Session List
Full Schedule
Date/Time Session Room
10/29/2019 11:00 AM -to- 11:55 AM Opening Keynote: Understanding and Addressing Emotion Regulation in 2e Children
Julie Skolnick, M.A., J.D.
Emotion regulation is often a challenge for twice exceptional children. Grappling with intensities (overexcitabilities), a strong sense of justice, frequently challenged with output and frustrated by a lack of social nuance, our 2e children can act out in ways that seem out of sync for what is frustrating them at a particular moment. It is imperative to understand what lies behind behavior and to consider that seemingly severe responses may be triggered by environments where they feel repeatedly misunderstood.

Before we can help our 2e children “manage” their emotions, we must work with them on the process of cognitive reappraisal and loving themselves. In order to help them “control” their emotions, we must first hold their emotions with them, let go of our impulse to solve problems or discipline behavior. Feeling understood and having feelings honored will allow our 2e children to accept help in recognizing cognitive distortions, crafting appropriate ways of expressing feelings, and taking risks in trusting peers and adults around them. Once we gain their trust, we can set up expectations and allow natural consequences to occur.
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10/29/2019 12:30 PM -to- 1:33 PM Gifted Physiology: How OE’s and Gifted Differences are Better Understood by Taking a Whole Body Approach
Joanna Haase, Ph.D., MFT
Historically, research in giftedness, psychology, neurology intelligence, and every other area of the body has been done without much, if any, crossover between the disciplines. When education, social, and environmental factors are layered in, it becomes even less likely that the disciplines will cross-reference. Like the parable of the blind men and the elephant, we are unable to understand the physiology of giftedness accurately unless we integrate findings from different disciplines and look at the entire picture, rather than only one or two small areas. This talk will look at the gifted experience, including OE’s, psycho-social issues, and other attributes of giftedness, and tie them to physiological research and theories that better explain the gifted experience. Gifted people are wired differently; when we look at the big picture, it all starts to make a lot of sense!
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10/29/2019 2:00 PM -to- 3:08 PM Finding Balance: Teaching 2e Students to be Self-Regulated
Dr. Richard M. Cash, Ed.D.
As parents and educators, we know what we want for our students. We want them to seek out challenges, ask for help, resist distraction, and see mistakes as chances to try again. In other words, we want kids to be self-regulated learners. Self-regulation for learning (SRL) is the ability to effectively balance the ABCs of Affect (how you feel), Behaviors (what you do), and Cognition (how to think) to pursue worthy academic goals. For 2e students, they may feel “out-of-balance” when they know they have the cognitive abilities to do what is being asked but may not be able to manage the behaviors or skills required to reach the goal, thus causing their self-beliefs to drop. Teaching students to balance these three elements builds motivation, resilience, and college and career readiness. In this session, learn doable, evidence-based practices to help 2e students engage in learning, build confidence, and reflect on their learning. Discover how home and school can work together to assist students in gaining greater social/emotional well-being, developing scholarly behaviors, and acquiring valuable thinking tools to be successful in school and beyond.
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10/29/2019 3:30 PM -to- 4:40 PM Understanding and Managing Asynchronous Development
Paul Beljan,Psy.D., ABPdN, ABN
Gifted children displaying asynchronous development (AD) are at risk for misdiagnosis. AD is best understood in the context of executive functioning (EF). The presenter will review the neuropsychological basics of AD and EF, how they cause some children to express affective dysregulation and meltdowns. AD may not respond to traditional forms of behavior management and the presenter will teach a highly successful intervention approach that is based in the neuropsychology of AD and executive functioning to manage, not fix, the problem.

This session focuses on the brain basics of executive functioning and asynchronous development (AD). Many features of AD are indistinguishable from executive function deficit, often termed ADHD, but the origin of each issue is very different. Unless the origins of these issues are understood, the gifted child is at high risk for misdiagnosis and subsequent inappropriate intervention. A negative outcome of AD can be expressed as affective dysregulation (emotional meltdowns) and tantrum behavior. Gifted children who display AD behaviors may not respond to traditional forms of behavior management.

The presenter will also teach an intervention approach that is based in the neuropsychology of AD and executive functioning. The intervention equips the child with appropriate decision making by maintaining cognitive control over sub-cortically produced affective stimulus. Behavioral intervention concepts include: Priming, Previewing, Pre-empting, Disengagement, and Re-engagement. Practical explanations for imposing structure, consistency, and routine also will be discussed.
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10/29/2019 5:00 PM -to- 6:15 PM Supporting the Success of Culturally Diverse 2E Students
Renae D. Mayes, PhD, NCC
Imagine being a very bright student who may frequently tune out in the classroom and then sometimes be very outspoken and respond to instruction by giving very detailed answers. Now imagine that this same student has been denigrated by teachers and overlooked for his brilliance and only noticed for his errant behaviors. Imagine now that this student is Black male attending a Title I school where teachers focus mainly on teaching students who have difficulty with instruction. Tuning out may be a coping mechanism for this student learned over the years so he doesn't get into trouble. But it may also be an indication of a special need that has been overlooked. Twice exceptional students who may be from racially diverse groups are subject to misdiagnosis, being targeted for behavior problems, and are underserved in gifted programs nationwide. This session will focus on the unique challenges of culturally diverse 2E students, issues and recommendations for teachers and parents.
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10/29/2019 6:30 PM -to- 7:41 PM Using Visual Metaphor to Teach 2e Learners
Don Ambrose, PhD
Many of the greatest scientists and inventors used visual-metaphorical thought processes to come up with their groundbreaking ideas. Producing visual metaphors is a creative thinking strategy that helps 2e students discover and strengthen their hidden intellectual abilities. 2e students who learn to create and interpret visual metaphors will strengthen the already powerful artistic dimensions of their minds while making it much easier to overcome their academic difficulties. In this session, we’ll look at how 2e learners can use visual metaphor to capture and synthesize large amounts of academic content while committing it to long-term memory. We’ll contemplate the step-by-step process for creating visual metaphors while looking at an array of examples of powerful metaphorical images that illustrate the nature of creative intelligence.
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10/30/2019 11:00 AM -to- 12:08 PM Creating a Secure World for 2e Kids
Deborah Reber, M.A.
Many twice-exceptional children experience stress and anxiety as a regular part of their day, the result of things like sensory information overload, being misunderstood by teachers and peers, getting feedback from others that there is something wrong with how they think or who they inherently are. These children are in an ongoing state of protecting themselves from the emotional and physical input they’re flooded with by living in an intense world. It’s critical that we address this, because when they’re in a stress response, children struggle to regulate emotions, aren’t effective learners, and are unable to take the kind of risks necessary for healthy growth. In this talk, we’ll look at how we can create a secure world for 2e kids so they are best positioned and available for social/emotional learning, personal growth and self-awareness and, ultimately, developing the skills and tools they need to eventually launch.
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10/30/2019 12:30 PM -to- 1:20 PM Non-Linear Thinkers in a Linear World
Josh Shaine
People often speak about non-linear thinkers as if there were only two types of thinkers in the world: Linear and Non-linear. We will explore some of the various types of non-linear thinkers, and then dive into what their needs are, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to recognize and avoid common pitfalls. It seems that the further out the bell curve a person is, the more likely she or he is to be one of the on-linears – and that doesn’t even begin to account for the vast percentage of non-linear thinkers wo don’t deal well with the most common tests! So, if you are raising one, married to one, teaching one, or are one yourself, join us!
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10/30/2019 2:00 PM -to- 3:25 PM Gifted at Work: Different Profiles, Different Challenges
Femke Hovinga, M.A.
Giftedness comes in many ways, also on the workfloor. Two Dutch gifted experts saw the challenges gifted employees faced and decided to take action. Mid 2018 their recruitment agency for gifted adults started. Rather than looking at educational background and CV, they started looking for talent, skills and potential. During this session, Femke Hovinga will share more about work and giftedness from theoretical and practical perspectives. We will speak about the most heard preconceptions, challenges for gifted people at work and how to find the best suitable workplace for gifted adults. This session is suitable for gifted adults and those working with them.
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10/30/2019 3:30 PM -to- 4:33 PM Uncovering the Social Mind of Tweens & Teens
Maria Johnson, M.A. CCC-SLP
What does it mean to be socially smart? Brain science in recent years has revealed much about how adolescence is a time of significant brain change, but how does that transformation impact social development, especially for asynchronous populations? In our current age of "academic overload", it has become particularly important to be strategic in the ways we engage socially, with a keen eye to better understand how youth think and reason through life's most challenging interpersonal situations. In this talk, Maria will discuss her latest research on social learning styles, and illuminate a specific profile, The Hypervigilant Social Mind, unique to twice-exceptional tweens and teens. She will offer parents and professionals an inside look into Socially Smart: A Wheel of Social Learning as well as actionable tips and tools to take into the home, classroom, or clinic to boost social brainpower!
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10/30/2019 5:00 PM -to- 6:25 PM Looking at 2e Through a Developmental Trauma Lens
Greg Burnham, M.S., LMFT
In this session we will explore some of the practical ways that growing up 2e is a developmental trauma. It is something that we know instinctually as people but often do not give the appropriate attention to. We have the tendency to brush over the internal world and focus on the behavior that is either amazing or needs to change. This will allow us to then explore strategies for working from this lens. This will open us up to also exploring some of the protective factors we need to be aware of and potentially build in to the lives of 2e students and their families. We will also explore how the family is also potentially experiencing a trauma in the raising and living with a 2e student. Then what the family can do to acknowledge and work through their own traumatic experience in order to be more present to all members of the family. And lastly we will take a look at some of the pitfalls and problems with this lens and how to navigate them.
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10/30/2019 6:30 PM -to- 7:51 PM Closing Keynote: Beyond Classification
LeDerick R. Horne
LeDerick Horne, entrepreneur and performance poet with a learning disability who has worked as an advocate on the national, state, and local level, provides a unique perspective on our school system and issues related to creating a more equitable society for people with disabilities. In this informative and entertaining Closing Keynote, LeDerick provides strategies for increasing the academic performance, self-determination, and self-advocacy skills of students with and without disabilities. Get ready for an emotionally stirring talk filled with moving verses, funny stories, and empowering information that will prepare the audience to challenge stereotypes and support the needs of people with disabilities.
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