Mind Matters

There is more to giftedness than just intelligence. Dr. James Delisle joins us on episode 30 to talk about what’s below the surface of giftedness, and how parents, counselors, and teachers can dig a little to find out what makes gifted kids tick. About the guest - James Delisle, PhD, was a professor of education at Kent State University (Ohio) for 25 years and was selected by faculty and students there as a "Distinguished Professor", the University's most prestigious teaching award. Jim has worked on behalf of gifted children and teens for nearly four decades. The author of hundreds of articles and 17 books that have been published in multiple languages, he continues to consult with schools worldwide in an effort to increase awareness of the needs of gifted children and adults. For the past several years, Jim has worked part time with highly gifted 9th and 10th graders at the Scholars' Academy in Conway, South Carolina. Dr. Delisle’s latest book is called Understanding Your Gifted Child From the Inside Out. H

For even the most academically successful student, the social aspect of school can be incredibly stressful. When you add the complexity of being gifted or twice-exceptional, school can be overwhelming. On episode 29 we talk with Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver about the social impact of the educational experience for gifted girls. About the guest - Dr. Kathryn Fishman-Weaver is an educator, author, and advocate for student leadership. She serves as the Director of Academic Affairs and Engagement for Mizzou K-12, a global school district with 7,000+ students from over 100 countries. She’s the principal of the University of Missouri High School and Middle School. She is the author of two books on the importance of heart and high-expectations: Wholehearted Teaching of Gifted Young Women: Cultivating Courage, Connection, and Self-Care in Schools (2018, Prufrock Academic Press) and When Your Child Learns Differently: A Family Approach for Navigating Special Education Services with Love and High Expectations (Forthcomin

There is a myth that gifted people are mostly financially secure, white, and don’t require the same attention as an average child. Our guest is Marc Smolowitz, who is making a film about America’s gifted and talented population that puts those myths to rest. “The G Word” will highlight the educational challenges, social isolation, and deep emotional sensitivities of gifted people. Listen to our discussion on episode 28 of Mind Matters. About the guest - Marc Smolowitz is a multi-award-winning director, producer and executive producer who has been significantly involved in 50+ successful independent films wearing many hats across the film and entertainment business. The combined footprint of his works has touched 200+ film festivals and markets on five continents, yielding substantial worldwide sales to theatrical, television and VOD outlets, notable box office receipts, and numerous awards and nominations. His long list of credits includes films that have screened at top-tier festivals such as Sundance, Berli

On this episode we discuss some widely held ideas about education, giftedness, and intelligence that may not be as rooted in science as we thought. Explore some of our most revered and trusted theories along with us. Our guest is Dr. Devon MacEachron, who has spent much of her career tracking down the facts and sorting through the fiction. About the guest -  Dr. Devon MacEachron earned her B.A. from Amherst College (graduating in the first class of admitted women), her M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (graduating in the top 3% of her class), and her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of California at Berkeley. She has a private practice in Manhattan, specializing in consultations and assessments of gifted and twice-exceptional learners. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gift

Have we inadvertently harmed our children by taking away play time? Does our tendency to make decisions for our kids, instead of allowing them to make their own choices, negatively impact executive function? Mead Ploszay, middle school learning specialist for an independent school district in the midwest, joins us to share results of her study of student choice and unstructured, free time. About the guest - Mead Ploszay is a middle school learning specialist for Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS). She has a Master of Science (M.S.) in School Psychology & Counseling, and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from Bucknell University. Mead is also a Licensed Professional Counselor. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gifted Support Network, is the owner of Unlimited Potential Counseling & Ed

The systems in place for gifted kids in public education often fall short for 2e students. Sometimes 2e kids aren’t even identified with the limited testing resources of some schools. In the first of several episodes on twice-exceptionality this year, we talk with Chris Wiebe from Bridges Academy in Los Angeles CA about how they address the specific needs of twice-exceptional students, and how other school districts can help 2e kids thrive. About the guest - Chris Wiebe has a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D) from California State University in Los Angeles, as well as a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Literature (M.A.) from San Jose State University. He’s currently the High School Division Director at Bridges Academy in the Los Angeles area, and Managing Editor of 2E News. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gifted Support Network, is the owner of Unlimited Po

When we don’t provide a challenge for our gifted kids at school and let them fly under the radar, they can develop internal monologues that equate being smart with everything being easy. Emily Mofield and Megan Parker Peters, authors of Teaching Tenacity, Resilience, and a Drive for Excellence, on episode 24 of Mind Matters. About the guests - Emily Mofield, EdD, is an assistant professor in the College of Education at Lipscomb University. Her background includes 15 years experience teaching gifted students and leading gifted services. She has authored or co-authored several books and research articles on the social-emotional needs of gifted students, and received the NAGC Hollingworth Award for excellence in research (with Megan Parker Peters). Megan Parker Peters, PhD, is an associate professor and the Director of Teacher Education and Assessment at Lipscomb University. She is a psychologist, specializing in the needs of gifted and twice-exceptional learners. She is also the recipient of the National Associ

Never afraid to bump up against some of psychology’s doctrines, Scott Barry Kaufman joins us for a discussion about how we evaluate gifted people. We talk about the role of IQ in that evaluation, and he reveals details of his personal journey as told in his book, Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. About the guest - Scott Barry Kaufman is a Psychologist at Barnard College, Columbia University. Dr. Kaufman embraces a humanistic, integrative approach that takes into account a wide range of human variation – from learning disabilities to intellectual and creative giftedness to introversion to narcissism to twice exceptionality – to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and meaningful life. Scott writes the weekly column Beautiful Minds for Scientific American and hosts The Psychology Podcast. This spring, Scott will teach the course The Science of Living Well at Columbia University. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of giftedn

For 65 years, the National Association for Gifted Children has been holding an annual conference to help provide guidance and learning opportunities for attendees. Mind Matters now gives you a peek behind the curtain at this year’s event, held November 15-18, 2019. In this episode we bring you interviews and sound from the professionals who presented, and from the people who attended. It’s a special presentation that will hopefully give you a fresh perspective on the professionals who care for gifted kids. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gifted Support Network, is the owner of Unlimited Potential Counseling & Education Center, and is the mother of three gifted children.

It’s a challenge for gifted and talented people of color to fight the headwind of implicit biases when it comes to being identified for gifted services. Dr. Joy Lawson Davis is working to help educators recognize signs of giftedness through the lens of cultural differences, and to fight inherent biases that prevent some students from achieving their maximum potential. Dr. Davis is our guest on episode 21 of Mind Matters. About the guest - Dr. Joy Lawson Davis is a career educator with over 30 years of experience as a practitioner, scholar, author, and consultant. A graduate of the College of William & Mary, Dr. Davis holds both Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Gifted Education. She has conducted workshops, been a long-term program consultant, and served as a keynote speaker and distinguished guest lecturer in the United States, South Africa and the Caribbean. She has published numerous articles, technical reports, and book chapters. Her award-winning book, Bright,Talented & Black: a Guide for Familie

IQ is the primary measure of giftedness, but sometimes the IQ test fails to reveal the whole story. Recommended guidelines from the National Association for Gifted Children are evolving, and a new position paper has been released on using the FSIQ score to identify gifted/talented kids. We talk with Dr. Linda Kreger Silverman about her position on the subject, as well as better ways to identify 2e kids, on episode 20 of Mind Matters. About the guest - Linda Kreger Silverman, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who founded and directs the Institute for the Study of Advanced Development and its subsidiaries, Gifted Development Center (GDC) and Visual-Spatial Resource in Denver, Colorado. Her PhD is in Educational Psychology and special education from the University of Southern California. For nine years, she served on the faculty of the University of Denver in counseling psychology and gifted education. She has been studying the psychology and education of the gifted since 1961 and has written over 300 articles, ch

Signs of trauma can easily be dismissed as symptoms of something else entirely. On episode 19, Emily welcomes author and trauma expert Heather Forbes to talk about how to identify the signs of trauma, and ultimately how to control and minimize its effects. About the guest - Heather T. Forbes, LCSW, is the owner of the Beyond Consequences Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Heather has worked in the field of trauma and healing since 1999. She is an internationally published author on the topics of raising children with difficult and severe behaviors, the impact of trauma on the developing child, adoptive motherhood, and self-development. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gifted Support Network, is the owner of Unlimited Potential Counseling & Education Center, and is the mother of three gifted children.

Emily Kircher-Morris talks with family relationship expert Jennifer Kolari, author of “Connected Parenting: Set Loving Limits and Build Strong Bonds with Your Child for Life,” about ways to use the body’s natural chemicals and hormones in the formation of stronger ties with your kids or students. Giftedness often adds a layer of complexity to it, and we’ll talk about it on episode 18. About the guest - Jennifer Kolari, MSW RSW, is a child and family therapist, and one of the nation’s leading parenting experts. She’s the founder of the program Connected Parenting, and author of Connected Parenting: Set Loving Limits and Build Strong Bonds with Your Child for Life. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gifted Support Network, is the owner of Unlimited Potential Counseling & Education Center, and is the mother of three gifted children.

When a parent suspects their child may be twice exceptional - that is, gifted and an additional diagnosis - what should they do next? Increasingly, the answer is something called a Differential Diagnosis. It’s the process of sorting through two or more different disorders which share symptoms that can mask each other. Our guest on episode 17 is Dr. Catherine Hasler, an expert in the area of Differential Diagnosis. About the guest - Dr. Catherine Hasler is a licensed psychologist who specializes in Differential Diagnosis and treatment of learning, behavioral, and emotional problems of children, adolescents and adults. She has an MA, PhD in Clinical Child Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia, A BA in Psychology from Northwestern University, and did her Predoctoral Internship at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-

Self-regulation is often discussed in the context of emotions. Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Dr. Richard Cash, author of Self-Regulation in the Classroom, about educational self-regulation. When should we expect students to show signs of maturity that indicate they are ready to learn self-regulation? How can we teach them? Catch the discussion, along with Q&A from listeners, and much more, on episode 16 of Mind Matters. About the guest - Dr. Richard M. Cash received a bachelor of arts degree in theater from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He then attended the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis, where he received a post-baccalaureate degree in Elementary Education. Dr. Cash later obtained a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He returned to St. Thomas and received a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership. Dr. Cash has served as the Administrator of Gifted Programs in Rochester, Minnesota, and the Director of Gifted Programs for the B

When gifted and twice-exceptional kids struggle, it’s often because people around them don’t recognize their perspective is different from the norm, and that we can try to meet them where they are. Debbie Reber, founder of TiltParenting.com and host of the podcast of the same name, discusses how we can help kids who are ‘differently wired.’ About the guest - Debbie Reber is a parenting activist, New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker who, before creating Tilt Parenting, spent more than fifteen years writing inspiring books for women and teens and speaking about issues like media literacy, self-esteem, and confidence. Since 2002, she’s written ten books, including Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World, which was published by Workman Publishing in June 2018. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gifted Sup

Some gifted people discover they have a second diagnosis which puts them into a different category - twice-exceptional, or 2e. On episode 14 of Mind Matters, Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Christen Leah, a college student who learned she was not only gifted, but was also diagnosed with Asperger’s, now part of a family of conditions known as ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder. About the guest - Christen Leah is a twice-exceptional college student. At the age of eighteen she sought out an Asperger's diagnosis after identifying similarities between herself and other females on the spectrum through online videos. She is currently pursuing a degree in Psychology, but also maintains an interest in visual arts and music. Some of her hobbies include community theatre, playing the violin, and binge-watching animated shows and movies. She aims to be an advocate for girls with ASD to hopefully overcome the stigma and under-diagnosis presently facing girls and women with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Host Emily Kircher-Morris ha

Mindfulness is the awareness of the moment, the ability to observe and accept your feelings, stresses and sources of anxiety from a different perspective, and deal with them calmly. On episode 13 of Mind Matters, Emily Kircher-Morris talks with Michelle Benedict, from the organization Be Mindful, about how we can help gifted kids learn and utilize the skill of mindfulness. About the guest - Michelle Benedict has a Master’s in Education and certification in Gifted Education. She recently joined the Be Mindful organization based in Denver as a Program Director. Be Mindful is a non-profit organization which provides training and education for both students and educators in utilizing mindfulness as a tool to improve educational outcomes. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gifted Support Network, is the owner of Unlimited Potential Counseling & Education Ce

Emotional intensity varies from person to person, but among gifted people, it’s often markedly higher, and more of a challenge to understand and control. Critically-acclaimed author and former school psychologist Christine Fonseca joins us with her insight into emotional intensity among gifted people, on episode 12 of Mind Matters. About the guest - Christine Fonseca works to help children and adults explore the authenticity of their own voices. She’s the author of several books in the area of giftedness and emotional intensity, including Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students. Christine provides professional development to help educators understand the social and emotional needs of the gifted. She has worked as a school psychologist in the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and currently works as a consultant to school districts on the behavioral and social-emotional needs of students. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of gift

Acceleration is an option for students who are academically advanced compared to peers in their age group. When is it a good idea to consider acceleration? How can we know a student is ready? What are the social and emotional implications of acceleration? We talk with Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik of the University of Iowa about academic acceleration, on episode 11 of Mind Matters. About the guest - Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik, PhD is the Administrator for the Acceleration Institute and Research at the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education, and an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, both at the University of Iowa. Host Emily Kircher-Morris has dual Masters degrees in Counseling and Education, and specializes in the area of giftedness throughout the lifespan. She founded the non-profit organization The Gifted Support Network, is the owner of Unlimited Potential Counseling & Education Center, and is the mother of three gifted children.