Gifted Atlanta

Local experts on the emotional needs of gifted children are forming a discussion group that will meet on six Sunday afternoons in September and October in Dunwoody.

Discussion leaders are Kathy Courchene and Muriel Knope, both trained facilitators through the SENG (Serving the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) program.

The cost to join the group is $120 per household. One or two adults who provide care to a gifted child or children can attend from each household. Discussions will be based on topics addressed in “A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children,” by James Webb, Ph.D; Ed Amend, Psy.D.; Arlene DeVries, M.S.E.; and Janet Gore, M.Ed. Examples of discussion topics are communication, perfectionism, managing intensity, teaching self-management, and relationships with family and friends.

For more information or to register, please contact Muriel at murknope-at-gmail-dot-com (address deconstructed here to protect her from spam). Registration and payment are due by Sept. 15, 2012.

Maybe your friends don’t understand your gifted child’s perfectionism, intensity or social struggles. But Muriel Knope and Kathy Courchene do.

Knope and Courchene are trained facilitators with SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). Their regular parent groups offer support for parents and other caregivers raising gifted children. Their class uses the book “A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children” as a starting point for discussion.

The next session will meet on Sunday afternoons from 2-4 p.m. in Dunwoody, from Jan. 22 through Feb. 26. Registration deadline is Jan. 12. There is a fee.

For more information, contact Muriel Knope.

Local gifted advocates Kathy Courchene and Muriel Knope are organizing another informal conversation for parents of gifted children, next Sunday, Nov. 20, from 2-4 p.m. at Atlanta Bread Company at Perimeter Pointe shopping center, 1155 Mount Vernon Highway in Sandy Springs.

Kathy and Muriel are facilitators trained by SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). SENG aims to raise awareness of the challenges gifted children face, and to help parents, teachers and caregivers better support gifted children.

If you have questions about SENG or the upcoming meeting, contact Muriel Knope at murknope – at – gmail – dot – com (e-mail address deconstructed to curb spam; rebuild it to contact her).

It’s not easy being the parent of a gifted child, and sometimes it’s lonely, when no one around us understands — or even wants to hear about — our struggles with what other parents may think is an easy task.

If you’d like to sit down with other parents of gifted kids, you’ll have that chance this Sunday, from 2-4 p.m. at Atlanta Bread Company, 1708 Scenic Hwy. in Snellville.

The meeting is being organized by Kathy Courchene and Muriel Knope, two local facilitators trained by SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). SENG aims to raise awareness of the challenges gifted children face, and to help parents, teachers and caregivers better support gifted children.

If you have questions about SENG or the upcoming meeting, contact Muriel Knope at knope – at – mindspring – dot – com (e-mail address deconstructed to curb spam; rebuild it to contact her).

Two local women trained in helping parents and caregivers support their gifted children are forming a new discussion group for fall.

Muriel Knope and Kathy Courchene are trained facilitators with SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). Their regular parent groups discuss such hot topics as perfectionism, social relationships and managing intensity.

The upcoming session will meet on Monday nights from 7-9 p.m. in Dunwoody, from Sept. 19 through Oct. 24. There is a fee.

To register or for more information, contact Muriel Knope.

Every parent has ups and downs. But parents of gifted children have a particular experience that is shaped by their child’s personality, their school’s accommodation of the child’s needs, and the level of support they get from family and friends.

A researcher in Australia wants to learn more about how parents feel about raising a gifted child (or children). Natalie Rimlinger is a Ph.D. student at Australian National University. She says that while there have been many investigations into gifted children and their needs, very little is known about the everyday experience of raising gifted kids. Natalie is looking for parents from anywhere in the world who are willing to complete an anonymous, online survey about life as a parent of a gifted child.

To participate, you must have a gifted child in either primary or elementary grades. If you believe your child is gifted, that’s enough to participate. Your child’s being formally identified as gifted is not required.

Because the survey asks questions about your interaction with your child’s teacher, you should only participate if you consider your child to have one primary classroom teacher, not a team of teachers. Homeschoolers can also participate.

Since this school year has just started, you can complete the survey based on your experience last year, or wait a month or two and fill out the survey based on the new school year once you’ve formed an impression.

The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete.

For some gifted children, being ahead of the pack brings with it certain struggles, such as perfectionism, social awkwardness and emotional sensitivity. SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) aims to raise awareness of these challenges and to help parents, teachers and caregivers better support gifted children.

Two local SENG facilitators, Kathy Courchene and Muriel Knope, are hosting an informal conversation with parents of gifted children on Sunday, Aug. 21, from 2-4 p.m. at the Atlanta Bread Company in Dunwoody. They also are planning another session of evening classes for parents, to begin in mid-September. (More information as I get it.)

Unrelated to these local events, SENG has produced a free e-book, “The Joy and the Challenge: Parenting Gifted Children,” which touches on topics including identifying giftedness, underachievement, twice exceptional children, depression in gifted youth, and advocacy. You can download the publication as a PDF or in other formats compatible with most e-readers.

If you have questions about SENG, the upcoming meeting, or the parenting classes, contact Muriel Knope at knope – at – mindspring – dot – com (e-mail address deconstructed to curb spam; rebuild it to contact her).

Forgive me for going off topic, but this is something I felt was too important not to share.

This week, a 5th-grade student at my child’s school died from playing “the choking game.” That’s where kids cut off the air to their brains to get a buzz.

You’d like to think smart kids would know better than to try something like this, but the child our school lost was incredibly bright and gifted. He loved to read, was an outstanding student, and was a talented musician and athlete. He was like any of our kids. Yet as smart as he was, he didn’t see the danger in what he was doing.

This boy’s family is hoping that in the wake of their loss, other parents will educate their children about this “game” that can kill. You can find more information through GASP, a non-profit organization.