DIY School, Bloggers Back, More

DIY SCHOOL. Parents in Staten Island, New York, who were frustrated that no nearby school programs were available to help students with dyslexia just opened the doors of Bridge Preparatory Charter School, serving 90 first- and second-graders. It is “the only public school in the state that caters to students with language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia,” according to Chalkbeat. (We’ve come a long way, and there’s still a long way to go.) Find the article.

BLOGGERS BACK AT WORK. it might have been our imagination, but it seems like we didn’t see much from two of our favorite bloggers during the summer months. This week, however — bingo!
— On Monday, psychologist Gail Post wrote on advocacy for the gifted, calling it “that unexpected, uninvited guest in the lives of a gifted child’s family.” She laid out the parent’s responsibility to be advocates and educators, and provided some of the messages that might be appropriate for gifted advocates to spread. One of those messages concerned, for example, intensities and asynchrony. Find the blog.
— And on Tuesday, psychologist Devon MacEachron posted the first of her new Mythbusters series on conventional wisdom in parenting. The topic: “Does your child really need to go to a selective college or university? Find the blog.”

EDUCATION POLICY, PRACTICE, LAW. CEC points readers of its Policy Insider newsletter to a “Technical Assistance Network Directory” from OSEP, the Office of Special Education Programs. CEC calls it an “easy-to-use infographic directory that provides information about the OSEP technical assistance network funded through IDEA Part D. Find the CEC article and a link to the directory. There are lots of resources to sift through in the directory. One, for example, is the Center for Parent Information and Resources, which includes an e-learning library covering topics such as preparing for an IEP team meeting.

SCIENCE, RESEARCH, MEDICINE
— On depression, from NewsWise: “Major depressive disorder – referred to colloquially as the ‘black dog’ – has been identified as a genetic cause for 20 distinct diseases, providing vital information to help detect and manage high rates of physical illnesses in people diagnosed with depression.” Find the study write-up.
— On an OCD treatment, from Science Daily: “Researchers have found that focusing powerful non-invasive magnet stimulation on a specific brain area can improve the symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). This opens the way to treat the large minority of sufferers who do not respond to conventional treatment.” Find the study write-up.

2e Center Biennial Symposium
The 2019 Vision and Leadership in 2e symposium is to be held October 11-13 in Los Angeles, bringing together educators, professionals, and change agents in our field. According to the Center, some seats are still available. Find out more.