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Show Wednesday, September 12,2007 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Lecture looks at 'gifted' New center to aid in Asian studies Lana Groves STAFF WRITER When Leslie Morley's daughter was in the third grade, her teacher believed she had a learning disability and tried to put her in remedial classes. When tested for intelligence, however, results showed that she was an extremely bright girl. Nadia Webb, a neuropsychologist and faculty member at James Madison University, discussed the misdiagnosis of gifted children and adults at the Salt Lake City Public Library last Thursday. The lecture was hosted by the department of family and consumer studies at the U. "Children are easily misdiagnosed by teachers and administrators," Webb said. Mood disorders such as bipolar and attention deficit disorder are common labels placed on children who seem different from other students. "Children who have difficulty sitting still in class or start walking around ignoring the lesson are often labeled with attention-deficit disorder," Webb said. There could be many reasons a child is fidgeting, including boredom, parents going through a divorce or problems at home, she said. Obsessive-compulsive disorder, an anxiety disorder where a person usually has obsessive, unwanted thoughts and performs repetitive rituals to make the thoughts go away, can be misdiagnosed in gifted children too, "Some children can conceptualize how things should be and try to make things perfect, it often seems obsessive and compulsive," said Webb. She warns that some children might be very intellectual and act older than they are, but will still display childish emotions. "Children who could talk like a mature high school student may still want their allowance in pennies," she said. Leslie Morley, a junior in early childhood education at the U, was glad to hear Nadia Webb's lecture and the focus more people are putting on correctly diagnosing children. "My daughter had a difficult time when the teachers kept trying to put her in remedial classes," Morley said. "She was just so bored in class that she kept walking around." The lecture was sponsored by the Eric Moerer Memorial Lecture Series. Tina and Michael Moerer went through similar problems with their son being misunderstood more than ten years ago. "We tried taking Eric to a doctor, but the doctor told us we were over-concerned," said Tina Moerer. When Eric Moerer, who suffered from undiagnosed depression, committed suicide 10 years ago, the Moerers went to Cheryl Wright, the department chair of family and consumer studies, and together they set up a program to sponsor lectures about the emotional needs of children. "It helps us to feel that we can do something for the community and honor Eric's memory," Tina Moerer said. /.groves @ chronicle.utah.edu Clayton Norlen STAFF WRITER With the creation of a new Asia Center, the U will become the first institution in the Mountain West to feature a center that focuses solely on Asian studies. The Asia Center, an interdisciplinary program housed in the College of Humanities, will bring together students, professors from many different departments and backgrounds and members of the wider Salt Lake community. The center will focus on all areas having to do with Asia—culturally or geographically—offering an array of research interests. The U Board of Trustees must review plans for the center before it can officially open. "We wish to make our students fully educated global citizens," said Robert Newman, dean of the Humanities College. "Therefore, a knowledge of one of the most influential sectors, Asia, becomes a necessity for attaining a marketable education." long overdue here," said Janet Theiss, who will be director of the Asia Center. "There is a need for advanced education on languages and cultures in Asia, and this center M can fill that need." The Asia Center will also work with the Confucius Institute, an organization that will focus on educating the Salt Lake community on Chi- ft! nese culture. The institute also offers intensive Chinese courses to the public, including language classes for children or travelers and courses in Chinese business etiquette and terms. Starting Spring Semester, graduate students may apply for an interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Asian Studies. in'S3 The degree requires students I * to base their studies on a certain region of Asia and from there students can specialize their study. For more information on programming and degrees •55 offered by the Asia Center, contact Janet Theiss at janet. theiss@utah.edu. c.norlen@ chronicle.utah.edu The Asia Center will recruit existing faculty participating in Asia-based research or with ties to Asia to participate in the program. The center also has plans to host frequent lectures and seminars covering current issues involving Asia. The Asia Center will work alongside the Hinckley Institute of Politics to create additional internship programs in Asian countries. These programs will attempt to place students among multinational corporations, government ministries and other organizations. The center will work in tandem with Asian universities and the U's study abroad offices to increase the number of U students studying in Asia. According to Gov. John Huntsman Jr.'s 2007 economic summary of Utah, Utah's largest export markets are Western Europe, Canada and East Asia. 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