OCD, 504s and $, Tics, More

OCD STRUGGLES — IN AN ELITE WOMAN BOXER. Ginny Fuchs, an Olympic-level boxer, once spent a month undergoing in-patient treatment for severe OCD. The article details the daily challenges Fuchs faces with OCD — and how it has interfered with her boxing aspirations. Fuchs says, “There is no cure. It’s all about managing it. I’m a little better, but I have a long way to go.” Find the article.

INEQUITY IN ACCOMMODATIONS? “In the country’s richest enclaves, where students already have greater access to private tutors and admissions coaches, the share of high school students with the [504] designation is double the national average,” states The New York Times, which then goes on to ask whether money can make a difference — legitimately or not — in obtaining additional time for classwork or tests. Find the article.

THE CHILD MIND INSTITUTE, in its newsletter this week focuses on tics and Tourette’s — what to do (and not) if your child develops a tic. Read more.

GHF in its newest newsletter features psychologist Gail Post, an article on understanding gifted parenting, plus some resources on the same topic. Find the newsletter.

SMART KIDS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES has a new post, “Redefining Success for Teens with ADHD.” The ADHD coach featured in the post “stresses that the goal should be a ‘perfect’ career – one that provides enjoyment and excitement every day – not a college degree.” Find the post.

TiLT PARENTING’S newest podcast is with speech pathologist Sherri Cawn; she and Debbie Reber discuss communication disorders in children. Find it.

THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR LEARNING DISABILITIES has developed, in conjunction with other organizations, a set of principles applicable to determining eligibility for special ed using the classification of “specific learning disability.” The eight principles could help guide you in obtaining the right education for your 2e kiddo. Find the principles.

EVENTS
— August 1-8, free digital screening of the movie “2e2: Teaching the Twice Exceptional,” through Bright & Quirky. More information.
— August 6, free live webinar by ADDitude, “The Gift of Grit: Helping Children with ADHD Overcome Failure, Fear, and Disappointment.” More information.

“HIGH FUNCTIONING” INACCURATE? The label “high functioning” may be inaccurate when applied to autism, according to new research. The study compared “functional scores” — adaptive behaviors — with IQ scores for children on the spectrum, some of whom had intellectual disabilities and some without. While the IQ and functional scores were congruent for the children with intellectual disabilities, functional and IQ scores were not congruent in children without intellectual disabilities. Find the study write-up, and decide for yourself whether these results have any real-world implication for those we label with HFA.

Three “Spotlight” Resources

Three of our inexpensive Spotlight on 2e Series booklets address specific “e’s”:
— Understanding the Gifted Child with Attention Deficit
— The Twice-exceptional Child with Asperger Syndrome
— The Twice-exceptional Child with Dyslexia.
If any of these “e’s” match your situation, take a look at the booklets to see if they’d be useful to you in helping that child reach his or her potential. Find tables of contents at the site of The 2e Resource.