Your Extraordinary Saturday (YES)

March 29: When Your Child’s Job of School is Taking Over Your Family, Carol Malueg

Gifted and 2e kids often experience frustration with their job—the job of school.  This can lead to anything from ignoring what they call busy work to outright school refusal.  Family relationships can suffer when parents and caregivers feel required to monitor and support homework completion.  How do you cope when your child hates school and it interferes with your relationships at home?  Let’s talk about what you have the power to change and ways to help your child find a sense of ownership and personal pride in the job of school.

Bio: Carol Malueg is a learning coach and consultant, specializing in gifted and twice-exceptional education and support.  Carol sits on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented (MCGT) and the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum (GHF).  She was honored with the MCGT Friend of the Gifted Award in 2020 and the Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) Presidential Award for Distinguished Service in 2021.  Her company, Gifted Roads, addresses the gifted and multi-exceptional experience across the lifespan.

April 5: Decoding Puzzling Minds: Giftedness & Neurodiversity , Dr. Megan Helmen

This session focuses on understanding giftedness as a form of neurodivergence, emphasizing both the strengths and challenges associated with it. We will explore how giftedness often manifests in unique cognitive, emotional, and social traits which can sometimes be mistaken for symptoms of other conditions. Engaging activities and discussion among participants will foster a deeper understanding of the gifted experience. From there, we will collaboratively identify actionable steps that families can take to nurture their child's strengths while mitigating challenges with a take-home advocacy tool. By the end of the session, parents will gain a framework for understanding children's traits and behaviors as well as a balanced approach to supporting them.

Bio: Dr. Megan Helmen is a pediatric neuropsychologist who has been in the field for 13+ years. She has developed a niche in identifying developmental disabilities in gifted individuals, who are a joy to get to know and a unique challenge to understand and support. She believes in balancing clinical expertise and research-based interventions with connection and a sense of humor. In her private practice, Developmental Discoveries, she has developed an evaluation process that values each child as a whole human who can be included by asking questions and receiving feedback.

Recent Presentations:

• "Using Mind-Body Science to Enhance the Well-Being of Gifted Families" - Dr. Andrea Johnson
• "Recognizing Anxiety in Gifted Children" - Shelly Harvey
• "Supporting the Academic Success of the Visually-Spatially Talented" - Martha Palm
• "The Challenge of Being Good at Almost Everything" - Josh Chambers
• "The Parenting Journey" - Dr. Teresa Argo Boatman
• "Defining Success Your Own Way" - Tina van Erp
• "Easy Ways to Cultivate Critical and Creative Thinking at Home" - Molly Hammel
• "The Origin of Worries in Gifted Children" - Dr. Lori Migdal
• "Building Relationships And Self-Efficacy Skills To Support Academic Success" - Dr. Melissa Malen
• "ADHD: Symptoms, Superpowers, Self-Image, and Support" - Dr. Liz Adams
• "Guiding Principles For Raising Gifted Kids" - Dr. Danika Maddocks
• "If Gifted Kids Are So Smart, Why Can't They Just..." - Anne Tyler
• "Perfectionism, Passions, Problems, And Possibilities" - Pam McDonald
• "Executive Functioning in Gifted Children" - Jennifer Siebenaler
• "Navigating a Gifted Child's Educational Journey: Strategies to Support Parent-Teacher Collaboration" - Dr. Carol Hokanson