "Indicators are chosen because they are easy to understand; are based on substantial research connecting them to child well-being; vary across important areas of children's lives; are measured regularly so that they can be updated and show trends over time; and represent large segments of the population, rather than one particular group. The indicators are organized into seven sections, each focusing on a domain relevant to children's lives: family and social environment; economic circumstances; health care; physical environment and safety; behavior; education; and health. Find the report. The second report, The State of Our Nation's Youth, "compiles the results of a national survey conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates on behalf of the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans. The poll was conducted via telephone to 1,006 teens between 13-19 years old residing in the U.S during April 2008," according to a press release. The report is to be released August 5th and will be available for download.
ON THE AD/HD FRONT. Two news items this week about AD/HD caught our attention. One, by an MD at Harvard Medical School, described how low levels of iron in a child's blood may cause symptoms that suggest AD/HD. Read it. The other, an article at MedPage Today, described the prevalences of AD/HD and learning disabilities over recent years; according to a government study, the prevalence of AD/HD has increased slightly since 1997 but the number of LD children without AD/HD has remained unchanged. The report also discusses the co-occurrence of LDs and AD/HD. (For the report, learning disability was defined "to include specific items related to listening, speaking, basic reading skills, reading comprehension, written expression, mathematical calculation and reasoning.") Find the article.
MORE THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT. Here's the lead sentence from a Reuters Health article: "Children whose mothers used cell phones frequently during pregnancy and who are themselves cell phone users are more likely to have behavior problems, new research shows." Read the article. And here's the lead sentence from a University of Michigan press release: "University of Michigan researchers are studying connections between air toxins and K-12 student performance in Michigan -- and possibly whether air quality should be a factor when deciding where to build public schools." Read it.