Niki De Bondt, M.A., is a PhD student of educational sciences in the Department of Training and Education Sciences, within the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Antwerp. Her research focuses include Bayesian statistical modeling and the educational relevance of Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration. She has a special interest in statistics, (highly) gifted research, mysticism, and structuring thinking. She holds master’s degrees in economics and is a lecturer at Artesis Plantijn University College of Antwerp.
Els De Wit is the owner of Talentvol, where she and her team guide exceptionally and profoundly gifted children from toddler age. Els has a Masters degree in languages and a certificate of Philosophy with Children and Teenagers. Talentvol is the first in Belgium to guide EPG children and is active all over Flanders. Here, exceptionally and profoundly gifted children have a place to be themselves and find others like them. Els De Wit wrote, “Slapende Leeuwen” the first Dutch book about EPG children. The institute is now spreading its wings and going international.
www.talentvol.be info@talentvol.be
Lorraine Bouchard. While earning her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in Gifted Education from the University of Houston, she received NAGC’s Hollingworth Award for her dissertation in which she developed the ElemenOE2, an instrument for measuring Dabrowskian overexcitabilities in elementary students for the purpose of identifying gifted learners.
She founded Rainard School for Gifted Children in 1986 and served as its Director for over 20 years. She has given numerous presentations at gifted conferences on the topics of gifted brains, creativity, mixed-age grouping, thematic curriculum, and alternative education.
I have completed such studies as ECHA Specialist in Gifted Education at Radboud University in Nijmegen. My motivation is children’s well-being (and that of their parents). I always work in a people-centred way. I don’t allow myself to be distracted by any hidden agendas at administrations, collaborative partnerships or so-called budget deficits. I look at the child’s needs; they are always my starting and ending point. National and international legislation and treaties support this approach. Important points for me when coaching exceptionally gifted children include offering development-oriented advice and mirroring in humanity. My motto is: THERE IS NO BOX.
I am registered with the SKJ (Dutch Youth Quality Register) and the Quality Register Giftedness and I am a member of the European Council for High Ability, the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children and Mensa Worldwide.
My SPECIALISM:
- Exceptional giftedness (145+)
- Coaching parents of exceptionally gifted children
- Didactic study and advice on modified education
- Training sessions and events for and about highly gifted rebels
- Speaking at congresses
Marianne Kuzujanakis, M.D., M.P.H., is a pediatrician who holds a Master in Public Health in Clinical Effectiveness through Harvard School of Public Health, received as part of a Pediatric Health Services Research fellowship through Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Kuzujanakis is co-founder of the SENG Misdiagnosis Initiative, is the chair of the SENG Professional Advisory Committee, and is a longtime homeschool educator. She is also a co-author of the recently released Misdiagnosis & Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children And Adults [2nd Edition].
Krystyna C. Laycraft, M.S., Ph.D., holds a Master of Science from the University of Warsaw and a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Calgary. She is a Certified Coach Practitioner and Professional Member of Canadian Counselling of Psychotherapy Association. She brings both practical and academic knowledge to her coaching. Her expertise is based on a 30+ year career working with adolescents and adults in Poland and Canada. Krystyna delivers lectures, seminars, and workshops that include topics related to emotional needs of adolescents and adults, the role of creativity in their psychological development and the process of decision-making. She is the author of many articles and six books on emotions and psychological development: “Creativity as an Order through Emotions,” “Feeling Life. Patterns of Emotions,” “A Journey through the Lands of Feelings,” “The Courage to Decide. The Philosophies on Decision-making,” “Acceptance: The Key to a Meaningful Life,” and “Uncovering The Theory of Positive Disintegration.” For more than 10 years, Krystyna regularly attends professional conferences that address issues relating to the psychological development of young people. She is a member of the Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology and Life Sciences. For more information on her work and teaching, view her website at http://krystyna-laycraft.com.
Andy Mahoney is the founder of the Center for Identity Potential and Identity Potential, Inc. He is a recognized expert and pioneer in the field of counseling the gifted and talented. His expertise spans nearly 30 years as a counselor, family therapist, and trainer of mental health professionals. Additionally, Andy has focused his emphasis on identity development to create The Fit, a software program the center utilizes in the context of counseling, career development, personal growth and business development.
Jessica Potts, Ph.D., holds a doctorate from the University of Nevada, Reno in Secondary Education, with an emphasis on gifted education and online learning. Her MA is in English Literature, with an emphasis on the English Renaissance. She has spent most of her teaching career at The Davidson Academy of Nevada, a public school for profoundly gifted students. Currently, she teaches online courses for the Davidson Academy, develops online content, and teaches graduate courses on gifted education at UNR. Her research is focused mainly on furthering the burgeoning field of online learning for gifted students. Jessica and her husband, Lloyd Potts, live in the Czech Republic with their sons.
Jennifer Harvey Sallin, MA, LLPC, NCC Jennifer Harvey Sallin, MA, LLPC, NCC is a psychologist and coach who dedicates her work to supporting the gifted and intense. She coaches and mentors highly, exceptionally and profoundly gifted individuals toward mastery, helping them to understand their unique mind and channel their uncommon potential and intensity with self-awareness and purpose. She is co-founder of Rediscovering Yourself, and founder of InterGifted.com. She lives in Fribourg, Switzerland and works with clients in person locally and by Skype internationally (in English, French and Italian).
Marisa Soto-Harrison, Ed.D. graduated with an Education Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Gifted and Talented Education from the Department of Teaching and Learning Sciences, Morgridge College of Education, University of Denver. Currently, Dr. Soto-Harrison serves as a teacher, consultant, and advocate, providing educational assessments and support to families in California, Florida and Nevada. Dr. Soto-Harrison is the co-founder of Sierra Gifted Educational Services and lives in Northern California with her family.
Willard White, Ph.D., is a teacher-trainer in gifted education, a consultant to school districts in program development and developing curricula for gifted and advanced students, a presenter at state and national conferences, and an Instructor at Florida Atlantic University. His career in education in Michigan included science teacher, teacher of gifted students, He is the author of America’s First Gifted Program: Hollingworth and the Speyer School Experiment. He and his wife Peggy, a former English teacher, live in Jupiter, Florida and they have one adult daughter, Stacey, who also is a teacher.
Laurence Vaivre Douret, Ph.D. Professor in Psychology and Neuropsychology of Development at the University of Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris City, France
Developmental and Cognitive Characteristics of “High-Level Potentialities” (Highly Gifted) Children
Clifton (“Cliff”) Wigtil, M.A., M.Sc.Ed., is a Clinical Assessment Developer at Pearson, currently working on the Wechsler ability scales. He holds a M.A. in Psychological Sciences (clinical concentration) from James Madison University and a M.Sc.Ed. in Educational Psychology (gifted education concentration) from Purdue University. He resides in San Antonio, Texas.