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JACK KENT COOKE YOUNG SCHOLARS. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has a Young Scholars Program which provides financial assistance and other help to high-achieving eighth-graders and high-schoolers who have financial need. Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development is assisting in building awareness of the program, and has established a web page of information about it. The application deadline for the 2011 year is April 25th. Find out more.
TEACHER'S RESOURCE. E-School News reports on a service called VuSafe to assist educators in finding relevant, safe YouTube videos for use in the educational process. Find the article.
SMART KIDS WITH DISABILITIES. This organization publishes an e-newsletter. In January's edition, you may read articles on tackling writing problems, teaching your child about friendship, and a profile of Olympian Greg Louganis, who had childhood difficulties with reading and speech. Find the newsletter.
THE DANA FOUNDATION has a "neuroeducation" page that contains "news, events, and commentary on bridging neuroscience and education." We are sure that you, O Inquisitive Ones, will find it interesting. Go there.
CO-MORBID WITH AD/HD. Kids with AD/HD are prone to other issues as well. Research evidently reported in Pediatrics indicated that nearly 70 percent of kids with AD/HD have one or more other co-morbid mental or physical problems. The issue is not posted on the Pediatrics website, but WebMD has a long article on the research; find it.
SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION. We don't like to think about this topic when it comes to gifted kids, but twice-exceptional kids sometimes have behavior issues that can get out of control. (Remember the elementary school boy whose school filed police charges after his Aspie outburst?) The current Special Ed Advocate from Wrightslaw deals with behavior problems and the rights of kids in this area. Read the newsletter. 
THERAPY DOGS AND AUTISM.  The website of television station KSDK has an article and video about an autism specialist who uses a therapy dog to relax her young patients  Find it.
SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL SKILLS TRAINING apparently works, improving not only attitudes and behaviors but also academic performance -- this according to a study reported by the Ivanhoe Newswire. Read more.
AND FINALLY, THIS. We've blogged often about the adolescent brain and how it differs from the adult brain. The National Institute of Mental Health website contains a report of a study of the difference in functioning of adolescent versus adult rats in a learned task involving a reward. The twist -- researchers tracked the firing of individual neurons. At the moment of reward, there was less inhibition in certain neurons in the adolescent brain -- meaning neuronal activity was stronger. Here's what the researchers concluded: "The reduced inhibition they saw in adolescents suggests that they may respond more intensively than adults to reward. These more powerful responses may help explain the increased vulnerability of adolescents to the rewarding effects of alcohol and drugs. In addition, findings of differences in the regulation of neuronal firing observed in adolescents may ultimately help explain why schizophrenia—a disorder thought to represent an imbalance in inhibitory and excitatory activity in the brain—so often has its onset during adolescence and early adulthood. The exaggerated balance of excitatory and inhibitory activity in the brain observed in this work, superimposed on a genetically determined vulnerability to schizophrenia, might be a factor tipping someone towards illness." The original study was published in the Journal of Neuroscience this year. Go to the NIMH site.

SENG SURVEY FOR PARENTS OF GIFTED. The organization Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted is sponsoring a survey to help educate doctors and the public about gifted kids and to support appropriate training for doctors and medical personnel. SENG invites parents of gifted children to participate in the survey. Find out more.
BRAIN IMAGING FOR DIAGNOSIS? Not yet, but maybe soon. ABC's station WLS in Chicago reported on research at the University of Illinois/Chicago where researchers are attempting to use brain imaging to "see" disorders such as AD/HD and to differentiate AD/HD from bipolar disorder. Read more.
LD IN COLLEGE. As many as 8 percent of first-year students entering four-year colleges in the United States self-report that they have AD/HD or a learning disability, according to research from UCLA. The percentage has increased in recent years. An article in the UCLA Daily Bruin provides background information on the ADA and how UCLA handles such students; read it.
CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION RECOMMENDATIONS UPDATED. Read in US News about the most recent guidelines on vaccination from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
AUTISM AND "THEORY OF M IND." Research at MIT indicates that those with high-functioning autism "appear to have trouble using theory of mind to make moral judgments in certain situations," and to have trouble understanding the intentions of a second party. Read more.
AD/HD AND NUTRITION. Parents sometimes suspect that AD/HD symptoms may be worsened by certain foods; now a study in the Netherlands showed that an "elimination diet" improved symptoms in 46 percent of the children participating. The elimination diet reduces the foods in the diet most likely to cause allergic reaction. Read about the study.
COMPETITION. Discovery Education and 3M have announced the 2011 call for entries for the 13th annual Young Scientist Challenge, the nation's premier science competition for students in grades 5th through 8th. Ten finalists will be selected to receive an all-expense paid trip to the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn. to compete in the final challenge in October, 2011. The winner will receive $25,000 and the title of "America's Top Young Scientist."

ASPERGER'S IN COLLEGE. The Brownsville Herald had an article on the topic of college for high-functioning autistic kids, including a profile of one young man about to graduate from high school. The article names some universities that provide support for students with high-functioning autism, and mentions the organization Achieving in Higher Education with Autism/Developmental Disabilities (AHEADD). Find the article.

SENG NEWSLETTER. The January issue of  SENG Vine, a newsletter from the organization Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted, is out. It contains an article on dealing with existential depression in gifted young people, based on content from the SENG Model Parent Group. Also in this issue, an interview with Professor Jean Sunde Peterson of Purdue University on social and emotional issues in gifted kids. Find the newsletter.

SPEAKING OF DEPRESSION: A recent study links omega-3-deficient diets with mood disorders such as depression -- in mice, at least. Significantly, intra-uterine development characterized by a lack of these fatty acids may influence emotional behavior in adulthood. Read about the study.

SPEAKING OF NUTRITION: Worry about those energy drinks your kids or students consume? We do. An article in The New York Times explains possible ill effects. Find it.

GIRLS AND VIDEO GAMES. ABC News notes a study showing that girls who played video games with their parents "behaved better, felt more connected to their families, and had better mental health than those girls who did not play video games with their parents." We're not talking Grand Theft Auto, but age-appropriate video games like Mario Kart, Mario Brothers, Wii Sports, Rock Band, and Guitar Hero. The effect did not extend to boys. Read more.

RTI: PART OF THE EVALUATION but not a substitute for the entire comprehensive evaluation for specific learning disabilities. That's the message in an Education Week blog "On Special Education," which discusses the contents of a recent memo on the topic from the federal Office of Special Education Programs.  Find out more.

SMART KIDS WITH LDs. The 2011 Smart Kids with LD Youth Achievement Award is open for nominations. It's given to "a student 19 or younger who has demonstrated initiative, talent, and determination resulting in a notable accomplishment in any field," according to the organization. The entry deadline is only two weeks away. Find out more.

AND FINALLY, THIS. We were intrigued by an ad in a newspaper this morning announcing the Fall, 2012, opening in New York City of a school for children 3 to 18. "Avenues," billed as a rigorous "world school," will eventually have campuses in 20 major world cities and will prepare students for global life, emphasizing cultural studies and language. Find out more at the school's website.