Bright and Quirky Conference + homeschooling

[Lecka]

Oh, wow, something new to me in the Seth Perler talk.  I did not know executive function was needed for reflection.... a huge frustration to me is:  going on to the next thing with no reflection.  And I do go over these things for the parent view, but with a sense of “WHY can’t he reflect on things?” and it will be much easier for me to view this as an executive functioning thing. 

I also think I am a very organized person, and the bright side is it is easier for me to follow through on routines, and the negative is I do not have natural understanding or empathy.... but watching this I feel a lot better about being good about following through on routines.  

I also like that he says to be happy about tiny amounts of progress, expect lots of repetition, and don’t expect one-and-done major breakthroughs.  I like that and it is nice, sometimes I think that can get skipped over, like a movie montage, lol.  

[Lecka]

I am about half-way through Seth Perler now, wow, really good!

[Lecka]

Oh, and I got a little further in Scott Perler.... a lot of things my son does not want me to be involved with anymore, but he is handling things on his own.  

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, Lecka said:

Oh, wow, something new to me in the Seth Perler talk.  I did not know executive function was needed for reflection....

Unfortunately so. And if a person is not prone to reflection by personality AND has this particular EF deficit...not funny.

 

[Lecka]

At this point, I like natural consequences, but then, what is left over from natural consequences I think takes some help from parents.  We tend to have a fair amount left over after natural consequences.  

It does just make more sense to me, that we need executive functioning in order to reflect.....

It is just so frustrating to see lessons not be learned, because there wasn’t reflection, or the reflection was so one-sided.  And then the same problem happens again even with natural consequences.  

I think it’s iust easier to see how the scaffolding makes sense.  

But I think it’s one of those things, where natural consequences don’t completely work “as advertised.”

[kbutton]

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/adhd-zoe/2011/08/mirror-mirror-self-awareness-and-adhd/

I thought this was an interesting blog post about this. I am googling more Russell Barkley stuff on this in particular. 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

We've been doing Seth Perler's weekly reset method with our younger son for the past two years.  I find that he needs a nightly checkin as well as a weekly reset.  I just finished doing his re-set for next week and as we talked over his weekly schedule, I realized there were a couple of things I need to put on my list (supplies to pick up, etc.). That same kid just came to tell me as I'm typing this that we are low on AA batteries.  That's huge progress.  I'm seeing some things start to transfer over into planning ahead thoughts.  

We work reflection into everything we do.  Both boys went on a trip to a nearby ski resort last weekend. It was a group activity, and it was horribly managed. We sat down in the aftermath and talked about what went badly, why they think it went badly, and what could've been done differently instead. We have to really troubleshoot each step of the process.  I can't just ask, "Did everyone have enough gear?" I have to break it down into dressed appropriately (what that means), whether they had the right technical equipment (and list that out), etc.  I've been doing this with oldest for about 8 years now and he can just now do a lot of the planning....he's still working on being able to organize plans, communicate those in advance, and follow-up (the people-ing part of things).  Those things just don't come naturally to the boys at all so we really have to practice, practice, practice to make the connections. 

I'm hoping to make it through the other talks tonight. It's just hard to work that much listening time into life.

[Lecka]

My 8th grader has avoided the Dip this year, and without me managing him.  So we have some real positives.  

[Pen]

Wasn’t able to catch anything today, if I can only catch one before they go off, which is best of day 4?

[Lecka]

I didn’t watch Michelle Garcia Winner or Temple Grandin just because I have already seen/read so much by them.  

I think look at the summaries or pick one of them, they are great.

I thought Seth and Elaine were great on Day 5.  

Edit:  my younger son has autism and Michelle and Temple are major names, some other days there has been stuff that is a lot less familiar to me.  

Edited February 2, 2019 by Lecka

[prairiewindmomma]

Pen—sorry I didn’t see this last night! 

Ned Hallowell’s comments didn’t resonate with me this time. They have in the past. This time he seemed focused on talking about how connection can help us overcome adversity.

Elaine Taylor Klauss is a new speaker to me. Her material echoed a lot of what had been said by previous speakers but I appreciated her approach.

Seth Perler is a repeat from last year. Most of his material from the talk is on his website.

Ashanti Branch spoke on needing to find a space to find stuff that makes us come alive and on the masks we wear in presenting ourselves to the world. He made a point that often we self-medicate with devices.

[prairiewindmomma]

Today’s material is on anxiety.

[scbusf]

I'm watching Lisa's talk about Perfectionism right now. I'm only half way though and have already written 3 pages of notes. I love this one. It really resonates with me right now with where my kids are.

[Runningmom80]

Does anyone feel like the all access pass is worth it if I didn't catch the first 4 days?

[prairiewindmomma]

I'm pretty picky about how I splash my cash.  Last year's conference resonated more with me. I'm trying to pin my finger onto why that is.  Last year I felt like the speakers were speaking about their books/programs more and this year they're hitting different tangents on the repeat conference. It's not bad, but it's not the same.  I think, personally, I would be inclined to track down some of the books of the speakers instead. I think becoming familiar with their material is helpful but I don't know that the first four days of this conference have wowed me enough that I'd jump for the all access pass. I totally see why others would, though.

[Lecka]

I liked Denise Pope a lot from Day 6.

It wouldn’t be worth the money for me, but I am a bit cheap.  I also am so tired of buying things that don’t end up working out well.  I agonized over re-buying the activity book for AAR 2 I am doing with my younger son.... yay, it’s a hit. 

I think it could be worthwhile for another person, though.  If it looks really good I think it could be really good.  

If you are drawn mainly to one area I think you could buy books for those speakers.  

I am considering buying a book for $20, it’s in my Amazon cart.  But there are other talks I’ve turned off after 10 minutes with them just not applying here.  

[hepatica]

I am feeling a bit of whiplash watching these interviews. A couple days ago I was all on board focusing on accommodating strengths and not focusing so much on weaknesses.

Then I watched Seth Perler and it was like a lightening strike. He was describing my DD exactly. Of course she cannot keep track of all this on her own. She really is struggling with executive function and it requires constant upkeep and repetition to solidify those skills. This was something I had personally been struggling with. How much to step in. We just had the "dip" here a couple weeks ago when I had her check her portal and found she had a dozen zeros resulting in an f+ for one class (what exactly is an f+ anyway). It took a lot of careful intervention to convince her that she could get those things completed and get back on track. We are all so spooked about helicoptering that it makes us hesitant to see what is right in front of us, and that is that these kids are stuck in a system that absolutely requires skills that they don't yet have. If we are going to go the school route and not return to homeschooling then somebody has to help her get those skills in place. She is just not yet a strong enough swimmer to be thrown into the deep end of high school organization. With anxiety added to the top of that it's like trying to swim in ski clothes.

Then today I watched Denise Pope, and really liked her focus on changing the system. We need different schedules and different teaching yada yada yada.  But, that 's not what we have. My kid is overloaded but even if you could change the system, doesn't she still need to work on executive function skills. Those deficits are real, not just a result of a flawed educational system. It would be great if all tests were untimed and she weren't singled out as the only kid in class using a chromebook to type all her assignments and tests, and she certainly would benefit from more project based learning, but she still needs help to organize and plan or else all that awry as well.  It's exhausting. I don't know what to focus on either. 

 

[Pen]

7 hours ago, scbusf said:

I'm watching Lisa's talk about Perfectionism right now. I'm only half way though and have already written 3 pages of notes. I love this one. It really resonates with me right now with where my kids are.

 

Me too.  resonant for me more than dc

[Pen]

45 minutes ago, Lecka said:

I liked Denise Pope a lot from Day 6.

It wouldn’t be worth the money for me, but I am a bit cheap.  I also am so tired of buying things that don’t end up working out well.  I agonized over re-buying the activity book for AAR 2 I am doing with my younger son.... yay, it’s a hit. 

I think it could be worthwhile for another person, though.  If it looks really good I think it could be really good.  

If you are drawn mainly to one area I think you could buy books for those speakers.  

I am considering buying a book for $20, it’s in my Amazon cart.  But there are other talks I’ve turned off after 10 minutes with them just not applying here.  

 

Same.  I missed some entirely, but can write down names and find websites etc.  Today seems very relevant to our struggles. But a previous day seemed to have less relevant or at least less new to me and I tried a few very briefly and moved on.

[Runningmom80]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I'm pretty picky about how I splash my cash.  Last year's conference resonated more with me. I'm trying to pin my finger onto why that is.  Last year I felt like the speakers were speaking about their books/programs more and this year they're hitting different tangents on the repeat conference. It's not bad, but it's not the same.  I think, personally, I would be inclined to track down some of the books of the speakers instead. I think becoming familiar with their material is helpful but I don't know that the first four days of this conference have wowed me enough that I'd jump for the all access pass. I totally see why others would, though.

 

Thank you! This was feeling I originally had when I saw the line up. I purchased the pass last year and did find it valuable which was the only reason I was considering it again. I caught some of the anxiety videos and they were good but nothing I haven’t heard. 

[Lecka]

Hepatica — I’m not sure your child’s age.  

If she had so many zeros — my son, when he was younger, qualified for an IEP when I let him have zeros.  It showed he needed an IEP more.  I don’t know if it would work that way for you.  Do you want to try for school supports for her?  School supports really helped my son when he was younger.  

Personally we are at a transition period when my son is doing a lot better in some ways so some things are different than they used to be.  

If scaffolding is needed then remember:  scaffolding is not helicoptering!  

[Lecka]

I feel like we are having a bit of a harsh transition from needing to scaffold to needing to back off, with my son getting older, it is a big change.  I definitely feel like some things apply more to a child who needs more scaffolding, and some things apply more to a child who needs to move on from having scaffolding.  

With supports you do always want to have enough supports but not too much, and not remove supports too soon, but also not keep unnecessary supports.  Easier said than done though!  

[Lecka]

Hepatica — with some of my comments, for context, we have done heavy, heavy,  needed scaffolding, and my son had an IEP including executive functioning supports... and then at a certain point we got recommended to reduce supports and give my son a chance to be more independent.   But we’re just at a different stage, it’s not like we skipped having heavy scaffolding.  

Also, on Chromebooks, will that situation change in a higher grade?  Here they use Chromebooks more starting in 6th grade;  in our previous district starting in 7th grade.  When we moved here, we had a choice of two districts and the one that is better for my younger son also has more use of Chromebooks in 6th grade and up.  It’s a big difference between two neighboring districts here, for how their middle schools are set up.  I don’t know if your daughter is old enough to be in a grade where they have them more or the school could make a difference.  

Anyway the Chromebooks are a lot easier when everyone is using them.  

[hepatica]

My DD is a freshman in high school. But this is her first year in school. She has been homeschooled until now. She has a 504 plan, but so far it has not really addressed executive functioning, just her dyslexia/dysgraphia. All the students have Chromebooks, but she is allowed to use hers for all written assignments and written parts of tests. So she uses it when everyone else is using pen and paper. 

I feel a bit like the scaffolding needed changes over time. Sometimes things get better, but then the jump to high school makes it seem like she is a little kid again. There is a ton of just stuff to keep track of. There are 8 periods in the day and two portals. Some teachers post things religiously on their classroom pages, but others write assignments on the board or just post a monthly assignment sheet, so she needs to remember to take a photo of the board and check assignment sheets. And some teachers post digital copies of handouts so she can type her assignments and turn them in digitally. But, if she forgets to turn them in when she finishes, then there is no in class reminder because she is not turning in a hard copy. I have a hard time keeping track of it all. 

 

[Lecka]

I think you have a lot of options.

Something that helps my son is to take study hall.  He has fewer classes and a break in the day.  He can get homework done or he can read.  

He is in 8th grade, btw.

Another idea is — I liked Seth Perler for the talks and he has a web site.  I think maybe you didn’t know your daughter would have executive functioning issues or it is just the transition to school.  But there is a lot out there for executive functioning.  

If she is new to keeping track of assignments — you may want to start with more support.  This may mean looking at her Portal, going through her backpack, asking her specifically if she has turned things in, etc.   

Another idea is — she isn’t currently identified as needing executive functioning help.  Can that be added? What would that look like?  What does your daughter want?

My son had this help and it was really good, when he was younger.  

This might be something where you do scaffolding at home, or it might be something where you ask her IEP (or 504) coordinator.  

It will just depend.  

Ninth grade is also a big transition year for kids who aren’t new to public school.  

My son started having “all the zeros” sometime in 4th grade, and this year (8th grade) is his first year getting things turned in reliably.  He was improving from the middle of last year though.  

This probably seems obvious — but nothing is obvious to my son.  Make really clear how much a zero will hurt a grade.  My son used to take papers to do a better job and then lose them, and it is something where — we can appreciate how this comes from a really positive impulse, but it’s going to hurt grades.  We have to talk to my son about this.  The fact is — if he doesn’t turn something in at the usual time, then it’s a huge risk for him to forget about it or lose it.  It just is what it is.  

My son also does better to hand write some things that are short even if they are so messy.  It is turned in and no extra trouble.  

What works for your daughter will be what she likes.  

[prairiewindmomma]

Two of the supports my Ds has in public school are 1. A weekly printed grade card home that shows missing assignments. Although I can see the same info online, it is a tangible talking point between school/child/home and 2. His SPED classes have a built in study hall one day a week for all other schoolwork. 

Ds needs to use his chrome book but won’t. It means that nearly all homework AND class work is happening at home.

The kid is going to have supports until if/when he doesn’t need them anymore. Ds17 (different kid) had a hard burn this semester when I tried to back off too fast.

—-the public school changed its 0 policy just this fall semester. The new principal is a former SPED teacher and it has been great for changing school culture and practices. We have a lot of languages, cultures, and needs at the current middle school. They are trying to keep kids successful now so they don’t develop learned helplessness and drop out in high school. 

[Lecka]

I’m going to add for some context about him having been in public school all along.....

First there are so many advantages from homeschooling.  Your daughter has been saved from so much hassle and negativity.  

But anyway — here is the model my son had, to some extent, as far as “the Dip.”  It’s kind-of ideal and there as an assumption that being a functional typer and using Chromebooks would make a huge difference for him (he was not able to type when he was younger).  

Anyway — he had pretty intensive executive functioning supports in the end of elementary school.

Then he faded those supports in middle school, with a high learning curve.  But he has made a lot of progress.  

Anyway — with this model — you give your child middle school to make a lot of mistakes and figure things out, ideally figuring things out before high school.  

That’s the model we have had with my son, that is the concept of it.  

He is only diagnosed with dysgraphia and he also really didn’t want to be having any extra help at school anymore.  

Anyway — that is what might have been happening all along in public school.  

On the other hand some kids have a steep learning curve getting to high school, who have never had trouble before, and just need to adjust.  

My son definitely had executive functioning issues identified by his teachers, though, when he was younger.  

But it has a lot to do with confidence with him.  When he is confident he can do great.  When he has been doing well, he continues to do well.  

So he has that kind of executive functioning issues where it is impacted by how he is doing emotionally, so I think it’s not quite the same.  

Anyway — just some thoughts.  

But I mention it because — I think it may change how you think of supports.  I can see you might be talked out of supports because they think some things are for younger kids, but if she didn’t have them younger, then she didn’t have them younger.  At the same time she might not want school supports anyway.  

But scaffolding is good!  

I think any internal/external voices about helicopter parenting just have to be disregarded, it is just not helpful.  

Yes there are valid point there, but we have to work with kids where they are, and sometimes where they are needs scaffolding.  

 

[Lecka]

I will add, my son is a little touchy and I am not able to always do things the way I think is best.  I can’t make him have supports he doesn’t want.  He would be surly.  

Really — I can’t choose things how I want, and also have him take ownership and show any kind of initiative.  

Probably things could have gone differently when he was younger, but, this is where we are.  

[Storygirl]

I didn't know about this online conference soon enough to carve out time to sign up and listen. Is it something they do every year?

Also, I admit to feeling a little ...... annoyed, maybe.... to see that it is billed as about 2E kids. Are the tools and skills addressed really only applicable to 2E people?

I am feeling a little cantankerous in general today and wouldn't normally say anything. But I also see the same thing in threads here all of the time. People talk about how certain things relate especially to 2E students, and I feel a little closed out of that. Yet, when I read those comments, the things mentioned also apply to my non-2E kids. I think that more things apply across the board, IQ wise, than people might realize. So why specify that the conference is for 2E? Why not make it welcoming to all with learning issues?

Okay, I'll step off of my soap box now.

[prairiewindmomma]

Storygirl—95%+ of the material is about the exceptionalities—ADHD, sensory processing issues, ASD (though less about this), anxiety.... There’s a bit about giftedness occasionally—-mostly revolving around the asynchronocity of development and about the perfectionism/sensitivity/perfectionism that comes with giftedness.

No 2E kids are alike but there are some common profiles. My two 2E sons have VERY different challenges. One of my kids is a top performer, the other spends more time in SPED than not.  I think the conference is named/focused on that based on the founder’s own therapy practice and personal family situation. But, certainly, there is a lot out there for anyone dealing with any challenge/exceptionality.

[prairiewindmomma]

I am just getting started on today’s material. 

The first talk on perfectionism is a must listen! I am taking so many notes!!

[Pen]

4 hours ago, Storygirl said:

I didn't know about this online conference soon enough to carve out time to sign up and listen. Is it something they do every year?

Also, I admit to feeling a little ...... annoyed, maybe.... to see that it is billed as about 2E kids. Are the tools and skills addressed really only applicable to 2E people?

I am feeling a little cantankerous in general today and wouldn't normally say anything. But I also see the same thing in threads here all of the time. People talk about how certain things relate especially to 2E students, and I feel a little closed out of that. Yet, when I read those comments, the things mentioned also apply to my non-2E kids. I think that more things apply across the board, IQ wise, than people might realize. So why specify that the conference is for 2E? Why not make it welcoming to all with learning issues?

Okay, I'll step off of my soap box now.

 

I put a link to this thread on chat because I thought some parts might relate to anyone .  Not even requiring either part of 2E.  

Though some talks or parts of talks  seemed particular to ADHD or particular to autism .  

 

[Pen]

Both the perfectionism and anxiety ones today are very relevant for my family.  

I found the website for Lisa Van Gemert, and ordered a used copy of her book aPerfectionism which seems to be OOP right now. Or maybe this talk sold out what there was of new ones. 

did anyone catch a website or book or other reference for Rachel Busman - the one on anxiety?  

[hepatica]

10 hours ago, Storygirl said:

I didn't know about this online conference soon enough to carve out time to sign up and listen. Is it something they do every year?

Also, I admit to feeling a little ...... annoyed, maybe.... to see that it is billed as about 2E kids. Are the tools and skills addressed really only applicable to 2E people?

I am feeling a little cantankerous in general today and wouldn't normally say anything. But I also see the same thing in threads here all of the time. People talk about how certain things relate especially to 2E students, and I feel a little closed out of that. Yet, when I read those comments, the things mentioned also apply to my non-2E kids. I think that more things apply across the board, IQ wise, than people might realize. So why specify that the conference is for 2E? Why not make it welcoming to all with learning issues?

Okay, I'll step off of my soap box now.

This is a good point. Most of the material is focused on one or two areas and is applicable to students with learning differences generally. Perhaps the 2E billing is just a sort of umbrella to try to pull together topics that often treated as distinct from one another. The whole labeling thing is problematic in that regard because there is so much overlap and mislabeling going on. I have found SBK's book Ungifted, and Todd Rose The End of Average, and Gail Saltz The Power of Different, to be really helpful books in thinking about the problems of labeling.

I feel like I bounce back and forth between trying to think differently about differently wired brains and trying to find the best ways to navigate a world where thinking differently about differently wired brains is not yet the norm. The 2E label has been helpful for me in the latter instance. My DD entered the school system for the first time this year as a freshman in high school. The placement testing was pretty lame - just some vocab and reading comprehension that took less than an hour. From those results the guidance counselors came out and said they would put her in all honors classes. I knew that would be a disaster and requested a meeting to discuss her full neuropsych report, which I had had privately done a year before. They just wanted to wait and see what would happen, but since I already had the testing I did the meeting right away. From the report you could see her IQ and reasoning in the superior range, and her processing and spelling and writing in the low range. So you could see how even though you would expect high achievement based on her aptitude scores, what you were getting was average achievement that masked both her disability and her ability. And, even with accommodation this has played out in class. She is in mid level courses and with organizational help is managing ok, but it is a struggle. The 2E label has helped us come to terms with the fact that she is not just lazy or underachieving because of some lack of effort, but that she is extremely capable and just stuck in a system that doesn't fit well. I think the label just helps with the frustration and compromise that we are always dealing with. 

[Pen]

@hepatica yep. I can relate, I think.  Our situation is not exactly the same but there are parallels.  

My son’s IQ is in very superior and he’s still _____ (not sure right word—I had put struggling, but that’s not really it)   even in mostly regular classes.  I think because of poor EF and resistance to help and accommodations—and resistance to studying.  He gets A’s and B’s if he cares about the class and/or relates well with the teacher- otherwise D’s and F’s.  Seth Perler ‘s strategy might help, if ds would cooperate, but any level of that causes resistance.

I think the Perfectionism talk was most relevant...to try to get him to push toward more C’s which might be from doing all classes at a 2 or 3 perfection level on scale of 1 to 5 with 5 the highest. Rather than a mixture of level 4ish effort and level 0 or 1 effort.  But at this stage I also think the impetus will need to come from him.  At which point I could try the, “Would you like to hear how others have dealt with this kind of thing?”  It’s hard for me as a parent.  Like right now we are waiting for final first semester grades, and unfortunately I think I care more than he does.  But again I think the Perfectionism talk was relevant- and I’m keeping in mind that school isn’t a 5 thing at all. Also there may be more learning for real life from dealing with a couple of D’s or F’s now.  Resilience building.  Figuring out how to cope with it. 

For you to know though, for my ds he has gotten an A (final grade) in a College Now type course that interested him, and an F (quarter grade; we await semester grade) in a regular (alas required) course that doesn’t. So possibly your dd too would do fine in some honors classes if she were to feel engaged by them.  

Unfortunately a lot of honors classes seem to increase the work load, rather than increasing the interest and depth level of the material.  

[Pen]

The intro and its “music” over and over is getting on my nerves.

[kbutton]

17 hours ago, Storygirl said:

I didn't know about this online conference soon enough to carve out time to sign up and listen. Is it something they do every year?

Also, I admit to feeling a little ...... annoyed, maybe.... to see that it is billed as about 2E kids. Are the tools and skills addressed really only applicable to 2E people?

I am feeling a little cantankerous in general today and wouldn't normally say anything. But I also see the same thing in threads here all of the time. People talk about how certain things relate especially to 2E students, and I feel a little closed out of that. Yet, when I read those comments, the things mentioned also apply to my non-2E kids. I think that more things apply across the board, IQ wise, than people might realize. So why specify that the conference is for 2E? Why not make it welcoming to all with learning issues?

Okay, I'll step off of my soap box now.

I think when the idea of 2e first started to get some traction, there were people who didn't accept or realize that gifted kids could have these issues, or that if they did, it didn't matter because they had high IQs. Or the idea was that if a 2e kid had these issues, no one needed to nurture the gifted side. I also think the label was a way of reaching an audience that is coming from a context of lots of gifted people in their families, etc., but then they have the kid that seems to not be gifted--that is the conclusion: this kid is not like my others, so they must not be as bright. I think a lot of that is changing, but there are people who don't think that there are things they can do for their gifted kid with learning issues. Our kids attended a weekly enrichment program for several years. It's community-based, not school-based, and the organizers presented educational stuff for parents too. I was stunned at how often someone would talk about resources for learning issues, and parents would talk about their kids who were 2e vs. "normal gifted," and it was like they were shocked resources were available. So, I think there are specific audiences that are still really and truly not informed, and the 2e label can help open up discussion in those contexts. 

I agree that the overlap in what is applicable for kids with these needs, regardless of IQ, is pretty high, and I think things are moving in a more inclusive direction, and that's good.

[Pen]

@Storygirl I also think that while many or most of the talks can apply to people who are neurotypical or who only have an LD challenge like autism but are not bright / gifted in intelligence, or vice versa— it is not trying to address many problems and issues that are outside of the 2E spectrum.

 For example, the parent of someone with Downs Syndrome or Cerebral Palsy or deaf or blind all of which are challenging, but not particularly “2E” won’t find their dc issues specifically addressed — though they nonetheless may find some talks very helpful. It certainly doesn’t require proof that one has a 2E child to listen to the talks.  

 I think if it were billed as about LDs in general more people would be upset that it did not cover ____ (their own LD area of challenge) rather than letting the focus be officially more narrowly on 2e, but perhaps some people finding it to be more broadly applicable.  

Similarly, my dc doesn’t have autism. But I can learn a lot from autism discussions.  I don’t need to be upset that an autism discussion doesn’t say it is also for dyslexic kids or adhd kids or kids who are sensory seeking.  I can take the parts that apply and leave the rest  — as indeed I would have to do even if my dc did have autism because each autism kid is unique.  

Also I think that many people don’t realize that just being unusually intelligent can be a substantial challenge.  It’s often looked at as lucky, but can be isolating and have other problems too.

[Runningmom80]

I watched session 1 & 3 from today.  I got more out of session 3. 

 

The part where she talked about Mensans having higher instance of mood disorder was enlightening. My oldest has anxiety and it does seem to be tied to his sensitivity to the world, and his intensity. 

 

Also, the gut-brain connection. Inflammation and anxiety feeding off of each other, this is all stuff our pediatrician has spoken with us about. My oldest also has EoE and food allergies so we try to keep it all in check but it's hard work. 

 

She talks about mindfulness at the end, how meditation brings the frontal cortex "online." I'm a yoga teacher so I'm a little bit geeking out. lol

 

It was a really helpful talk! 

Edited February 3, 2019 by Runningmom80

[Runningmom80]

PS, just got an email that they are going to open all of the talks from tomorrow morning through the 5th!

[scbusf]

7 minutes ago, Runningmom80 said:

PS, just got an email that they are going to open all of the talks from tomorrow morning through the 5th!

 

Yay!!! I haven’t been able to watch any today and I really wanted to. 

[Pen]

I found the later part of Nicole Tetreault as she spoke about brain-gut-microbiome extremely interesting. 

And ordered one of Dan Siegel’s books which I thought would be helpful. 

[Runningmom80]

14 minutes ago, Pen said:

I found the later part of Nicole Tetreault as she spoke about brain-gut-microbiome extremely interesting. 

And ordered one of Dan Siegel’s books which I thought would be helpful. 

 

 

I really enjoyed The Whole Brained Child. (I think it’s the same Dan seigel!) 

[Pen]

16 hours ago, Runningmom80 said:

PS, just got an email that they are going to open all of the talks from tomorrow morning through the 5th!

 

What are people’s “best” to try to catch if we can?  

I’ll go to the first 2 days especially where I missed all or a lot.

 

[Lecka]

My favorite was with two women, Baum and Schrader (or something like that).  

It will just depend, though.  

Some things I think I already know more about (anything that is involving a behavioral intervention....), and some things don't apply.

[prairiewindmomma]

On 2/3/2019 at 8:51 AM, Pen said:

The intro and its “music” over and over is getting on my nerves.

YeS! ME TOO! I started skipping the first couple of minutes because I couldn't take it anymore.

[prairiewindmomma]

I'm going back through my notes from the conference, Pen.... I'm not even going to try to format this post, sorry! Short on time! In order of speaking...

Dan Peters: his bits on reframing challenges and on handling meltdowns (validate the frustration, analyze the situation, externalize the challenge) 

Laura Kastner: her bits on positive parenting, anxiety, and mindfulness

Ross Greene---but only if you aren't familiar with his lagging skills model

Carol Kranowitz--but only if you haven't read her sensory materials....the one "aha" I had is that crumpling behavior is often because of over-responsiveness to stimuli and the mindset is often that the world seems daunting

Laura Markham (on being calm): Hands down, if you only listen to one talk from the whole conference, pick this one

Baum and Schrader: This is my second favorite talk of the entire conference

Michelle Garcia Winner: (on social thinking) my third favorite talk (but if you've read her stuff and you're short on time--flip elsewhere to something unfamiliar)

Seth Perler---practical tips on EF & school---but it's all on his website if you are short on time

Lisa Van Gemert: (perfectionism) my fourth favorite talk and definitely a must listen if you are dealing with any sort of perfectionism

 

[prairiewindmomma]

I found Nicole Tetreault's talk interesting--the correlations between autoimmune disease (which is almost all based in inflammation) and some exceptionalities. Since so many neurotransmitters are produced in the gut, it's one of the things that we've looked at over the years, with some improvement. I wish this had gone deeper.

[Runningmom80]

1 minute ago, prairiewindmomma said:

I found Nicole Tetreault's talk interesting--the correlations between autoimmune disease (which is almost all based in inflammation) and some exceptionalities. Since so many neurotransmitters are produced in the gut, it's one of the things that we've looked at over the years, with some improvement. I wish this had gone deeper.

 

Me too! I’m going to see if I can find some more resources 

[hepatica]

41 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

YeS! ME TOO! I started skipping the first couple of minutes because I couldn't take it anymore.

This is funny! I also skipped ahead every time to avoid the intro. I just chalked it up to my own overly sensitive nature, but the music was like fingers on a chalkboard to me.