UPDATES AND HAPPENINGS — ACROSS THE GLOBE | |
European Council for High Ability (ECHA) Conference, Highly—Profoundly Gifted Symposium, Dublin, Ireland, August 13, 2026. From left to right: Shelagh A. Gallagher, William & Mary; Keri M. Guilbault, Johns Hopkins University; Vanessa R. Wood, IGC Research Center for Highly—Profoundly Gifted; Jessica A. Potts, Davidson Academy Online; and Rebecca M. Johnson, Purdue University. | |
APPLAUDING 11 YEARS!
The International Gifted Consortium (IGC), Research Center Highly—Profoundly Gifted marks 11 years of global impact and dedicated service.
Established on October 9, 2015, The International Gifted Consortium (IGC), Research Center Highly—Profoundly Gifted, is a pioneering 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization leading:
OPEN-ACCESS RESEARCH
EDUCATION—OUTREACH—TRAINING
ADVOCACY
RESEARCH-BASED PROGRAMS
Throughout the United States and Internationally, thanks to the dedicated efforts of IGC Contributors and IGC Ambassadors across the globe.
We’re on a mission: to collaboratively understand, identify, and support the unique social, emotional, physical, cognitive, and altrusitic development of giftedness through the eyes of the highly—profoundly gifted.
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ON BEHALF OF FAMILIES
From Around the World
THANK YOU PHILANTHROPISTS AND DONORS
YOU ARE THE BEATING HEART of THE IGC.
THANK YOU
IGC Research Team
IGC Contributors
IGC Ambassadors
Including: Leon Alker, Dexter Amend, Lorraine Bouchard, Niki De Bondt, Els De Wit, Shelagh Gallagher, Miraca Gross, Joshua Grosso, Keri Guilbault, Emily Green, Alex Kayat, Krystyna Laycraft, Jennifer Harvey-Sallin, Tiffani Helberg-Lipscomb, Lisa Johnson, Allison Krug, Andy Mahoney, Elina Hayosh, Sabrina Henning, Mariët Hoeksma, Rebecca Johnson, Marianne Kuzujanakis, Valerie Marsh, Jared Nussbaum, Suzanne Pickett-Martinson, Jessica Potts, Marisa Soto-Harrison, Peter Van Petegem, Laurence Vaivre Douret, Anna Varanasi, Sahrie Wenceslao, Willard White.
YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!
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UNITED STATES
Arizona | Home Base
IGC Ambassador Valerie Marsh advocates for extending effective support to highly—profoundly gifted adolescents and young adults through college.
For many, this may be the first time in their lives that they are academically challenged. Yet many don’t know how to ask for help, study effectively, or work through the discomfort of not knowing. Executive-functioning challenges can also become more apparent as they move beyond school and navigate work schedules, caring for a home, paying bills, and more.
Would you like to join the IGC parent group, College Bound and Beyond? Valerie Marsh and Vanessa R. Wood, Psy.D., will lead meetings in person in Phoenix, Arizona, and online via Zoom for participants around the world. Reply or email IGCeducation@giftedconsortium.org.
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Illinois
In the Midwest, IGC Ambassador Elina Hayosh reminds us of the important roles we play as educators, program administrators, counselors, psychologists, pediatricians, and parents.
As Dr. Janusz Korczak eloquently stated, “Children are not people of tomorrow, but people today. They are entitled to be taken seriously. They have a right to be treated by adults with tenderness and respect, as equals.”
Elina offers counseling to individuals and families in the greater Chicago area.
| Do you want to learn more about highly—profoundly gifted children, adolescents, individuals, and family dynamics, from across the globe? Join us for a 3-week book study of Highly—Profoundly Gifted: Universal Understanding and Holistic Approaches. Inquire here or email: IGCeducation@giftedconsortium.org. | |
Indiana
IGC Contributor Rebecca M. Johnson, Ph.D. co-authored Educators as Facilitators of Parent/Caregiver Advocacy in Gifted Education, based on findings from the June 2024 study Perspectives of Parents of Highly and Profoundly Gifted Children Regarding Competence, Belonging, and Support Within a Sociocultural Context.
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North Carolina
On the East Coast, IGC Ambassador Lisa Johnson, founder of BRIGHTlinks, Inc. and Brightlinks Preparatory Academy, inspired the Highly—Profoundly Gifted Programming Gold Standards (2026).
Highly—Profoundly Gifted Programming Gold Standards (2026) were developed by the International Gifted Consortium (IGC) Research Center for Highly—Profoundly Gifted in collaboration with BRIGHTLinks and Partner Advocating for Gifted Education (PAGE). Their advocacy helped address a gap in accessible, developmentally appropriate programming standards for the education and well-being of highly—profoundly gifted students.
Brightlinks Preparatory Academy, a program of BRIGHTLinks, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is a hybrid microschool in Wake Forest, North Carolina, serving highly and profoundly gifted students in grades 6–12.
Brightlinks Prep blends virtual and in-person learning, offers appropriate radical acceleration, and provides deep dives into students’ interests. Each student receives a gifted individualized education plan, reviewed every semester. Brightlinks Preparatory Academy is proud to be among the first schools in the country to align its program with the standards.
Brightlinks Prep website: www.brightlinks.us/brightlinksprep Contact: admissions@brightlinksprep.us
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Texas
IGC Research Associate Lorraine Bouchard, Ed.D., founder of The Rainard School for Gifted Students, celebrates the school’s 40th anniversary. It is Houston’s only gifted school.
The Beginning | Dreams of a Gifted School
A Note from Founder Lorraine Bouchard
“When you can’t find exactly what you want, then you make it yourself”—which is why I created Rainard.
What did I want? A haven for gifted learners designed on a progressive model:
- Small classes so that students can be known and their needs addressed
- Classes unfettered by rigid divisions into grades
- Mixed-age grouping for all its benefits
- An emphasis on learning and less emphasis on testing and grading
- A daily schedule centered on learning rhythms rather than bus routes and specials’ schedules
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Ready access to the joys and inspiration of a nature-filled campus
- The agility to take part in community opportunities and explore horizons beyond through extensive field trips
- A dynamic curriculum that can respond to current events
I wanted a school where teaching is as enriching and exciting as learning.”
Lorraine Bouchard, Ed.D.
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Upcoming Education and Outreach
Dallas and online, October 17–25, 2026 — BloomCon26!
| States Supporting Highly—Profoundly Gifted | |
AUSTRALIA
IGC Ambassador Emily Green presented Parenting the Highly Gifted Child: The “Gentle Bulldozer” Art of Advocacy at the Australian Association for the Education of Gifted and Talented (AAEGT) Conference.
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BELGIUM
The next European Council for High Ability (ECHA) Conference will take place in Leuven, Belgium, August 9–12, 2028, with participation from the University of Antwerp, KU Leuven, and Ghent University.
IGC Research Associate and IGC Contributor Els De Wit, founder of TalentVol, pioneered Kizuna, a new program for highly—profoundly gifted teens. For more information or to join the program in Flanders, email info@TalentVol.be.
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CZECH REPUBLIC
IGC Contributor Jessica Potts, Ph.D. discusses finding the right fit for PG and 2e students on the Exceptional Girls Podcast.
| And, Jessica will be co-hosting future episodes of The IGC podcast, Room With a View. Stay tuned. | |
FRANCE
IGC Contributor Laurence Vaivre Douret, Ph.D. published Developmental trajectory characteristics and identification of high intellectual potential in children.
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GERMANY
IGC Contributor, Leon Alker, Dr. rer. nat. recently published two studies on reactive cognitive control: Cognitive Control: modeling the impact on mental health and When behaviour and self-report diverge: cognitive appraisal.
Leon states, my work shows that reactive control increases when people process a high amount of sensory and internal information. He suggests that intensity, rapid cognitive shifts, and emotional reactivity, often found in profoundly gifted individuals, may be understood as a reactive-control-driven sensitivity that becomes adaptive when proactive control is strengthened.
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IGC Contributor Sabrina Henning supports gifted children and their families in Hamburg through the German Society for Gifted Children (DGhK), an active organization in northern Germany.
DGhK recently launched two programs:
The Primary Suitcase, a program developed by MinD, is a suitcase filled with games, information, activities, and enrichment materials for gifted and talented children in early childhood and primary school. It also includes activity ideas and materials that educators can incorporate into their curricula.
| A Heart for Mia, a children's book about children who have a lot on their minds and a lot in their hearts is available free of charge. Information boxes throughout the text, help adults understand these children a little bit better. | |
Mia doesn't just count to ten, she would much rather count to infinity. Sometimes the world is simply too loud, the soup is far too "soupy," and her head is full of questions about the moon and outer space.
Luckily, Mia's dad drew a little symbol on her hand: a heart that connects them and gives her courage when her feelings are on a rollercoaster.
This program serves three purposes: to help children recognize themselves in the story and realize that they are not alone in experiencing the world this way; to help adults recognize patterns and understand that certain experiences they have with their chidlren may have something in common and be caused by giftedness itself; to raise awareness of our support services for families and professionals working with gifted children.
For more information about DGhK or to participate email Sabina henning@dghk-hh.de
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NETHERLANDS
In Utrecht, IGC Contributor Mariët Hoeksma has been collecting input from parents of highly—profoundly gifted children through interviews and questionnaires for her upcoming book. If you would like to contribute, please complete the English questionnaire here.
Mariët offers in-person family meet-ups and virtual sessions for parents. The next meet-up is Wednesday, November 4, 2026. View the event schedule at https://weekvandehoogbegaafdheid.nl/.
| Are you interested in joining the newly forming IGC group and virtual meet-ups, Pre-School and Beyond? Mariët Hoeksma and Vanessa R. Wood, Psy.D., will lead this online group for parents of young highly—profoundly gifted children around the globe. To join us, please reach out here or email IGCeducation@giftedconsortium.org. | |
NEW ZEALAND
IGC Ambassador Alex Kayat highlights the need for greater recognition and support of gifted learners in New Zealand.
Profoundly gifted students need to be understood. Everyone involved in their education and care must recognize the sensitivities common in this population, including heightened awareness and perception of their surroundings. These students can easily become discouraged; a single comment can weigh heavily on them.
We must also consider the future of AI. It is extremely important that profoundly gifted students continue to learn from people, because social connection matters. We must ensure that students know about and use appropriate educational resources; this is a shared responsibility among all stakeholders.
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ROMANIA
IGC Co-founder and President, Vanessa R. Wood, Psy.D. was interviewed by Gabriela Maalouf, Clinical Psychologist, Educational Expert, Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania regarding their study examining the neurocognitive profiles of 100 young people with documented excellence in Romania.
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SWITZERLAND
IGC Contributor Jennifer Harvey-Sallin, founding director of InterGifted, bridges the gap across the lifespan for gifted individuals seeking personal and developmental support. Upcoming offerings include The Art of Gifted Leadership and Gifted Multipotentialites.
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