Universal Screening, Advocacy, and More

UNIVERSAL SCREENING. After a long time writing about twice-exceptionality, we realized that the only way to identify and help all twice-exceptional students is through universal screening, screening that looks for both giftedness and learning challenges. We offer the following items as examples of progress in the area of universal screening. But we’re not there yet, not by a long shot.
— Memphis schools are screening all students for giftedness instead of relying on teacher recommendations. Read more.
— New York City has started a pilot program to screen all children in first and second grades for dyslexia. Parents and advocates have pushed for this screening. Read more.
— One in four children with autism does not get a diagnosis, according to recently-released study results. The answer? You guessed it. Read more.

AND NOW, lots of reading (or listening) for your pleasure and edification, culled from the sites and blogs we monitor for The 2e Resource….

JONATHAN MOONEY is the advocate for 2e who Dan Peters of the Summit Center interviews for Episode 74 of “Parent Footprint.” You probably know about Mooney’s work and his vociferous endorsement of the acceptance of neurodiversity; if you don’t, you can get acquainted with him in this podcast, titled “Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive Outside the Lines.” Find the podcast.

DYSLEXIC ADVANTAGE. The indefatigable Eides have issued another edition of their newsletter. The cover story is “Reading Wars,” about the lack of progress in reading abilities for the weakest readers over the past three decades and the disputes over appropriate reading interventions. Also included: profiles of dyslexic achievers and much more. Find the newsletter.

CEREBRUM has come up with a new, expanded format for its periodic communiques about the brain. Included in the winter edition are articles on: how the brain creates; the interrelationships among the brain, the body, and social hierarchy; social media and teens (“no easy answers”); and more. Find Cerebrum.

THE CHILD MIND INSTITUTE addresses “negative thinking” in its weekly newsletter — aka “cognitive distortion” — and what parents can do about the problem. Find the newsletter.

AND FROM THE 2e RESOURCE — We’ve updated a page on our website devoted to advocacy. Advocacy from 2e parents falls into two categories, mandatory and optional. Mandatory is what parents absolutely need to do at school or in the community to help their 2e children survive and thrive. Optional is what parents can do to make it easier for other families, and the families who will come later, in getting their children correctly identified and served and accepted. We suggest that as parents crawl out of the “mandatory” phase and become more knowledgeable and experienced with 2e issues, they can try to find time for those “optional” advocacy activities, which might take the form of:
— Writing articles for publication about twice exceptionality
— Making sure the local schools and school board know about twice-exceptionality
— Getting involved in local, state, or national organizations to help the cause.
We know that raising a 2e child is a huge drain on time and money and energy. But whatever advocacy you can do, check out our page as a starting point.

Booklets to Inform You… or Others

The 2e Resource “Spotlight on 2e” series of booklets contains 13 concise, affordable bundles of information on topics relating to parenting and educating twice-exceptional children. Three of the booklets deal with particular “brands” of 2e — one each on Asperger’s, ADHD, and dyslexia.

See whether the booklets can help you.