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ENCOURAGE AN ASPIE by showing him a great piece from the opinion pages of The New York Times, written by an oncologist in Kuala Lumpur who provides "an alternate view."  Based in self-awareness and empathy, the piece is a great example of insight, self-acceptance, and comfort. "You are different and you are special," says the column. "Many proud Aspies and I stand with you. You are not alone." Find it.
ASPIE HIGH-TECH COMPANY. Aspiritech, a Chicago-area software testing firm, hires Aspies exclusively, according to ZDNet. The article recounts the traits that would seem to lead to success in technology and software development. Read the article.
SEROTONIN AND ASPERGER'S. Is there a pattern to this post? Just chance. A third item on Asperger's that came to our attention today is the role that serotonin plays in autism. Apparently 30 percent of autism cases have "a serotonin component" which may be helped with the medication busprione, which is usually used for anxiety and depression. Find out more about how the drug helps social interaction (in mice, anyway).
MENTAL HEALTH IN INFANTS AND TODDLERS can be an issue because of the notion that these children do not develop disorders, or will grow out of them. Either trauma or the stress of everyday life can cause problems, according to an article at PsychCentral, which recommends early screening and increased training of healthcare and education professionals to recognize and deal with infant/toddler mental health issues. Find the article.
CEC ON U.S. EDUCATIONAL FUNDING. Watching the action in the Congressional sandbox as the players cut funds and restore, posture and obfuscate, and get very little done at all? The Council for Exceptional Children has just posted its analysis of the current House Funding Bill, which restored IDEA funding -- but cut half a billion from other education programs to do so. Read more, and watch your blood pressure.
AND FINALLY, THIS. Got a happy kid? She or he will more likely be a happy adult. Sounds reasonable, but now there's evidence to back it up. Find out more.

THE TRANSIENCE OF AD/HD. Is it permanent and lifelong? Transient? Something in between? A study reported in Scientific American Mind indicates that more than half of children diagnosed with hyperactive AD/HD or inattentive AD/HD did not qualify for a diagnosis at a two-year follow-up. For children with combined-type AD/HD, between 18 and 35 percent lost their diagnosis. You can read part of the article at the SciAm Mind site. 
AD/HD SCHOLARSHIP. We recently saw notice of the Novotni College Scholarship available for college students with AD/HD, issued by the Attention Deficit Disorder Association. You may find more information about this and other AD/HD-related scholarships at About.com or at the site of the woman for whom the scholarship is named. Application deadline: March 15.
SENSORY INTEGRATION RESOURCE. If your bright young person has sensory integration issues, you might be interested in a free e-newsletter from S.I. Focus Magazine. Check it out.
GIFTED EDUCATION, DOWN THE TUBES. Budget cuts are affecting the world of gifted education, as evidenced by an article in The New York Times last Saturday. We all want that "Sputnik moment" President Obama referred to -- but evidently we don't want to (or can't) pay for it. Read more about funding for gifted education across the country.
GIFTED EDUCATION PRESS QUARTERLY. On the other hand, Maurice Fisher's newsletter on the topic is still free, and he's just released the Spring issue of this 25-year-old publication. In it: an excerpt from a book co-authored by Susan Assouline on the topic of the development of mathematical talent; and an article titled "Why Gifted Students Need Trained Gifted Teachers." Find the newsletter.
NOT PAYING ATTENTION. We recently pointed to an item in Scientific American on how the wandering mind has led to historical creative breakthroughs. Now comes an article on the same topic in the Wall Street Journal, noting the link between daydreaming and creativity. Part of the article relates how AD/HD kids actually turn out to be more likely to be creative in terms of being recognized at art shows or science fairs. It turns out that being distractible and having a high IQ leads to open-mindedness and problem-solving ability. Read more.
BIOMARKER FOR AUTISM? ABC News reports on a study of brain waves in infants that indicates a distinctive pattern of waves in babies who might be at a higher risk for the disorder -- eg, who have older siblings with the diagnosis. Find out more.

IDENTIFYING AD/HD. Researchers are getting closer to finding biomarkers that will identify those with AD/HD; up until now, we've used observations of behavior. An article in Education Week discusses two recent studies showing physiological differences between children with AD/HD and without. Both studies tracked hand movements; the second one, according to a researcher, may be a quantifiable measure of the disinhibition of behavior and concentration. Find the article.
LANGUAGE AFFECTS MATH? Also in Education Week, an article notes a connection between language skills and the ability to understand math concepts. The connection begins with -- bear with us -- deaf Nicaraguan adults who did not know a formal sign language compared to those who did know such a language, and their respective math skills. Researchers abstracted their findings to kids with certain language disorders along with math difficulties. Find out more.
LD: "LEARNING DIVERSITY," not "learning disability." That term cropped up in an article in the Massachusetts South Coast Today. The article was on dyslexia and featured the director of the Sally Borden School at Friends Academy, who provided a snapshot of kids with dyslexia and also of ways to help them read and learn. The author, a developmental psychologist and professor, offers his own advice at the end of the article to parents observing their child's development. Read more.
EDUCATIONAL VIDEO GAMES. What would they look like? Read an expert's opinions.
MISSED THIS WHEN IT APPEARED. An article in the Wall Street Journal during January covered the use of electricity in treating mental conditions such as depression, OCD, panic, schizophrenia, addictions, and memory problems. Learn about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Vagus Nerve Stimulation, Deep Brain Stimulation, and Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation at the Journal's site. Separately, you may find links to two additional articles on deep brain stimulation for depression here and here.
FROM UC DAVIS MIND INSTITUTE: The January Distinguished Lecturer event was on pediatric anxiety, and is available by video at the Institute's site. Warning: The content looks heavy; read the abstract here.
AND FINALLY, THIS. Got a wandering mind, or a gifted kid with a wandering mind? Check out a slide-show feature at ScientificAmerican.com relating a few great achievements that sprang from daydreaming and downtime.