PARENT PROGRAM
PRESENTATIONS & DISCUSSIONS

PG Retreat 2008

Managing Intensity, Perfectionism, and Stress

Edward Amend

Intensity and perfectionism are common among the gifted. This talk focuses on how these typical characteristics of gifted can lead to undue stress and depression. More importantly, Dr Amend will focus on strategies to manage stress and perfectionist tendencies by channeling these in positive ways. Monitoring self-talk, managing depression, and developing resilience will be discussed.

Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children

Edward Amend

This session offers an overview of common misdiagnoses of gifted and talented individuals. Misdiagnosis most frequently occurs when professionals mistakenly view specific social and emotional characteristics of gifted individuals as signs of pathology. Dr Amend will focus on behavior patterns that lead to misdiagnosis and the relationship between giftedness and clinical syndrome.

Communication Skills Topic (TBA)

Annette Sheely

Session description to come.

The Challenge of Living with Asynchrony

Barbara Mitchell Hutton

Accepting asynchrony as a fundamental aspect of advanced development is essential for optimal emotional, intellectual, spiritual and social development as well as understanding of the Self. Explore the unique challenges created by the asynchronous development hardwired into gifted children and adults. Through examples from 17 years at Rocky Mountain School, increase your understanding and recognition of this phenomenon and develop strategies for advocating for and supporting those who struggle with the consequences of asynchrony.

Preparing Your Teen for the Future

Michele Kane

Session Description: Guiding profoundly gifted children can be a daunting task as they begin to explore careers and life paths. Future career selection becomes more difficult when weighing factors such a multi-potentiality, changing world views (globalization/the world is flat), temperament, gender (balancing home/work issues) and the expectations of self and others. Perceived feelings of responsibility for lifework that will change the course of humanity may be an additional concern for these very capable young people. This interactive discussion will center on some of the issues in career exploration and career counseling for the gifted as well as some recommendations for resources to help with making informed decisions. Guiding questions or topics to be addressed are welcomed by the facilitator before the retreat so that appropriate resources are available to be shared.

Reading the Ripples: A New Window on the Universe

Patricia Purdue

This presentation will describe what gravitational waves are, where they originate, how they are detected, and why physicists and astronomers are so interested in them. In brief, scientists believe that gravitational waves are emitted by astronomical objects such as black holes, neutron stars, and supernovae. Gravitational waves from these objects carry information that cannot be acquired through existing astronomical methods. Consequently, the observation of gravitational waves represents a completely new form of astronomy, which may revolutionize our understanding of physics and the universe.

Bringing Your PG Kids Home — For School

Allie Golon

Our beloved Betty Maxwell once told me, when my oldest son was just four, that I would need to homeschool him in order to meet his advanced intellectual ability and need for challenge. My response? "Pull every one of my teeth out first!" Two years later, following disappointments and near disasters at more schools than I can remember, found us bringing our PG children home for school. How does your life change when you are suddenly the principal, curriculum coordinator, nurse, chef, teacher, coach and parent all in one? In this session, I'll share what worked and what didn't during the six+ years our family homeschooled. We'll discuss how best to plan your school-at-home, what it means for your lifestyle, unschooling, socialization issues (are there any?) of homeschooled kids, resources for gifted homeschoolers, acceleration options, distance learning, and more.

Dealing with Loss

Michele Kane

Every life is filled with potholes…some are small bumps but others can bring about significant feelings of sadness, anxiety, and even depression. Sometimes there are relationship losses like divorce, loss of friendships, or the loss of relationship(s) by leaving a special teacher or mentor. There are also losses such as moving from one space to another (classroom or home or location) or losing other aspects of one's environmental space. Permanent losses may take more time for adjustments such as loss of a special person or pet through death. Moving from childhood to adolescence or making a career selection are life passages which may signal the death of dreams. Each of these aspects of loss has the potential to create an opportunity for a significant life change. The literature on resilience as well as Positive Psychology and Dabrowski's Theory of Positive Disintegration offer some suggestions for reframing these negative emotional events into potential for personal growth. Strategies for dealing with stress as well as coping strategies will be shared during this session.

New Developments in Testing for PG Kids

Linda Silverman

On January 23, 2008, the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) posted a position statement on the "Use of the WISC-IV for Gifted Identification," based on research, indicating that the Full Scale IQ is not the best measure of intelligence. February 7th Pearson (Harcourt) Assessments posted an extended norm table for the WISC-IV with a maximum IQ score of 210. This presentation will address the ramifications of these new developments in the assessment of PG and twice exceptional children, in particular will explore: Verbal Comprehension Index, Perceptual Reasoning Index, and General Ability Index, in order to help parents better utilize the information gleaned from testing.

Raising and/or Growing Up a Gifted Girl

Annette Sheely and Patricia Purdue

Session description to come.

Busy Kids = Busy Parents = Busy Lives = HELP!

Michele Kane and Dan Tichenor

Although most adults are bombarded with labor saving devices, it seems that the sheer number of these devices have added to consuming our time (honest, how much time do you spend answering email?). Add one, two or more very gifted children to the mix and life becomes very complex. Alfie Kohn likens the modern family to Grand Central Station where each person comes in from a different train and they meet in the Station for refueling only to later check the board to see where and when they will leave next. We all know that balance is key but how does it happen? This interactive discussion will be facilitated by a Mom and Dad of six gifted adult children who somehow survived. Dan Tichenor will facilitate the Dad's group and Michele Kane will facilitate the Mom's group. Our goal is to gather strategies that work from each other while discussing issues and problems that may be gender specific.

Kinship Art – An Experiential Art Workshop for Parents and Children

Catherine Zakoian

Children and their caregivers will have opportunity through facilitate individual and shared art-making experience to explore, express, authentically strengthen and honor who they are as individuals and how they fit together as family. Additionally, special focus on harmonious family communication as well as tending your child's creative fire.

The workshop is open to up to twelve families (with children ages six to eighteen). Each family grouping must have at least one parent and one child.

For those interested, there will also be a parent & caregiver circle after the workshop to discuss & debrief the workshop experience to allow for further parental integration and mastery of principals explored.

No art experience necessary. All materials provided. Participants should bring water, a sunhat/sunscreen, and an art shirt or smock, if desired.

Parent Meeting

Facilitated by Michele Kane

See also information about Speakers