Subscriber Alerts
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The third booklet in our "Spotlight on 2e" series is out, this one about gifted children with Asperger's. More details at the end of this briefing.
To see items that make it into this briefing and other news as well, check out our 2e Newsletter blog.
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We're a little behind posting articles from the July/August newsletter to the website. The remainder should be up shortly. Thanks for your patience.
The September/October issue of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter will go out to subscribers in a few weeks. (Not yet a subscriber? Go here.) Back issues of 2e Newsletter are available for purchase in either print or PDF form.
The next issue of this briefing: early October.
Feel free to pass on this briefing to others you know with an interest in raising or teaching high-ability children with learning differences. |
Giftedness and Exceptionalities in the News
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THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BRILLIANCE. We subscribe to and enjoy Scientific American Mind,
which sometimes makes articles from the print edition available online
and sometimes not. So when we found a good article about the brain and
intellect titled "High-Aptitude Minds" in the
August/September issue, we checked to see whether it is available online -- and it is, right here. The article covers the association of intelligence with brain size (total volume and the
size of certain parts of the brain); the contributions of different
areas of the brain; how hard certain areas of the brain work in gifted
versus non-gifted children; and the potential effects of practice on brain
anatomy. An associated article
in the same issue stresses the importance of proper attention to and
coaching of gifted children in order for them to perform to their
potential.
VIDEO
GAMES: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNEXPECTED. Research presented during
August at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological
Association confirmed some of the good effects and bad effects of video
game play. On the one hand, game play can improve cognitive and
perceptual skills; on the other hand, players of violent games are more
hostile, less forgiving, and more likely to believe violence is
"normal." And yes, frequent players performed less well in school and
were at greater risk for obesity. So what was unexpected? Gaming can
evidently improve the skills involved in advanced surgical procedures
-- spatial skills and hand dexterity. So should you let your gifted kid
play video games? Read more research here.
GRANDIN
ON SCREEN. Various sources reported last month that autistic scientist
and speaker Temple Grandin is to be the subject of a "biopic" for HBO.
She will be played by Claire Danes. Grandin is familiar as a speaker to
those who attend conferences on giftedness and LDs; some of her
presentations have been covered in 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter. Read about the biopic.
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 child and not vice versa. Find out more about the most recent court decision.
EARLIER
TESTING will soon be 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 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.
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. 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.
Read the letter and comments on it, including one comment calling such an approach "divisive and elitist." You can also post your opinions on this letter where it appears on our blog entry from the week of August 3rd.
STORIES. See our Del.icio.us site for news items we've saved on specific topics such as giftedness, gifted education, AD/HD, autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, etc. Currently over 700 articles are tagged. Note: Some of these news items came to our attention through ScienceDaily, EdNews.org, Education Week, CEC SmartBriefs, and other aggregators. |
From Other Newsletters and Digests
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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.
EDNEWS.ORG. "Help for Gifted Kids and their Parents" is the title of an interview
Michael Shaughnessy 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. She also has a website (http://giftedkidsnetwork) which offers
a technology-focused "variety of educational consulting services
designed to support the academic, intellectual, social and emotional
needs of gifted students." Read the interview.
EDUTOPIA has distributed its electronic August/September issue. The magazine focuses not so much on giftedness or LDs
as on what is needed to improve the overall educational
process now and in the future. The current issue features articles on
ten predictions for the future of public education; on how "smart and
targeted use of technology can provide customized and affordable
education that allows students to learn in their preferred style and at
their own pace"; "Greenbacks for Grades"; and more.
eNEWS UPDATE. The Davidson Institute's eNews-Update for August featured the announcement of the 2008 Davidson Fellows; a note
about the Belin-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 briefing and find it relevant to your life and/or work, we recommend subscribing to the Davidson Institute eNews-Update. Trust us.
GIFTED EDUCATION PRESS. The Fall issue of Gifted Education Press Quarterly is online at www.giftededpress.com. The issue contains articles on gifted girls, differentiation, and more. Read it.
PARENTING FOR HIGH POTENTIAL.
The June issue (okay, so we're getting to it a little late) of this
publication from the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
contains an article titled "The Perils of Parenting
-- Top 10 Things Not to Say to Your Gifted Child." Read what the
author, a teacher and a parent of gifted children, says about the
thoughts that have slipped out of all of our mouths at one time or another.
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 child with an IEP, check out Special Ed Advocate and Wrightslaw.
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Resources for Parents, Educators, and Kids
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ARIZONA 2e RESOURCE. Two Arizona parents have established a website called "Arizona Twice Exceptional," a collection of resources for Arizona families. The parents, Kelly and Gary Rostan,
state on their site that in 2009 they hope to open a local alternative
school for twice-exceptional children. Their comprehensive list of
resources should actually be very useful for 2e families worldwide.
Resource topics with links include:
Twice exceptional Books on neurologic learning differences Sensory processing disorder 2e homeschooling Social/emotional Talent development Experts available for consultation Publications Organizations Legal
We were honored that Kelley Rostan starts off her "Top 3 Picks" with 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter. (Okay, so she listed them in alphabetic order -- Hoagies Gifted is another pick and the Uniquely Gifted site is a third.) Check out the Rostan's site.
BRAIN
FACTS. If the proper points on your "mental map" of the brain don't
light up when you read phrases like "Broca's area" or "angular gyrus,"
check out a primer on the brain available from the Society for
Neuroscience. Chapters we found interesting and relevant to child
psychology and child brain functioning included those on the topics of
the neuron; brain development; learning, memory and language;
challenges such as AD/HD, autism, and Tourette syndrome; and new
diagnostic methods. A bonus: a glossary of brain-related terms. It also
contains material of interest for adult neurological issues. Find it here.
MORE BRAIN STUFF. Go to the site of the Dana Foundation to find an online version of the publication The 2008 Progress Report on Brain Research. So
far in our print version, we've turned down the corners of pages
dealing with arts and cognition, including the effects of arts
training; the possible use of deep brain stimulation for conditions
such as OCD and Tourette's; recent research on the genetics of autism
and on AD/HD; and recent research on bipolar disorder and OCD. While
you're at the site, check it out to see if there are publications you'd
like to subscribe to or news you'd like to read.
USEFUL FOR THE GT/LD COMMUNITY? The Washington Post
ran an article about a site called NiceCritic.com, where users can
anonymously send pre-written criticism or comments to others via e-mail.
We started thinking about whether this tool could have a constructive
use in communication between parents and educators, between educators
and children, or between parents and children. Sample messages include:
Your talking in class is distracting. You have great ideas, please participate more. Your test was too hard. Please try sharing a bit more. Try not to interrupt the teacher so much.
Some
of those are evidently meant for peer-to-peer communication, but the
possibility exists of using them otherwise. Are there times when
anonymous communication can be more useful or effective than personal
communication? Is it "cheating" to communicate anonymously? Would
students abuse the process in communicating with teachers? If these
education-related examples leave you cold, visit the site
to find out what kind of insults you can send to co-workers. ("Please
do not remove your shoes. Your feet tend to give off an aroma.")
RESOURCE REVISITED. We've mentioned iTunes U before in 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter and our monthly e-mail 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.
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. Books are
printed on special paper, and a reader may choose to have
the pen read a single word, a sentence, or an entire book. 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 just a few results -- but that means the site is ripe for
someone to start a group or forum on gifted aspies. Find the site.
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Events
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September 16-20, 11th Conference of the European Council for High Ability, Prague, Czech Republic. Official language: English. For professionals and educators. More information. October 17-18, New England Conference on Gifted and Talented (NECGT), Mansfield, Massachusetts. More information.
October 30-November 2, National Association for Gifted Children Annual Conference, Tampa, Florida. For parents, educators, and other professionals. More information. November 20-21, WWW.What Works & Why,
Clarksville, Maryland. For educators, administrators, psychologists,
parents, and others with an interest in helping 2e students succeed. By
IDL, Individual Differences in Learning. More information. November 21-23, Learning and the Brain,
Cambridge, Maryland. For parents, teachers, administrators, clinicians,
and adult trainers. Presented by seven prestigious universities, the
Dana Foundation, and the National Association of Secondary School
Principals. More information. March 27, 2009, Second Annual Symposium on Assessing Gifted Learners,
Van Nuys, California. CEUs available. By Science Destinations and the
Institute for the Study of Advanced Development. Additional information
posted as it becomes available.
Please note: For state association conferences relating to giftedness, see Hoagies' website. For additional conferences on learning differences, see the website of the Council for Exceptional Children. |
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Opinion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today is Labor Day in the United
States, commemorating the contributions of
the worker -- especially the union worker -- to the American economy, and also marking the end of summer and the start of a new school year.
My paternal grandfather was a union man and secretary of his
machinists' local in Chicago. Among
the many descendants of him and my grandmother, first generation Americans of
German descent and both long gone, are my two sons.
So on this day, I say thanks to my grandfather for
having the courage to be a union man at a time when courage was necessary;
thanks for bringing my father into the world; and thanks for whatever gifts, traits,
and abilities you and others of my grandparents passed along to your heirs that
made 2e Newsletter possible and
necessary.
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