October 2017
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Dear SENG Friends,

As the leaves begin to change, the kaleidoscope of colors reminds us that fall is upon us and with fall comes a flurry of donor campaigns from a variety of non-profit organizations looking to bolster their budget for 2018.

SENG is no different. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund operations old and new. Funding not only allows us to continue operations; it also will allow SENG to serve the gifted community in different ways, such as SENG Connect, SENG International, SENG One Day Resource Events, and other initiatives.

It is our hope that in 2018 we will expand our reach to provide resources to individuals and communities far beyond our traditional reach while maintaining our mission to empower families and communities to guide gifted and talented individuals to reach their goals: intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.

Every donation matters. Won't you give today? NOTE: As we are a non-profit organization, all donations are tax deductible.

In gratitude,

Dr. Michael Postma
Interim Executive Director of SENG
Exploring Social and Emotional Aspects of Giftedness in Children
by Deirdre Lovecky
There are few guidelines to follow for children who differ from average children not only in intellectual development, but also in social and emotional development. It is not uncommon for gifted children to find that age peers do not share their interests, play by different rules, and appear to engage in pastimes, such as teasing, that many gifted children find puzzling and painful . Read More
Encouraging Emotional Intelligence
by Steven I. Pfeiffer
Although growing up has never been easy, today’s youth face new and more challenging social pressures. Gifted children are not impervious to developing psychological problems. And, in some instances, what makes gifted children special paradoxically can serve to increase their risk for social and emotional difficulties.

Gifted Adults in Work
by Noks Nauta and Frans Corten
Gifted adults (people with a very high intelligence; 2% of the population) sometimes are not able to function adequately at work. Their high intelligence can cause them to dysfunction when adapting to the work situation, sometimes leading to absenteeism and disability. Hardly any scientific research on this topic has been performed. This article describes some characteristics of gifted people.

Tips of Helping Gifted, Highly Sensitive Teens & Kids Cope with Trauma
by Sharon M. Barnes
Some children and teens are more sensitive than others. You know if you have one. And these kids are traumatized by news stories about tragedies that nobody else in the family even notices. What do you do when this child is traumatized by tragedy that is on the other side of the country or the world? 
Hyper brain / hyper body: The trouble with high IQ
A new study that investigated 3,715 individuals with an IQ at or above the 98th percentile revealed a strong link between high cognitive ability and the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  Read More
Voices - Honoring the Process as a Method of Building Confidence in 2E Children
by Anne Fligor Sauri, CRNA, DNP
SENGVine's "Voices" column seeks to share creative works reflecting the gifted experience. Art, poetry, essays, articles, and stories are accepted from gifted individuals of all ages. Submit yours to:  [email protected] .

  My 9-year-old daughter spent more than two hours on homework last night without shedding a single tear—an anomaly in our household. Even after hours of work with a still incomplete math assignment she did not become frustrated.

Post of the Month

Every day, SENG shares articles and information with the gifted community via Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. 

The feature article  28 Acts of Kindness for the Gifted  by Joy Navan was widely read and appreciated in our online community this month.   

Visit us on Tumblr!  Tumblr is a valuable and vibrant online community, where many teens and young adults find solace if they feel "different" from the rest of the world... whether it is because of their interests, their identities, their disabilities, or their gifts. 
Limited Time Offer: Premier SENG Membership!
This fall, we are rolling out new Membership and Donorship campaigns that, if successful, will allow us to continue current operations and even grow our capacity to impact more lives in a positive manner, by adding staff and new programming. 

Would you consider becoming a new member or, if you are already a member, renewing that membership? 

Premier Membership (New): $129.99 Annually  (approx. $11/month) 

SENG is offering a new Premier Membership package that contains benefits and discounts that will make being a part of SENG better than ever. The benefits include: 
  • A 20% discount on Conference Registration ($80 savings)
  • Unlimited 25% discount on all SENGinars ($10 savings per session) within the year of your membership
  • Free access to SENG CONNECT, an online portal for members to connect with professionals and peers all year round ($120 value) 
  • Access to all SENG resources
  • Discounted SENG products

Don't wait -  become a Premier Member today!  
Mark the Date
SENGinars are online presentations on giftedness, hosted by many of the top experts in the gifted field.

Recordings of our past SENGinars are now available for purchase! Check out recordings for some of these popular SENGinars: 


Upcoming SENGinar - Born Digital: The 21st Century Social Norms Established by Millennials

Thursday, November 16th
7.30PM EDT – 9.00PM EST

About the Presenter:
Dr. Kevin Besnoy has over 18 of experience teaching K-12 students, preparing pre-service teachers, and teaching graduate level teacher-education students at multiple universities. He has a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education with an emphasis in Gifted and Talented Currently, he is the Director of ACCESS Virtual Learning and Associate at the Unversity of Alabama. His research interests include integrating technology into classroom instruction, identification of giftedness among culturally diverse populations, and advocacy for twice-exceptional students. His accomplishments include developing a model for supporting a sustainable classroom digital ecosystem and exploring theoretical implications of the Technology Frame Theory.
SENG Connect's Upcoming Online Workshops

Oct. 30th 7 PM EST     Michael Postma
Nov. 1st 7PM EST       Barry Gelston
Nov. 6th 7PM EST      Lisa Hancock
Nov. 13th 7PM EST      Alonzo Kelly
Nov. 20th 7PM EST      Kathy Courchene
Nov. 28th 7PM EST      Carol Malueg
Dec. 4th 7PM EST       Josh Shaine

Join SENG Connect for access to these professional online workshops on gifted issues!
SENG's ONE-DAY MINI CONFERENCE IN LOS ANGELES, CA

You're invited to join us at
Bridges Academy
on November 18, 2017,
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Fundraising dinner to follow

This "mini conference" will include the presentations, exhibitors, activities, connections, and fun of a SENG Conference - all in one day! Speakers will include Dr. Joanna Haase, Dr. Lisa Hancock, Dr. Kate Bachtel, Sharon Duncan, Barry Gelston, Dr. Nicole Tetreault, Ruth Karpinski, P. Susan Jackson, and Dr. Michael Postma.

Early Bird Conference Cost: $99.00
At the Door: $125
Dinner: $75.00 (Dinner/Beverages Provided)
Social Begins at 6:00 PM

SENG Connect

Are you seeking connection with others who will understand your experiences with parenting a twice-exceptional child? SENG has an online support group coming up specifically for parents like you!

SENG Connect parenting groups meet online weekly, connecting over Google Hangouts in facilitated discussions exploring the joys and challenges of parenting these unique kids. The SENG Connect Online Parent Group is a series of online guided discussions about the social and emotional needs of bright, gifted, and talented children and how to parent to meet those needs. Learn why bright kids are different. Understand how to best communicate with, motivate, discipline, and guide your talented child. Share your successes and concerns in a safe environment. Facilitated by two parents of gifted children, group will be meeting for six weeks, starting January 9th, 2018!

Date & Time:  
Weekly, January 9th - February 13th
7:00-8:30 pm EST

Facilitators: 
Carol Malueg and Joan Larson

Parents who attend SENG support groups make deep and lasting connections that change their lives. Make the connections you've been missing.
Voluntary Participant Study
Are you a fanboy/fangirl? Do you have an imaginational OE? Would you like to participate in a study on imaginational OEs and fandoms? Are you uncertain what a fandom is, but want to learn more? Fandoms are communities, either officially or unofficially organized, that are dedicated to the love of a particular person, team, fictional series or character, etc. (Barton & Lampley, 2014), and often the immersion into the worlds of these characters. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of fandoms in the lives of the gifted who also have an imaginational overexcitability, and to determine if there is a statistical difference in which fandoms they choose to participate, why they choose to participate, and how they participate differently from other superfans (or “fanboys/fangirls”) who are not gifted with an imaginational OE. This study will use phenomenological and grounded theory methodologies in a mixed-methods study. If this study sounds interesting to you, please take this survey, which will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

Take the survey here!
Announcing New Board Members:

SENG is proud to announce four new Members who will be joining the SENG Board beginning January, 2018. We will be profiling each new member over the coming months.

Dr. Will Dwyer has been a school administrator for the past 11 years the Chicago suburbs. He has spent the last 4 years as Director of Secondary Teaching and Learning in West Aurora School District 129. His areas of expertise are in secondary school curriculum and middle school to high school program alignment. His doctoral research focused on principal self-efficacy and student achievement. Dr. Dwyer is also an adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University focusing on curriculum design for graduate students.
Sam Kohlenberg, LPC graduated from The Roeper School in 1999 and embarked on a circuitous educational path including EMS, linguistics, and cognitive science which eventually meandered to a graduate degree in counseling psychology,  conferred  in 2012. Sam now works as a Licensed Professional Counselor in Denver Colorado with a clinical focus on gifted young adults. He regularly speaks as a guest lecturer, presenting on topics ranging from  psychophysiological interventions for healthcare professionals  to  gestalt psychology  and is faculty at Naropa University where he teaches in the Transpersonal Counseling Psychology program. He is continuing his education as a Ph.D. student in Applied Psychophysiology at Saybrook University. 
DONATE
Every dollar can make a difference. Your donations contribute directly to SENG's programming for gifted individuals of all ages.
About SENG

SENG is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) entity with a diverse Board of Directors. Our mission is to empower families and communities to guide gifted and talented individuals to reach their potential: intellectually, physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually. 

With the goal of further expanding its activities and reaching more people, SENG is constantly developing new strategies to assist and enlighten members of this unique community. SENG accepts contributions of all sizes from individuals and organizations. Please join us in our work to increase understanding, knowledge, and services for gifted children, individuals and adults.
Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted
(844) 488-SENG (7364)
www.sengifted.org