In recent years there has been a lot of attention paid to the concept and benefits of mindfulness, including an increased ability to regulate emotions, decrease stress, anxiety and depression, and promote objectivity about thoughts and feelings.  But what exactly is mindfulness? What does it mean to be mindful? And how can its practice benefit us and the children we raise or work with? Living or working with individuals who may not behave or respond in expected ways can evoke thoughts, feelings and reactions that are not useful, objective, or effective. In this workshop, Lisa will explain several key components of mindfulness theory and how to use them to support a mindfulness practice for daily use in both our personal and professional interactions with others.  Guided by Lisa, attendees will have an opportunity to try a simple mindfulness practice promoting relaxation, focus, and clarity about thoughts and intentions to confront the daily challenges we experience when parenting or working with neuro-diverse populations. Exposure to some key aspects of mindfulness theory and practice will provide workshop participants with a choice of exercises that might be useful, effective, and worth integrating into their own lives to enhance their own personal journeys.

The term twice-exceptional (2e) is becoming more familiar. However, the notion of serving both the gifted as well as the challenge areas for these students is a daunting endeavor for many educators.  These students may appear to be capable and bright but often do not demonstrate that ability when asked to produce work in the classroom or they may simply appear to be average or not trying.  This three-session workshop for professionals working with 2e learners will discuss the new national definition that focuses on recognizing these students in the classroom.  It will also focus on classroom strategies that include addressing and using the student’s strengths and interests as entry points to engagement and learning; providing appropriate social and emotional support; and offering adaptions for academic strengths and learning needs that encourage the success of every student.

Many twice-exceptional children experience challenges related to attention and learning. This workshop will provide a clinical conceptualization of these important functions, and will discuss how neuropsychological assessment can be a useful tool in helping the child to succeed. The presentation will also discuss ways of translating the findings from an evaluation into practical strategies at school and at home.

Your child is an intelligent reader who grasps complex concepts easily. Your child is also struggling with written assignments, both at home and in the classroom, makes seemingly careless mistakes and their teacher says that they just need to try harder. Your child may have undiagnosed stealth dyslexia, which is especially common among intellectually gifted learners who can use strong higher-order language skills to compensate for deficits in auditory and visual processing that make up the reading challenges of dyslexia. Despite their superior thinking skills, students with stealth dyslexia often struggle in school, especially as the pace and difficulty of the curriculum increases. Many stealth dyslexics are aware of their difficulties, but when they remain undiagnosed and have no explanation for their struggles, their frustration may likely result in underachievement as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression. In this presentation, Jacob Greebel, a dyslexia consultant and an individual with stealth dyslexia, will discuss how a reading disability can be “stealthy,” some signs and symptoms of stealth dyslexia, what tests can be administered to determine if an individual has stealth dyslexia, and what parents and teachers need to know about these students.

Although it may be better to avoid it when possible, conflict is an inevitable part of relationships and parenting and 2e children create many opportunities to practice conflict-related skills. Clinical social worker Neil Weintraub brings a unique perspective to 2e parenting. Calling upon strategies first laid out in ancient Chinese texts thousands of years ago, Neil outlines a fresh paradigm for thinking about parent-child interactions.  He offers parents an opportunity to apply strategic and tactical principles to the art of raising challenging children. Parents will learn to utilize a new mindset that will result in shorter, less intense arguments. They will learn how avoid power struggles and will form a new way of thinking about interactions with the goal of maintaining control, not of their children, but of themselves.

The term twice-exceptional (2e) is becoming more familiar. However, the notion of serving both the gifted as well as the challenge areas for these students is a daunting endeavor for many educators.  These students may appear to be capable and bright but often do not demonstrate that ability when asked to produce work in the classroom or they may simply appear to be average or not trying.  This three-session workshop for professionals working with 2e learners will discuss the new national definition that focuses on recognizing these students in the classroom.  It will also focus on classroom strategies that include addressing and using the student’s strengths and interests as entry points to engagement and learning; providing appropriate social and emotional support; and offering adaptions for academic strengths and learning needs that encourage the success of every student.

Special education lawyers and advocates will explain special education law as it applies to 2e students. They will provide parents with step-by-step instructions to actively and confidently pursue and secure IEP and 504 accommodations for their children, including the gathering of documentation and preparing for meeting with the Committee on Special Education (CSE).

This segment will help attendees to connect the dots between outward behaviors and underlying sensory difficulties. It will provide insights into the eight senses, providing an essential understanding of hypersensitivity, hyposensitivity, and mixed reactivity in the familiar senses (tactile, vision, auditory, taste, smell) and in those less well known (vestibular/movement, proprioceptive/body awareness, and interoceptive/physiological state). Parents and other caregivers will learn where to get the best help and what they can do to proactively support their children with sensory challenges.

Speaker and autism advocate Amy Gravino will provide parents with an understanding of how to talk to their 2e tweens and teens about sexuality and self-advocacy.

The term twice-exceptional (2e) is becoming more familiar. However, the notion of serving both the gifted as well as the challenge areas for these students is a daunting endeavor for many educators.  These students may appear to be capable and bright but often do not demonstrate that ability when asked to produce work in the classroom or they may simply appear to be average or not trying.  This three-session workshop for professionals working with 2e learners will discuss the new national definition that focuses on recognizing these students in the classroom.  It will also focus on classroom strategies that include addressing and using the student’s strengths and interests as entry points to engagement and learning; providing appropriate social and emotional support; and offering adaptions for academic strengths and learning needs that encourage the success of every student.

Special education lawyers and advocates will explain special education law as it applies to 2e students. They will provide parents with step-by-step instructions to actively and confidently pursue and secure IEP and 504 accommodations for their children, including the gathering of documentation and preparing for meeting with the Committee on Special Education (CSE).
 

This segment will equip parents with real-life strategies for dealing with common sensory difficulties such as sensitivity to noise, textures, sights, smells, tastes, movement and body awareness challenges and more. Attendees will learn how to engage children in “sensory diet” activities that can help kids reach and maintain an optimal state of arousal throughout the day so that they can focus and thrive at home, at school and in the community. Parents will learn practical techniques for daily life struggles with dressing, bathing, haircuts, tooth brushing, doctor visits, and getting a good night’s sleep.

Meet with the founding members of GEANYS to learn what actions they are taking to advocate for the rights of gifted and 2e students and the state level and learn how you can get involved with and support their efforts. GEANYS is a partner of TECA.

DETAILS TO COME

Children who are twice exceptional can have a unique intensity and sensitivities that help them thrive and may also present a challenge in certain settings. Traits that psychologist and psychiatrist Kazimierz Dabrowski termed “overexcitabilities” may include an active imagination, deep empathy for others, increased physical activity, intellectual curiosity, and heightened sensitivity to light, touch, and sound. An overview of Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration and overexcitabilities will be provided. Learning to use these traits in the classroom and at home as an asset, while minimizing some of the challenges, will be discussed, and examples will be provided. Distinguishing between overexcitabilities and DSM-V diagnoses such as ADHD, sensory integration disorders, autism spectrum disorders or anxiety/ perfectionism that require intervention can often be confusing. Participants will acquire an understanding of how to differentiate overexcitabilities from DSM-V diagnoses that require more attention, as well as learn about related interventions.
 

Technology expert and parent advocate Jenn Choi discusses what assistive technology is, how you can obtain it for your student and how it can help them succeed in school and at home.

Independent living expert Jennifer Buri da Cunha will equip parents with an understanding of the real world life skill their children will need to learn in order to live independently.

This segment will equip educators with real-life strategies to deal with common difficulties at school such as sensitivity to noise, textures, sights, smells, tastes, movement and body awareness challenges and more. Attendees will learn school-based “sensory diet” activities that help students reach and maintain an optimal state of arousal throughout the school day. Educators will learn practical techniques for common school problems such as remaining focused and attentive while sitting on the floor or at a desk, handling transitions, ways to enhance writing and reading skills, and simple classroom modifications that can help sensitive students feel and function at their best.

This presentation will empower parents to be their child’s best advocate while developing collaborative relationships with their child’s school. Contributing undercurrents to challenges will be discussed, and suggestions for problem solving and building nurturing relationships and trust with school personnel will be offered. 2e parents often need to facilitate the process of informing and explaining their 2e learner’s needs to the school team. Relaying information on what it means to be 2e and how to meet the child where they are for successful outcomes can be uncomfortable for parents. It is essential to be mindful that the main objectives and goals are to maintain the child’s well-being, and to provide for their intellectual stimulation and appropriate and sustained social, emotional and academic supports, modifications and accommodations — all essential for 2e students to reach their potential. The CSE process, including evaluations, testing options, and implementation of appropriate interventions, will be discussed, as well as the critical provision of gifted learning opportunities.
 

In this session, psychologist Dr. Mandi Silverman will provide parents with an understanding of the various types of evidenced-based therapeutic interventions for addressing the more challenging behaviors associated with twice exceptionality.

Growing up is a journey for everyone. That journey is complicated enough on its own, but when your challenges are hidden from others by a set of strengths, or when those around you have difficulty seeing your gifts because your difficulties overshadow them, your journey becomes much more complicated. Welcome to the life of a 2e child. Growing Up 2e is an opportunity to hear from two individuals who were identified as twice-exceptional at different points in their lives and found ways to address their obstacles while embracing their strengths to carve out success for themselves.

In this session, our panelists will share the “secret sauce” that makes their program more 2e inclusive. Get the “ingredients” you need to create a 2e-friendly environment without reinventing the wheel. Speakers will discuss how flexibility, empathy and a strengths-based approach enhance their models.

A lot of times, 2e kids have difficulty succeeding in public schools or in programs geared for gen ed kids. Sometimes it seems like they just don’t fit in and that they need a host of accommodations that can only be found in a private school or specialized program. In this session, hear from public school, camp and community group leaders as they discuss the programs they have created or facilitated and what it is about those programs that have enabled them to become havens for twice exceptional kids. You will learn ways to accommodate these students without tearing down and reconstructing your whole program or classroom.