AUSTRALIA: QUIRKY KIDS CLUB. A woman in Canberra, Australia, is forming a "Quirky Kids Club" to provide support and social opportunities for twice-exceptional children and their families. She chose the name "to project a positive image of being uniquely different, and to put a happy, fun spin on it, so that it would enhance the kid's self image of being different and help build self-confidence and a strong sense of identity. It is also meant to suggest the fun, social aspect of the club, which is what, above all else, it is intended to be." At this stage, she says, she is inviting membership of 2e children and families from anywhere in Australia, but for the time being meetings will be only in Canberra. Find out more by emailing Tracey, the group's founder.
ASK DR. JUDY, a series of webinars from ASCD, presents Judy Willis on April 13 addressing how to strengthen the brain's executive functions. Find out more.
PEDIATRIC PODCASTS FROM IU. The Indiana University School of Medicine offers more than a dozen free podcasts relating to children's health. Among the topics: obesity and diet; eating; teens and technology; and teen driver smoking. Find the podcasts.
THE WEINFELD GROUP is offering a series of low-cost workshops in 2011 that might be of interest to Washington, DC, area parents. Among the topics: Finding your way through the IEP and 504 maze; resilience and stress management; and understanding the relationship between AD/HD and executive functioning. Find out more.
STUDY ON OCD AND GENETICS. A team of Massachusetts researchers is looking for subjects to participate in a study of the role of genetics in OCD. Subjects sought are 8 years and older with a diagnosis of OCD, plus the parents of that child. While the study is based in Massachusetts, collaborating sites in other areas of the country will perform testing on families in those areas. Find out more.
GIFTED DEVELOPMENT CENTER. The Center's April newsletter is out, with news, an insight by Linda Silverman on why gifted kids may refuse at times to do schoolwork, and requests for input on topics such as the greatest challenge of being gifted. Find the newsletter.
SCREENING FOR DYSLEXIA. Lexercise.com, a commercial site offering language therapy services, provides on its site a free online screening tool for dyslexia. For children 6 and older, the test takes 5-10 minutes. Find the site.
CTD BLOG. Northwestern University's Center for Talent Development has a blog with a feature called "Ask Paula." In a recent post, Paula provided resources for parents looking for help for gifted kids who have, variously, handwriting issues, writing issues, dyslexia, and AD/HD. Find out what she recommends. (Hint: One resource is 2e Newsletter; thanks, Paula.)
AND FINALLY, THIS. We thought maybe you didn't have enough to worry about with that twice-exceptional child, so here's more:
- Secondhand smoke may cause symptoms of AD/HD and depression, according to a new study.
- Hookah bars are now popular with young adults, and they offer health risks; find out more.
- Teen substance abuse is on the rise, after a decade of decline; find out more.