No. 5 Fall 2020
At the Heart of 2e Profiles of 22 People to Watch | The Ed Therapy Perspective Rocking a 2e Mind | Critical Recommendations for Parents and Educators
2e News
CONTRIBUTORS Join the Conversation Do you work with 2e students and have insights about research, theory, and best practices? Are you a parent of a 2e child with an informative or inspiring story to tell? Are you a 2e student who wants to tell your story?
Publications about 2e in a World of Cognitive Diversity 2eNews.com and Variations2e magazine provide readers with high-level information and perspectives about twice-exceptional (2e) education and cognitive diversity. We cover a broad range of topics that are essential for all educators,
We welcome contributions from writers with experience and insights about twiceexceptional and neurodiverse populations.
We look forward to sharing your stories with the international 2e community. For editorial inquiries, send an email to info@2enews.com.
parents, and professionals. As a subscriber, you will receive: • Full access to 2eNews.com
• Monthly updates direct to your inbox • Variations2e magazine, fall & spring
• Access to the ever-expanding 2e archives • Advance notice of upcoming 2e events
• Access toAn top annual researcherssubscription in the field is just $35. We accept all major credit cards via Stripe.WHAT IS 2e? An annualAsk subscription just $35. pricing for organizations. aboutis special Visit 2enews.com/subscribe
We accept all major credit cards via Stripe.
Ask about special pricing for organizations.
BRIDGES 2e MEDIA
Twice-exceptional kids and adults display gifts, talents, and potential in some areas yet are challenged in other areas. Learning differences can include attentional challenges, autism spectrum disorder, sensory integration issues, and more. Youngsters require both support and enrichment, as well as special counseling to help them grapple with the myriad obstacles that can stand in the way of their success. Children and adults alike benefit from understanding the duality of their needs, the importance of self-advocacy, and the possibilities for accommodations.
CONTENTS 02 Letter from the Publisher 03 Letter from the Editor 04 People to Watch Matthew Cohen Kristina Collins Cameron Curry Austina de Bonte Simone de Hoogh Mona Delahooke Alissa Doobay Matthew Fugate Irene Gottlieb Claire Hughes Sue Jackson Stephanie McCombs Ana Miró Heidi Molbak Seth Perler Sara Renzulli Jade Rivera Michelle Ronksley-Pavia Marc Smolowitz Anne van Roden Sarah Wayland Aida Younis 50 Bagatelles Insight, innovation, and invention 54 Recognizing and Meeting the Needs of 2e Students Critical recommendations for parents and educators 56 The Ed Therapy Perspective An early focus on strengths benefits 2e students and their families 60 Smart Books for Smart Kids Sometimes When I’m Sad Book by Deborah Serani 62 Rocking a 2e Mind Aaron Hagar
PUBLISHER Carl Sabatino
MANAGING EDITOR Chris Wiebe
HEAD OF CONTENT OPERATIONS Jon Baum ART DIRECTOR Heather Lembcke
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brian Chu Stephanie Coxon Maria Kennedy Stuart Matranga Kim Vargas
COVER Imagine That [design studio] SUBSCRIPTIONS memberships@2enews.com www.2enews.com (818) 506-1091
All rights reserved
2e NEWS ADVISORY BOARD Susan Assouline Susan Baum Paul Beljan Kim Busi Kathi Kearney Deirdre Lovecky Marlo Payne Thurman Dan Peters Julia Roberts Ellen Rosen Linda Silverman Meredith Warshaw Variations2e — Not all great minds think alike is owned and published by Bridges 2e Media.
Publication and content copyright Bridges 2e Media © 2020. All rights reserved.
Letter from the Publisher
Movements have many contours and can be defined in many ways. They may come and go in the blink of an eye or endure over centuries as we move toward a more enlightened and just society. What is clear is that movements need commitment. They need interdisciplinary, intellectual acumen as well as many people willing to get out, put boots on the ground, and turn visions into realities.
The kindergarten movement, for example, began in the early to mid 19th century and took more than 100 years to develop, with refinements continuing today. A century before that, a Welsh industrialist and social reformer named Robert Owen was an early supporter of child care and childhood education. He felt strongly that the economic and social conditions under which people lived could dramatically shape their character and ability to learn. His reforms of poor houses for children significantly changed those environments for the better. It was argued at the time that children brought up in his system were generally felt to be “graceful, genial, and unconstrained; health, plenty, and relative contentment prevailed.” Johann Pestalozzi was a Swiss educational reformer who believed that the education of the poor needed to start early and should be designed to strengthen the student’s own abilities. For Pestalozzi, all education began with the child’s abilities, which educators use as the foundation for all future learning. Friedrich Frobel, who coined the term kindergarten, also advanced the benefits of environment, play, and handson activity. Maria Montessori believed in the natural curiosity and creativity of children, and the right of each child to be treated as an individual. Her emphasis on practical and sensory activities, such as repetitive exercises to develop muscular coordination, was critical to the education of the youngest students. Montessori valued formal educational processes for reading, mathematics, and writing, but emphasized that the learning process in young students was born out of the natural curiosity and capacity for the child’s mind to observe, analyze, and discover. There were of course many others, such as Herbert Spencer, John Dewey, and Jean Piaget, who contributed to the theory and practice of teaching young students. What is most 2
fascinating of all is the interdisciplinary breadth of these particular educators. Owen was an industrialist who saw the impact on individuals of organizational structures and environments in and out of the workplace. Pestalozzi was an educational reformer, but also a student of philosophy. Much of his inspiration came from Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the enlightenment philosophers. Montessori was a doctor of medicine.
As you look deeper into the intellectual interests of those who contributed to the understanding and field of education, you find philosophers, anthropologists, psychologists, industrialists, doctors, architects, and more. The work of education as a whole requires interdisciplinary insights and transdisciplinary frameworks in order to reach the depth of understanding needed to effectively work with the most complex of all things: the minds and hearts of children.
With history as a vantage point, we know that there are many people, from many disciplines, involved in the great work that inspires a movement and brings about change. Some participants are loud, some speak softly. Some become famous, others we will never hear of. And as long as there are children in the world with educational needs to be met, there will be people like those on the subsequent pages of this magazine who will rise to the occasion and contribute to the betterment of individuals and future generations.
Carl Sabatino Publisher
Letter from the Editor
Producing this special edition of Variations2e magazine with 22 dynamic 2e leaders was as challenging as it was fulfilling. In January, we put out a call for recommendations through the 2e News Monthly Digest, which reaches an audience of more than 8,000 people among the gifted, special, and twice-exceptional education community. We also reached out directly to major gifted organizations and other nonprofits across the country to generate as broad a pool of candidates as possible.
We received about 100 nominations and then met as an editorial staff to discuss how to narrow the list of candidates who would advance to the next stage of the selection process. Since the spirit of the issue was to learn more about the work of people we were not familiar with, we first identified the “People to Watch” whose work we already had been watching — and admiring — for years, in some cases decades. We reached out to them to let them know that they had been nominated, and that we would feature a short update on their work as a special feature on 2eNews.com. Nominees who moved on to the next phase received a questionnaire that asked them to go into depth about their philosophies, experiences, and contributions to twiceexceptional education. Prompts included, “Why have you chosen to work in the field of twice-exceptionality?”, “In what ways does your daily work positively impact 2e and cognitively diverse learners and their families?”, and “Tell us about your future vision/ambitions for your current organization, program, school, research, and/or practice.”
The nominees’ responses and curriculum vitae were passed along to a seven-person committee made up of members of our 2e News advisory board as well as inductees into the Bridges 2e Center’s Hall of Fame, who have been recognized as pioneers in 2e education. Committee members were asked to rank each of the candidates in each of these categories: • Personal commitment to gifted/2e students and families • Academic background in gifted/2e education • Professional experience in gifted/2e education • Leadership in home program/organization • Presence in 2e networks (conference presentations, publications, speeches) • Substantive, creative, and entrepreneurial work • Broad and expansive impact in 2e community • Future promise
The judges’ rankings produced the list of professionals whose profiles appear on the pages that follow.
It goes without saying that this list is not definitive, and we did not reach all deserving nominees, in spite of our best efforts. In our quest to recognize the extraordinary work of as many professionals as possible, we will follow up this issue of Variations2e magazine with a regular “People to Watch” feature on 2eNews.com. As you and your colleagues continue to work to better the lives of neurodiverse individuals and their families — these days, in especially arduous conditions — please share your achievements and milestones so we can celebrate them with the broader 2e community. Many thanks to the numerous individuals who helped make this issue possible, from those whose recommendations composed the first group of nominees to the committee members who lent their experience and expertise to the task of reviewing the qualifications and materials of our finalists.
Chris Wiebe, Ed.D. Managing Editor In other news ... Bridges Academy, our partner in the Bridges Education Group which has served 2e students for 25 years, is taking its program online beginning in the 2021-22 school year. Over the years we have received numerous inquiries from families outside of our local area, and we are thrilled to be able to bring our program to families across the country. We will begin accepting applications to this college-prep, high school diploma-granting program in January 2021.
3
hen • •Kristina Cohen KristinaCollins Collins• •Cameron CameronCurry Curry• •Austina AustinadedeBonte Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •A ne eneGottlieb Gottlieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJackson Jackson• •Stephanie StephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerl Pe helle Ronksley-Pavia ichelle Ronksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz• •Anne Annevan vanRoden Roden• •Sarah SarahWayland Wayland• •Aida AidaYounis Younis• •Matthew MatthewC urry • •Austina Curry AustinadedeBonte Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoobay Doobay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Iren Ir non• •Stephanie StephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara SaraRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michel Miche •Anne Annevan vanRoden Roden• •Sarah SarahWayland Wayland• •Aida AidaYounis Younis• •Matthew MatthewCohen Cohen• •Kristina KristinaCollins Collins• •Cameron CameronCurry Curr Hoogh • Mona Delahooke • Alissa Doobay • Matthew Fugate • Irene Gottlieb • Claire Hughes • Sue Hoogh • Mona Delahooke • Alissa Doobay • Matthew Fugate • Irene Gottlieb • Claire Hughes • SueJack Jac ó• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara SaraRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRonksley-Pavia Ronksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz Aida AidaYounis Younis• •Matthew MatthewCohen Cohen• •Kristina KristinaCollins Collins• •Cameron CameronCurry Curry• •Austina AustinadedeBonte Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoog Hoo ay bay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Irene IreneGottlieb Gottlieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJackson Jackson• •Stephanie StephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• raRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRonksley-Pavia Ronksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz• •Anne Annevan vanRoden Roden• •Sarah SarahWayland Wayla stina Collins ristina Collins• •Cameron CameronCurry Curry• •Austina AustinadedeBonte Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoo Do eb ieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJackson Jackson• •Stephanie StephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara Sar nksley-Pavia onksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz• •Anne Annevan vanRoden Roden• •Sarah SarahWayland Wayland• •Aida AidaYounis Younis• •Matthew MatthewCohen Cohen• •K tina dedeBonte ustina Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoobay Doobay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Irene IreneGottlieb Gottli ephanie tephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara SaraRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRon Ro •Anne Annevan vanRoden Roden• •Sarah SarahWayland Wayland• •Aida AidaYounis Younis• •Matthew MatthewCohen Cohen• •Kristina KristinaCollins Collins• •Cameron CameronCurry Curr Hoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoobay Doobay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Irene IreneGottlieb Gottlieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJack Jac ó• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara SaraRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRonksley-Pavia Ronksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz Aida AidaYounis Younis• •Matthew MatthewCohen Cohen• •Kristina KristinaCollins Collins• •Cameron CameronCurry Curry• •Austina AustinadedeBontIrene BontIreneGottlieb Gottlieb• •Iren Ir ooke • •Alissa ahooke AlissaDoobay Doobay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJackson Jackson• •Stephanie StephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMi M raRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRonksley-Pavia Ronksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz• •Anne Annevan vanRoden Roden• •Sarah SarahWayland Wayla Austina de Bonte • Simone de Hoogh • Mona Delahooke • Alissa stina Collins • Cameron Curry • ristina Collins • Cameron Curry • Austina de Bonte • Simone de Hoogh • Mona Delahooke • AlissaDoo Do eb ieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJackson Jackson• •Stephanie StephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara Sar nksley-Pavia onksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz• •Anne Annevan vanRoden Roden• •Sarah SarahWayland Wayland• •Aida AidaYounis Younis• •Matthew MatthewCohen Cohen• •K tina dedeBonte ustina Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoobay Doobay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Irene IreneGottlieb Gottli ephanie tephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara SaraRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRon Ro Matthew Cohen • Kristina Collins • Cameron Curry Anne van Roden • Sarah Wayland • Aida Younis • • Anne van Roden • Sarah Wayland • Aida Younis • Matthew Cohen • Kristina Collins • Cameron Curr Hoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoobay Doobay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Irene IreneGottlieb Gottlieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJack Jac ó• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara SaraRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRonksley-Pavia Ronksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz Aida Younis • Matthew Cohen • Kristina Collins • Cameron Curry • Austina de Bonte • Simone Aida Younis • Matthew Cohen • Kristina Collins • Cameron Curry • Austina de Bonte • SimonededeHoog Hoo ay bay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Irene IreneGottlieb Gottlieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJackson Jackson• •Stephanie StephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• raRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRonksley-Pavia Ronksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz• •Anne Annevan vanRoden Roden• •Sarah SarahWayland Wayla stina Collins ristina Collins• •Cameron CameronCurry Curry• •Austina AustinadedeBonte Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoo Do eb ieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJackson Jackson• •Stephanie StephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara Sar nksley-Pavia • Marc Smolowitz • Anne van Roden • Sarah Wayland • Aida Younis • Matthew Cohen onksley-Pavia • Marc Smolowitz • Anne van Roden • Sarah Wayland • Aida Younis • Matthew Cohen• •K tina dedeBonte ustina Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoobay Doobay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Irene IreneGottlieb Gottli ephanie tephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara SaraRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRon Ro Anne van Roden • Sarah Wayland • Aida Younis • Matthew Cohen • Kristina Collins • Cameron Curry • Anne van Roden • Sarah Wayland • Aida Younis • Matthew Cohen • Kristina Collins • Cameron Curr Hoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoobay Doobay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Irene IreneGottlieb Gottlieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJack Jac ó• •Heidi HeidiMolbak Molbak• •Seth SethPerler Perler• •Sara SaraRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRonksley-Pavia Ronksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz Aida AidaYounis Younis• •Matthew MatthewCohen Cohen• •Kristina KristinaCollins Collins• •Cameron CameronCurry Curry• •Austina AustinadedeBonte Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoog Hoo ay bay• •Matthew MatthewFugate Fugate• •Irene IreneGottlieb Gottlieb• •Claire ClaireHughes Hughes• •Sue SueJackson Jackson• •Stephanie StephanieMcCombs McCombs• •Ana AnaMiró Miró• raRenzulli Renzulli• •Jade JadeRivera Rivera• •Michelle MichelleRonksley-Pavia Ronksley-Pavia• •Marc MarcSmolowitz Smolowitz• •Anne Annevan vanRoden Roden• •Sarah SarahWayland Wayla stina Collins ristina Collins• •Cameron CameronCurry Curry• •Austina AustinadedeBonte Bonte• •Simone SimonededeHoogh Hoogh• •Mona MonaDelahooke Delahooke• •Alissa AlissaDoo Do eb • Claire Hughes • Sue Jackson • Stephanie McCombs • Ana Miró • Heidi Molbak • Seth Perler • Sara
Alissa Doobay • Matthew erler • Sara Renzulli • Jade Cohen • Kristina Collins • rene Gottlieb • Claire Hughes elle Ronksley-Pavia • Marc ry • Austina de Bonte • ckson • Stephanie McCombs z • Anne van Roden • Sarah ogh • Mona Delahooke • ó • Heidi Molbak • Seth and • Aida Younis • Matthew oobay • Matthew Fugate • ra Renzulli • Jade Rivera • • Kristina Collins • Cameron ieb • Claire Hughes • Sue Before introducing 22 people at the heart of the onksley-Pavia • Marc movement, ry • Austina2ede Bonte •let’s take a moment to reflect on when that term first came to be used. In 1988, Dr. ckson • Stephanie McCombs James Gallagher described a population of students z • Anne van Roden • Sarah with “special intellectual-processing problems — rene Gottlieb • de Hoogh • with learning, Miró • Heidithose Molbak • Seth communication, and/or behavioral disabilities, and • Aida Younis • Matthew that nevertheless, maintain an oobay • Matthew Fugate • extraordinarily high, general ra Renzulli • Jade Rivera • intellectual potential.” • Kristina Collins • Cameron Gallagher was a ieb • Claire Dr. Hughes • Sue scholar and advocate for onksley-Pavia • Marc both gifted and disabled ry • Austina de Bonte • children. His work on the ckson • Stephanie McCombs Marland Report of 1972 z • Anne van Roden • Sarah helped establish gifted and ogh • Monatalented Delahooke • children as a group ó • Heidi Molbak • Seth with specialized educational and • Aida Younis • Matthew needs, and he was a force behind the oobay • Matthew Fugate 1975 passage of • the Education of All Handicapped ra Renzulli •Children Jade Rivera • Act. • Kristina Collins • Cameron “The question,” he asked, ”is how does one ieb • Claire educate Hughes • Sue those twice-exceptional children onksley-Pavia • Marc where adaptations are required in their ry • Austinaeducational de Bontesituation?” • ckson • Stephanie McCombs At the time, many other educators had tapped z • Anne van Roden • Sarah into the existence of twice exceptionality, whether ogh • Mona Delahooke • ó • Heidi Molbak • Seth and • Aida Younis • Matthew oobay • Matthew Fugate •
22 People
to Watch or not they were using the term. Since then the field has grown exponentially. Today there are
schools and programs for 2e learners, universities conducting research specific to 2e populations,
training and textbooks for educators who work with 2e students, mental health
professionals who specialize in
2e, and organizations whose
primary mission is to provide parents with resources and
support to help them raise their 2e child.
The persons featured
in the pages that follow
are among the educators,
scholars, program builders,
mental health professionals,
and consultants whose work keeps
the 2e movement thriving.
No “People to Watch’’ feature would be complete without checking in with the people who we
have already been watching and admiring — and will continue to do so in the years to come. We at Variations2e magazine have had the pleasure of
working with and alongside so many talented and committed professionals, and updates about their work will be posted on 2eNews.com.