ASPIE DIAGNOSIS AT 30. According to NPR, husband and father David Finch discovered that he was "on the spectrum" when his wife asked him a series of questions that were, in actuality, a quiz for discovering Asperger's symptoms. David started writing down "best practices" for being a good husband and father, and those eventually became a book, The Journal of Best Practices. He talked to an NPR interviewer about the book and his life. Find out more.
THE UPSIDE OF DYSLEXIA is the title of a New York Times article that appeared over the weekend, and it documents differences in the ways people with dyslexia may experience the world -- for example, being able to take in a whole visual scene rapidly and being able to interpret visual images in ways that typical respondents cannot. The article concludes, "Glib talk about appreciating dyslexia as a 'gift' is unhelpful at best and patronizing at worst. But identifying the distinctive aptitudes of those with dyslexia will permit us to understand this condition more completely, and perhaps orient their education in a direction that not only remediates weaknesses, but builds on strengths." Read the article, and keep in mind the book The Dyslexic Advantage (and the website of the same name) by the Drs. Eide, occasional contributors to 2e Newsletter,
IN NEW YORK CITY? Tomorrow, February 7, the Child Mind Institute holds an evening seminar titled "Is Medication Part of the Answer: Medication Approaches to OCD. Find out more. Separately, The Quad Manhattan is sponsoring a workshop titled "Ask the Expert: Educational Law. Find out more.
SERVICE ANIMALS. The New York Times chronicled the story of a young adoptee from Russia, probably afflicted with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, who was brought to the US and who proved to be prone to tantrums and rages. As the boy grew older, a service dog has helped him. Find the article.
2e NEWSLETTER. The January/February issue of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter went to paid subscribers today. It features assistive technology that can help 2e learners. Also in the issue: the third in a series of articles on helping 2e kids write, by faculty and staff at Bridges Academy; and the usual columns and features. Subscribers, please give us a few days to post content to the subscriber-only section of the website. Non-subscribers: a one-year subscription to the newsletter is still just $30.