Twice-Exceptionale 2May/June 2006 Newsletter Issuee 16 for Parents, Teachers and Professionals
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TM 2e Twice-Exceptional 2May/June 2006 Newsletter Issuee 16 For parents, teachers and professionals. Price US$8 Helping twice-exceptional children reach their potential. Proposed Guidelines for Identifying and Meeting Quote the Needs of Twice-exceptional (2e) Students … just as we have an By Wendy Eisner, PhD, and Melissa Sornik, BSW obligation to care for These guidelines are intended to be a multi- their strengths and weaknesses. those with special hard- purpose reference tool for educators, counselors, Commonly, the twice-exceptional individual ships, we also have and parents. They have been developed in order is viewed through the lens of pathology. With a to: pathology model, the focus is on the individual’s an obligation to do • Clearly define the term twice-exceptional (2e) weaknesses, sometimes totally eclipsing his or something… to encour- • Help readers better understand 2e her strengths. The goal of the pathology model age those with special personality characteristics is fixing the weaknesses without simultaneously talents. A society that • Provide help in designing 2e programs developing the strengths. Many clinicians are • Provide a system for identifying students for trained to use the pathology model and receive ignores children with the 2e programs no training with regard to giftedness. As a result, most promise is no bet- • Help in preparing evaluations and they are likely to misinterpret gifted behaviors ter than a society that individualized education programs (IEPs) as symptoms of disorders. The book Misdiagno- shuns those with the • Guide decision-making at Committee on sis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and least. Special Education (CSE) meetings. Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger’s, Depres- These guidelines are deliberately brief to fa- sion, and Other Disorders (Webb et al., 2005) –Jonathan Last cilitate their use. discusses this serious issue. In contrast to the pathology model is the ho- Defining Twice Exceptionality listic model. This way of viewing twice exception- Twice exceptionality is a broad and complex ality encompasses both the individual’s strengths concept. It is a way of framing or viewing individu- and weaknesses, focusing equally 17 ! als who have pronounced discrepancies between on the two. Twice exceptionality, INSIDE What’s a Twice-Exceptional Child? Organization Profile: What is a twice-exceptional child? Ask five people and you’re likely to get five different -re Bridges Academy 3 sponses. At least one will probably be a blank stare. While use of the term is spreading, it’s far from a household phrase. Event Coverage ... 6 A common response is that twice-exceptional is just another term for gifted/learning disabled. One “Naughty” Some, however, will argue that the term has a broader meaning – that it encompasses gifted chil- Little Girl .............. 8 dren who have learning differences as well as diagnosed LDs. Others will have other definitions. And, of course, there are those who say it doesn’t exist at all. Book Review ...... 13 If we can’t agree on what twice-exceptional means and on who is and who is not a twice-ex- Featured ceptional child, then how can we give these children the understanding and support they need? Columns ............ 14 The answer, according to Wendy Eisner and Melissa Sornik, is a standardized approach to identify- ing twice-exceptional children. The article above presents their proposed guidelines. The End of the Issue ................... 22 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter is a bi-monthly publication about twice-exceptional children, children who are gifted and who have LDs – learning difficulties that go by many names, including learning disabilities, learning disorders, and just Events ................ 24 plain learning differences. Our goal is to promote a holistic view of the 2e child – not just the high IQ, or the quirkiness, or the disabilities, but the child as a whole person. Comments and suggestions are always welcome by phone, fax, or e-mail. www.2eNewsletter.com 2e Newsletter • May/June 2006 2e F r o m t h e P u b l i s h e r s 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newslet- ter, ISSN 1546-0762, is published Welcome! bi-monthly in January, March, May, Welcome to the latest issue of 2e: Twice-Ex- July, September, and November. The subscription price for the print ceptional Newsletter. Our focus this time is on the edition is $45. The address of the known office of publication is Glen issues related to identifying and labeling twice-ex- Ellyn Media, 465 Columbine, West Chicago IL 60185. Periodicals ceptional children. Dorothy Knopper, the editor of postage paid at Glen Ellyn, Illinois. POSTMASTER: Send address the publication Understanding Our Gifted, said in changes to 2e: Twice-Exceptional the Spring, 2003, issue of that magazine: Newsletter, PO Box 582, Glen Ellyn, IL 60138-0582. If I ran the world (or at least the world of edu- Linda Neumann, Editor cation), I would eliminate all labels that are now Mark Bade, Business Manager Phone: 630.293.6798 placed on children. With the help of parents, teachers, and the children themselves, I Fax: 630.344.1332 would emphasize knowing and understanding each child, her abilities and needs, and www.2eNewsletter.com [email protected] her strengths and weaknesses. Editorial Board: If only it could work that way. Unfortunately, we live in a world where children do wear la- Susan Assouline, EdS, PhD Susan Baum, PhD bels, some of them accurate and helpful, some of them not. In our lead article authors Wendy Kathi Kearney, MA Ed Eisner and Melissa Sornik address the need for a standardized approach to identifying twice-ex- Deirdre Lovecky, PhD Marlo Payne Rice, MS ceptional learners and propose a set of guidelines to follow. Columnist Meredith Warshaw looks Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD Joan Franklin Smutny, MA at the need to get it right – to look deeper than the surface to identify and resolve the many Meredith Warshaw, MSS, MA layers of issues that 2e kids can face. And, in the article “The Story of One ‘Naughty’ Little Girl,” The cost for a one-year US print Australian subscriber and parent Michelle Gabriel shares a powerful and sensitive story about subscription is $45, for a two-year subscription $80. Electronic edi- the price that 2e children and their families can pay when a child is not properly identified. tion, $35. Contact us for interna- tional or institutional rates. Send Also in this issue we profile a private school in California for twice-exceptional middle and changes of address to us by mail or to [email protected]. high schoolers: Bridges Academy; and we provide coverage of a telephone-based conference The contents of 2e Newsletter are held recently on twice-exceptional learners. not intended to constitute medical As the school year draws to an end, we offer some tips for summer reading. First, check out or clinical advice, which should be obtained from a licensed practitio- a review of a new book that’s calling attention to 2e learners – Smart Kids with Learning Dif- ner. The use of information from 2e Newsletter for commercial purposes ficulties: Overcoming Obstacles and Realizing Potential. Then turn to our children’s book review is prohibited without consent in writ- ing from Glen Ellyn Media. We thank column to find recommendations for some award winners. our supporters and subscribers. If you’re new to 2e Newsletter, take advantage of the summer to explore our back issues. Member of AEGUS, CEC, NAGC, Also, look for information on ordering a gift subscription to 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter, a Independent Press Association. great end-of-the-school-year gift for a special teacher or administrator. We thank you for reading 2e Newsletter. – Linda Neumann and Mark Bade Glen Ellyn Media Copyright © 2006 by Glen Ellyn Media, unless otherwise noted. The May, 2006 yellow and red 2e logo on blue is a trademark of Glen Ellyn Media. 2e Newsletter • May/June 2006 2 www.2eNewsletter.com Organization Profile 2e A Profile of Bridges Academy When asked to write about his school, a student at Bridg- accepts what they describe as “very bright students who learn es Academy said: differently.” A typical Bridges student might have one or more At Bridges, I feel as though I can truly be myself. I of the following: auditory or visual processing problems, at- know that no matter what I say or do, I will not be tention deficit, nonverbal learning difficulties, dysgraphia, and judged by my teachers and peers. At Bridges, I get the problems with organization. To meet the student’s needs, individual attention that I need in order to succeed staff members create an “individual student profile” that de- later in life. At Bridges, I feel completely normal know- scribes a child’s intellectual, social, emotional, and behavioral ing that everyone around me has the same problems makeup. In addition, the profile documents the child’s learning that I do. At Bridges, I have the tools that I need in style, learning issues, strengths, and deficits. Also included are order to learn in my own way. suggested strategies and techniques to address both the stu- What better endorsement could a school receive? dent’s giftedness and learning difficulties. This profile serves Bridges Academy is a private middle and high school as the “blueprint” for the child’s education at Bridges. located in Studio City, a suburb of Los Angeles. The school While Bridges students receive remediation, the main got its start in 1994 when focus is on developing their educator Carolyn McWilliams talents. Talent development created an independent- might take the form of real- study college-prep program life experiences such as to meet the needs of young internships, performance athletes whose workout opportunities, or directed schedules conflicted with the independent studies.