Program: - the Gifted Development Center

Program:8:00 – 8:30 Registration and Continental Breakfast8:30 – 8:45 Welcome – Linda Silverman8:45 – 10:15 Keynote – Ellen Dove Fiedler, Ph.D.You Don’t Outgrow It! Giftedness Across the Lifespan10:15 -10:30 Break10:30 – 11:30 Panel of gifted adults – Cheryl McGuirk, Facilitator11:30 – 12:30 Lunch12:30 – 12:40 Advanced Development Journal – Nancy Miller, Ph.D.12:40 – 1:40 Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D.Being Out-of-Sync: Still Gifted After All These Years1:40 – 2:30 Facilitated Discussion GroupsFive designated topics, three open conversations2:30 – 2:45 Dessert BreakThe Joys and Challenges of the Gifted Family – Cheryl McGuirkTranscendent Experiences: Living One’s Spiritual Giftedness– Patricia Gatto-WaldenBringing Giftedness and Consciousness to Our Relationships– Michael Davis and Susan McCallumEvolutionary Aspects of Giftedness – Betty MaxwellThe 9th Stage of (hu)Man: Resolution and Completion– Kelduyn GarlandFacilitators of Open Discussions: Linda Silverman,Barbara Mitchell Hutton, Terry Bradley2:45 - 3:45 Patricia Gatto-Walden, Ph.D.Living One’s Spirit Song3:45 – 4:30 Question and Answer Panel:Patricia Gatto-Walden, Ellen Fiedler, Linda Silverman,Cheryl McGuirk

Featured Speakers:You Don’t Outgrow It! Giftedness Across the LifespanEllen Dove Fiedler“I couldn’t possibly be gifted!” How many times have you heard an adult say this –someone who is (to you) obviously gifted? How many times have you said this toyourself (either in your mind or out loud to someone else)? Even those adults whoacknowledge their own giftedness struggle with its meaning and ramifications.This keynote address is designed to shed light on the complex issues of giftednessacross the lifespan. Regardless of whether or not giftedness was identified when anindividual was in school, those who are gifted remain so, whether their gifts and talents areever recognized – either by themselves or others. Threads and themes of giftedness weaveacross the tapestry of the lives of gifted adults and manifest themselves at various stages oftheir development – from young adulthood, through the middle years and on into elderhood.In many cases these transcend standard expectations such as those described by Erikson,Sheehy, and others.The paradox of giftedness across the lifespan is that some gifted adults spend all of their yearsliving life to the hilt, while others “live lives of quiet desperation.” This session will explore theextremes of life as a gifted adult, at all ages. Resources for further exploration will be shared.Ellen D. Fiedler, Ph.D. – A Brief BiographyEllen Dove Fiedler, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Master in Arts in Gifted Education(M.A.G.E.) program, Northeastern Illinois University, regularly provides professionaldevelopment for school districts and other educational agencies. Her Ph.D. was in Counselingand Guidance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she worked at the GuidanceInstitute for Talented Students there. She has been a Gifted Program Coordinator and a StateConsultant for Gifted and has provided consultation services and presentations nationally andinternationally. She is a regular presenter at state, national, and international conferences andis a published author, including writing the chapter on gifted adults in Living with Intensity.Ellen lives in Florida during the winter and in Michigan in the summer and is immediate PastPresident of the Michigan Alliance for Gifted Education.Contact information: ellenfiedler@comcast.net

Being Out-of-Sync: Still Gifted After All These YearsLinda Kreger SilvermanHighly successful individuals often feel like imposters waiting to be unmasked.Many gifted adults—the walking wounded—feel estranged and lonely, not realizingit is their own giftedness that is at the heart of this experience. Many havenever been identified at all; others feel that they only “used to be gifted” inchildhood and that they outgrew it when they left school. Most feel that there issomething wrong with them that is not fixable. They struggle constantly betweenintegrity and accommodation, viewing all of life as a complex set ofethical dilemmas. When giftedness is removed from the realm of recognizedachievement, it becomes clear that it is a form of atypical development, which leads to uniqueexperiences throughout the life cycle. Gifted children and adults are asynchronous. Asynchronyis uneven development, advanced cognitive complexity, and heightened sensitivity and intensity,leading to unusual awareness and the consequent feeling of being out-of-sync with otherson the planet, as well as within oneself. These characteristics are lifelong and differentiate theexperience of gifted individuals from birth to maturity. It is essential that gifted individualscome to terms with their differences and the impact their giftedness has had on others’ perceptionsof them and their own self-perceptions.Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D. - A Brief BiographyLinda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist. She directs the Institute forthe Study of Advanced Development, and its subsidiary, the Gifted Development Center(www.gifteddevelopment.com) in Denver, Colorado. Over 6,000 children have been assessedat the Gifted Development Center in the last 31 years. She also founded Visual-SpatialResource (www.visualspatial.org). Her Ph.D. is in educational psychology and special educationfrom the University of Southern California. For nine years, she served on the faculty of theUniversity of Denver in counseling psychology and gifted education. She co-chaired the NAGCTask Force on IQ Interpretation, during which research was conducted leading to extendednorms on the WISC-IV. She has been studying the psychology and education of the gifted since1961 and has written over 300 articles, chapters and books, including Counseling the Giftedand Talented, Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner and Advanced Development:A Collection of Works on Gifted Adults.Contact information: gifted@gifteddevelopment.com

Living One’s Spirit SongPatricia Gatto-WaldenWe gifted folks are individuals of enormous capacity, intensity, sensitivity,contemplation, and innovation. As well, we are persons often disgruntled, restless,impatient, judgmental, and dissatisfied. We aspire to heightened states ofbeing, to a sense of freedom in self-expression and vivacity in daily living. Thequestion arises, how can I respond to life’s challenges and struggles and simultaneouslylive a rich and contented life? Please join me for practical guidanceon how to awaken your inner sensors, embrace your exceptionality and authenticallythrive.Patricia Gatto-Walden, Ph.D. - A Brief BiographyPatricia Gatto-Walden, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized licensed psychologist who hasworked holistically with thousands of gifted and profoundly gifted children, adolescents andadults for three decades. Patty has helped parents, educators and administrators understandand accept the multifaceted inner world, needs and concerns of gifted individuals. It is herbelief that home life, education and counseling of the gifted must attend to the integration andenhancement of the mind, heart, body, spirit and social self in order to attain contentment andbalance in everyday life. Patty has been a featured speaker at international and national giftedconferences and educational workshops and is chair of the Global Awareness Division ofNAGC. She has offices in Boulder and Denver, Colorado and Amelia Island, Florida.Contact information: www.patriciagatto-walden.com

Advanced Development JournalA publication of the Institute for the Study of Advanced DevelopmentAdvanced Development Journal was created to help gifted adults, including parents of giftedchildren, to recognize themselves. In Advanced Development, we define giftedness in adults ina very different manner, as higher level values, instead of higher level income or notability.This journal provides a vehicle for examining how giftedness is reflected in the quality of one’slife, not just in the influence of one’s work. Begun in 1989, the journal explores theoretical andphilosophical perspectives, moral exemplars, issues of gifted adults, etc. Advanced Developmentgave birth to a new discipline—the field of counseling gifted adults.Nancy B. Miller, Ph.D. - A Brief BiographyNancy B. Miller, Ph.D., is a social psychologist at the Institute for the Study ofAdvanced Development and Editor of Advanced Development, a journal on adultgiftedness. She holds degrees in psychology and sociology and has receivedadvanced training in family processes and children’s psychological adjustment.She brings a sociological perspective to her assessment of children at the GiftedDevelopment Center. Her numerous publications focus on Dabrowski’s theory ofemotional development, gender and giftedness, and women's social support and adjustment.Contact information: nmiller@uakron.eduFacilitated Discussions:The Joys and Challenges of the Gifted FamilyCheryl McGuirkParenting gifted children can be both exhilarating and exhausting! Do you share some of thesame sensitivities and intensities as your gifted child? Or perhaps are you are wired verydifferently? Join us to discuss both the joys and challenges of parenting through the lens ofgiftedness.Cheryl McGuirk, LCSW, earned a Master's Degree in Social Work from theUniversity of Chicago and is a licensed clinical social worker. Cheryl has spent thepast 25 years in gifted education, first as a therapist/consultant at the IllinoisMathematics and Science Academy and, currently, as Director of Student Servicesat the Avery Coonley School in Downers Grove, Illinois. Cheryl is passionate aboutserving the social and emotional development of gifted children and adults, and helping parentsand educators understand and support these needs.Contact information: mcguche@averycoonley.org

Bringing Giftedness and Consciousness to our RelationshipsMichael Davis and Susan McCallumWe invite you to participate with us in a discussion about bringing giftedness and consciousnessto our relationships. We may discuss such patterns as the rise and fall of romantic love,power struggles, conscious love, the value of appreciations, and crossing the bridge into anotherperson's world, as well as the questions, issues, and concerns you wish to bring to thetable. Given the time constraints, we will decide together whether to focus primarily on romanticrelationships, or to broaden the focus.Michael Davis is a Certified Imago Relationship Therapist, has beena psychotherapist and the Staff Counselor at the Gifted DevelopmentCenter for over 30 years. Susan McCallum is a Certified ImagoRelationship Educator, having been a artist and teacher for 25 years.Both are Certified Imago Couples Workshop Presenters. Togethersince 1992, parents of five gifted individuals aged 27 to 40, Susan andMichael teach with open hearts and willingly model what they are teaching.Contact information: Michael@proactiverelationship.comSusan@proactiverelationship.comEvolutionary Aspects of GiftednessBetty MaxwellMight there be some evolutionary significance underlying well-known aspects of the adultgifted experience? Might intensity, sensitivity, perfectionism, loneliness, intuitive openness,and the allure of complexity be part of a greater trajectory than we realize? Plan for widerangingspeculation as we explore the possibilities.Betty Maxwell, M.A. holds a Master’s degree in gifted education, taught for 15years in a school for the gifted, and is also a certified psychosynthesis educatorand counselor. Senior Staff Director at the Gifted Development Center, she providesDial-Log telephone consultations for families and individuals, as well as seesclients in person. She serves at Vice President of the Institute for the Study ofAdvanced Development and was former editor of the Institute’s journal, Advanced Development.Test administration and analysis help fuel her deep interest in psychological aspects ofdevelopment and self-actualization. Also Director of Visual-Spatial Resource (www.VisualSpatial.org),she is currently working on a book about ways to teach visual-spatial learners.Contact information: bettymax@q.com

The 9th Stage of (hu)Man: Reconciliation and CompletionKelduyn R. GarlandErik Erikson wrote about 8 stages in human development from birth through retirement. Hedid not address the 9th Stage, the elder years of post retirement in which many elderly seniorsbecome progressively dependent. They have developmental tasks until their death in coming toterms (reconciliation and completion) with the life they have lived. Gifted adults, who havebeen light years ahead of others all of their lives, have unique aspects of this stage to address.In this discussion group, we will look at the dynamics of this stage of life, as well as share whatit means for us, individually, as gifted adults.Kelduyn Garland, Ph.D., has worked in geriatric mental health as a BodyMindtherapist addressing major life transitions, related loss and grief, end of life issuesand coming to resolution with the life lived and birthing out for more than fourdecades. A licensed mental health professional in Colorado and Florida, she holdsdoctorates in Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy. A co-author of amajor medical textbook, she consults and trains internationally and has publications on lossand grief issues.Contact information: innerconnections@mindspring.comTranscendent Experiences: Living One’s Spiritual GiftednessPatricia Gatto-WaldenSome among us show evidence of heightened spirituality—profound sensitivity and expansion,depth of empathy, integrity, intuitive inner guidance, equality with all, and an ability to movebeyond everyday reality into oneness with a supreme being, nature, the universe, or “All ThatIs.” These leave an undeniable imprint in our lives, and something in us is forever altered.Often there can appear to be no safe place to integrate their meaning in our lives. We willdiscuss the continuum between spiritual experiences and being spiritually gifted and thedifferences between individuals who spontaneously have or seek mystical experiences andthose who seek but do not enter such expanded realms of being.Patricia Gatto-Walden, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized licensed psychologistwho has worked holistically with thousands of gifted and profoundly gifted children,adolescents and adults for three decades. Patty enables others to understandand accept the multifaceted inner world, needs and concerns of gifted individuals.It is her belief that home life, education and counseling of the gifted must attendto the integration and enhancement of the mind, heart, body, spirit and social self in order toattain contentment and balance in everyday life. Patty is chair of the Global AwarenessNetwork of NAGC. She has offices in Boulder and Denver, Colorado and Amelia Island,Florida.Contact information: www.patriciagatto-walden.com

Open Topic Facilitators:Terry Bradley, M.A. is the Gifted and Talented Advisor at Fairview High inBoulder, Colorado. She facilitates student and parent discussion groups and is atrainer for SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). She is the presidentof Boulder Valley Gifted and Talented, and is a board member of the ColoradoAssociation for Gifted and Talented. Terry was the 2005 recipient of the Parent OfThe Year award from the Colorado Association of Gifted & Talented.Contact information: terbradley@comcast.netBarbara Mitchell Hutton, M.B.A., parent of a 23 year-old highly gifted daughter,founded Rocky Mountain School for the Gifted and Creative, serving as Headof School for 18 years. Barbara is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences.She is the National Association for Gifted Children Global AwarenessNetwork program chair, a member of the Boulder Valley School District AdvisoryCommittee for Talented and Gifted programs and the advocacy chair of Boulder Valley Giftedand Talented. As a consultant, she provides professional development, program developmentand evaluation, parent education and works with schools and organizations to maximize theirpotential.Contact information: BarbaraMitchellHutton@comcast.netLinda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist. She directs theInstitute for the Study of Advanced Development, and its subsidiary, the GiftedDevelopment Center (www.gifteddevelopment.com) in Denver, Colorado. Fornine years, she served on the faculty of the University of Denver in counselingpsychology and gifted education. She has been studying the psychology andeducation of the gifted since 1961 and has written over 300 articles, chapters and books,including Counseling the Gifted and Talented, Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-SpatialLearner and Advanced Development: A Collection of Works on Gifted Adults.Contact information: gifted@gifteddevelopment.com