DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION FOR LEARNING CHALLENGES. A teacher with 30 years of experience shares her strategies for teaching students who have LDs, ASD, AD/HD, and the other learning challenges we write about at 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter. Among those strategies:
- Develop a student-centered mindset.
- Set aside time to focus on study skills and extra support.
- Use multiple forms of assessment.
Read more at edweek.org.
TOXIC CHEMICALS, LDs, ASD. Science Daily notes a call for research on how certain chemicals may contribute to autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in children. "The National Academy of Sciences reports that 3 percent of all neurobehavioral disorders in children, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD), are caused by toxic exposures in the environment and that another 25 percent are caused by interactions between environmental factors and genetics," reports Science Daily. Ten toxic chemicals are especially targeted; lead, methylmercury, and PCBs head the list. Find out more.
TREATMENT FOR AUTISM SYMPTOMS? National Institutes of Health researchers have reversed behaviors in mice resembling two of the three core symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). An experimental compound,called GRN-529 increased social interactions and lessened repetitive self-grooming behavior in a strain of mice that normally display such autism-like behaviors, the researchers say. Find out more at the NIH site.
SOCIAL MEDIA. Is that gifted or twice-exceptional kid way ahead of you when it comes to social media? Are you concerned about your child's use of social media? Edutopia has provided parents and educators with guidelines on social media -- find them.
SENG has announced an upcoming SENGinar titled "Mother-Daugher Relationships of Profoundly Gifted Young Girls," to be presented by Joh Navan, PhD. If you're such a mom, find more information.
CANADIAN MATH CAMP. Bright Math Camp, now in its 21st year, offers summer programs in the Ottawa area for children "with a drive to explore, question, reason, and discuss a range of sound mathematical topics," according to the organization. Two separate events cater to students entering grades 4-5-6 or 7-8-9. Find out more.
AD/HD BOOK DEAL. For the next few days Prufrock Presss is offering 30 percent off its book Raising Boys with AD/HD. Find out more.
NCLD. Currently on the site of the National Center for Learning Disabilities are two articles on working memory plus announcements of the winners of this year's Anne Ford Scholarship and Allegra Ford Scholarship. Go to the site.
MENTAL HEALTH STATISTICS. If you're a numbers maven when it comes to the topic of mental health, you might be interested in a new government report that includes mental health statistics at the national and state levels from 35 different data sources.The catchy title: Mental Health, United States, 2010. Check it out.