THE IDEA FAIRNESS RESTORATION ACT has garnered support from a variety of organizations, including COPAA, Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates. One provision of the act will allow parents to recover expert witness fees if due process hearing officers or courts uphold the parents' position. If you'd like to find out more, see an announcement or go to the COPPA site.
INCLUSION VERSUS HONORS CLASSES is an issue facing Madison, Wisconsin, schools, among many others. Several schools there have been investigated by the state Department of Public Instruction, which is pressuring the Madison School District to improve its gifted education. Read more.
BRING SCIENCE HOME is the name of a month-long initiative by Scientific American. The magazine calls it a "series of family science activities geared towards fostering children's interest in science. Find out more.
NICOTINE'S EFFECTS SIMILAR TO COCAINE. It turns out that nicotine affects the brain in ways similar to cocaine, both substances using a dopamine receptor called D5. A write-up of the study concluded, "The results suggest that nicotine and cocaine hijack similar mechanisms of memory on first contact to create long-lasting changes in a person's brain." Read more.
BIOMARKERS FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER. Researchers have discovered certain brain abnormalities that could be biomarkers for bipolar disorder. The abnormalities consist of "an imbalance between cortical-cognitive and limbic brain networks," according to one of the researchers involved -- brain areas involved in the regulation of emotions. If the research holds, it could lead to more accurate diagnosis of the disorder. Find out more.
THE GO GIRLS CLUB, originally a group for girles with AD/HD, has evolved the non-profit group ADHD Aware, according to the website PhillyBurbs.com. One aim: to help girls know that there are others like them and to affirm their strengths. The organization hosts workshops, and one workshop leader says "she likes showing girls with ADHD how smart and beautiful they are, and that they can do whatever they want." Read the article.
YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE. A middle-school English teacher (and contributor to 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter) has established a blog to review young adult literature in 100 words or less. The blogger suggests sharing her link with YAs who like to read. Find the blog.
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