Champion Your Gifted Child

Let's talk about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (ADHD)   The three main signs of ADHD are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity which can show up in different ways. Children with ADHD often feel misunderstood by the people around them.    Verbal communication (Talking things out) can be difficult at times, especially when they don't have it all together in their minds just yet. And it can be frustrating not to be able to pinpoint the root cause of issues immediately...So we also discuss mindset shifts around the diagnosis, and how those literally change our family life.   In this week's podcast episode, we will talk about ADHD…. Check out our blog: How to Help Your Student with ADHD Thrive at Home and at School Looking to sprinkle some positivity in kiddo's life? Here's a free 18x24 poster for you! ✨Download here✨

In this episode, we review findings from an extraordinary book:  What can we do to ease our chronic stress, anxiety, and traumas? Let us review how trauma or intense stress can have physical manifestations, as the body keeps the score. We discuss: -Definition of Trauma, ramifications, impact on our mental health -The survival brain's "Limbic Highjack" and Faulty Neuroception - The body keeps the score's trauma-informed thesis. -Feeling safe again in one's body: 2 example of somatic therapy. -Our favorite tools to enhance the body's feeling of safety and wellness. Citing literature: BLOG Looking to sprinkle some positivity in kiddo's life? Here's a free 18x24 poster for you! Download here.

Welcome to one of my favorite topics, Shadow Work. *In this episode, we analyze what our subconscious shadow is, how it forms early on in our childhood, as well as our persona, our ego. *We can gently bring it to light with self-compassion to understand our unseen patterns, stories, and triggers. *We review the benefits of wholeheartedly accepting ourselves, for ourselves and our gifted child. *We define Jung's theory of the child's mind opposite to Lock's "Tabula rasa" and how this helps us develop our child's true self. Remember to download and print your free Affirmation Poster! So excited for your Shadow Work!✨ xx Laurance

We will start with 5 mins of Square breathing. Breathing can be the difference between anxiety and calm! We will take this time for ourselves. We will take time to breathe.✨ By controlling our breath, we can control our mood. We can regulate our nervous systems, inhale positivity and exhale negativity ( and toxins).  We will then have 2 mins of Positive visualization: -Body scan -Positive visualization -A special mindful moment. Remember to download and print your free Affirmation Poster! From us to you with love, xx Laurance

Anyone feeling stressed about back-to-school? It is normal to feel a bit anxious at the beginning of the year, and with last year's changes, even more...No worries, we have you covered! In this week's brand new podcast episode, we will talk about how to have a seamless back to school, embracing feelings, providing emotional support, and focusing on Mental Health. Get your FREE Affirmation poster✨ Citing Literature: Feeling blessed not stressed during back to school blog

How can a child thrive with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? No doubt about it, it takes a village determined to support the child. Successful ADHD families report being supported by teachers, coaches, and extended family members. It takes most of all the determination, unwavering patience of parents determined to see their child thrive no matter what, determined to see strengths where others see weaknesses. Debbie Phelps, a middle-school principal in Towson, Maryland, and mother of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, gave multiple interviews about him. Here is what I learned about Debbie.

This summer there will be broken records, broken hearts, massive success, and devastating defeats as the world's greatest athletes compete...    There is something about watching human beings compete at such an elevated level...  What can we learn from the high-performance US Olympics Team and other Olympic teams? And mostly: what can we learn from coaches, as parents, so we support our gifted high performers the best we can?   I have always been obsessed with what helps someone achieve more, in brief, high performance. in this episode, you will hear my 12 reasons why elite athletes achieve the success they set out as goals.  Take a listen!

Why do some gifted children lack self-esteem? I think it is a valid question...even if not all of them do! Some children were gifted with so much more intensity, depth, and intelligence. Yet, they don't appreciate and value their self-worth. With asynchronous development and overexcitabilities, their social well-being is a bit complicated at times, not always and not necessarily dramatically. But yes, they will display differences compared to this very neurotypical world. Those differences are the starting point for their discomfort.

Sometimes we know that our highly gifted child is 2 standard deviations or more from the norm. Sometimes we wonder: is my child gifted or just smart?  In this episode we review a strategy to differentiate based on two books: -Helping Gifted Children Soar (2000) by Carol Strip and Gretchen Hirsch -A Parent's guide to gifted children, by James Webb We will also question the validity of our need to know, how we feel about this question and how we attune our own parenting based on the answer. We will also review some practical parenting strategies based on how intensely those gifted traits manifest in our child.  

In this episode, we review what Depression looks like and how we can help as parents, coaches, or teachers. We believe there are some things we can do to counter any negative mental health impact: Check out our poster in our website's blog post: Depression and the Gifted Child

What is Interpersonal Neurobiology? It is essentially an interdisciplinary field created by Dr.Dan Siegel that brings together many areas of science including but not limited to anthropology, biology, linguistics, mathematics, physics, and psychology to determine common findings of the human experience from different perspectives. Exploring the Mind, today we ask ourselves what activities help create an optimal brain matter... Citing Literature and Mind Platter info from Dr.Siegel: https://www.championyourgiftedchild.com/blog/post/556253/the-healthy-mind-platter

Instead of using the word gifted, Dr. Nusbaum from the University of Lyon, France, introduces the concept of Philo-cognitive to describe "people who only like to think and think differently. " In this episode, we review the findings of her MRI studies -Philo-Cognitive brain structural differences and enhanced connectivity. -Broader Identification and definition of giftedness -Clinical Assessment around hyper-speculation, hyper-acuity, and hyper-latency Plus- 2 Profiles of Philo-Cognition- -Philo-Complex -Philo-Laminar Citing literature on our Blog: Fanny Nusbaum's Definition of Giftedness with Two Gifted Profiles Identified

If your child is struggling socially, you are going to LOVE the Social Belonging Concepts I am about to share. The actual Social Thinking concept was created by Michelle Garcia Winner and her team to help kids navigate the social world: what an amazing work!    In our Gifted Program, we think of it as Social Belonging. To refer to how interconnected and intertwined our lives are. We literally belong to our environment.   In this episode, we review Social Belonging constructs, how to enhance social awareness, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness, providing skills and positive self-constructs that will help our children for the rest of their lives.✨   Supporting Blog: https://www.championyourgiftedchild.com/blog/post/549430/social-thinking-gifted-experiment-your-gift-is-mine

Control your breath, control your mood✨ Good news for you gifted moms: it's time to say "hooray!" If you are worried about your gifted child's low self-esteem, hyperactivity and stress, there are natural ways we can help. Meditation is an ancient scientific technique to calm the mind. It is an art with certain techniques to experience the present moment. The sooner you introduce this to your child, the better! Breathing techniques help our stressed-out child become mindful, reduce impulsive behaviors, and help focus their attention towards their inner strengths. Let's look at breathing techniques and yoga poses that can help an impulsive child Pranayama is a series of controlled breathing exercises used to center one's mind and body. Breathwork has been shown to enhance executive functioning, self-esteem and reduce stress and anxiety in our lives!!  

In this episode, we discuss why children need physical activity every day. We have a FREE poster for you to print and introduce 7 FUN activities for physical exercise at home! Download your FREE Poster Here! Also, read our BLOG on why Children NEED daily exercise Let's make it a priority to take care of ourselves and our children!

Isn't it so frustrating to bribe a child just so that something gets done? Studies show that hovering, pushing, and bribing could do more harm than good. Because how can we ensure our child is self-motivated even when no one is watching? How can we teach this lifelong skill that is so critical to success? Imagine, a child who does not need to be told what to do, how to do it, and why. A child who takes ownership through persistence and effort. Take a listen, we have you covered in this episode on self-motivation!

2020 was the year that we moms turned into homemakers, breadwinners, school teachers, and psychologists all at once... 2020 was the year we got our already spread thin schedule overloaded with a 5x pf tasks and to-do lists.... 2020 was also the year our gifted, spirited and highly sensitive child needed us the most, 2020 was the year TIME became our most precious commodity.... And we needed to find the time to heal ourselves, connect with our child and give  our child a much needed emotional security. Want to know how to juggle overwhelm? Take a listen!

Tune in to learn about Alfred Binet, the creator of the IQ test. We will learn the story of his early life, his atypical career, his discoveries, his impact in modern psychology, his take on definition of intelligence and limitations of the IQ test... More info +citing literature : https://www.championyourgiftedchild.com/blog/post/436226/binet-or-the-gifted-intelligence-unleashed What can we learn from Binet for ourselves and our parenting?

In this episode, we review what NOT to do when our child is experiencing anxiety. Join us on our FREE 3 day Challenge!

We will review secure attachment theories to enhance Executive functioning. We will review the Interpersonal Neurobiology take on categories of attachment, the Mary Ainsworth Strange Situation experiment We will also see how a trauma informed perspective coupled with secure attachment can help lower chronic stress in our child's life, develop executive functioning skills and build emotional well-being that will follow our child child for the rest of his/her life. Blog post with all citing literature  

Sharing my 5 favorite things to do to enhance Self-Love. Spending a few minutes in reflective practices will help us show up the best version of ourselves and design a life of fulfillment. Let's take some time in, together, on this Valentine's Day

A struggling self-esteem will become your child's inner voice who will be affirming on repeat negative thoughts & self-concepts. Our action plan is 3-fold. 1-Challenge and Create a positive environment to our child's self-concepts. Managing the environment and their interpretation about the environment In the Munich Model of Giftedness, the environment is assessed as a KEY factor to the child's development- relationship with caretakers, sensory accommodations, social emotional bonds with friends, level of connection with parents. What we tolerate becomes their inner voice How our own anxiety co-regulates emotional Des-regulations. Epigenetic, experience influences how our genetic baggage manifests. Difference between shame and guilt  Be very careful about story our child tells themselves, be a guardian of their mind. 2-Fostering Introspecting Time. The gifted brain is very sensitive to environmental stimuli, it needs time in to recenter and self-regulate. 3-Encourage and Model internal validation. Check out our most liked Self Esteem Anchor coaching tool at https://championyourgiftedchild.com/AnchorSelfEsteem  

Are you ready for a radically different definition of giftedness?  Let me introduce you to Carlos Tinoco, himself gifted, former teacher of philosophy and psychoanalyst. In his book, “ Intelligents, too Intelligents”, this Italian French philosopher is redefining giftedness in ways that are way outside of our comfort zone... Take a listen... 

Will 2021 be our year? A year of breakthroughs and confident, progressive and supportive parenting?  It is up to us. In this episode I will share my process to set up intentions for the year.  We are going to give up resentments and deciding to clear out what doesn't work.  We are going to understand what lights us up and invite more in. Because life is too short. Our gifted child needs our very best. It is here and now.  Download your workbook here: http://www.championyourgiftedchild.com 

Been dealing with behavioral issues at home lately? Let's revisit some paradigm shifts on behavioral issue management based on neurosciences, mindfulness and connected parenting.  We will also review some effective interventions you can apply right at home, from connecting strategies, to the behavior iceberg from Dr Delahooke's theory, to mindfulness easy practices!  Mona Delahooke's theory of dysregulation as a stress response: Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children's Behavioral Challenges.  Steven Porges theory of Faulty Neuroception : The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe (Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology)  Dr Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind  You are IN for a treat. Those highly intelligent brains are also heart- felt advocates for your child's mental health, and I believe their theories can shift your perspective and parenting, just like they changed mine

This show will define Asynchronous development. Based on research: Intellectual ability and cortical development in children and adolescents. Shaw P1, Greenstein D, Lerch J, Clasen L, Lenroot R, Gogtay N, Evans A, Rapoport J, Giedd J.  https://www.nagc.org/sites/default/files/Publication%20PHP/NAGC%20TIP%20Sheet-Asynchronous%20Development-FINAL%20REVISED-OCTOBER%202017(1).pdf  https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-parents/social-emotional-issues/asynchronous-development 

What is the best learning environment for our gifted child? We explore insights from a gifted school, an experiment from a public school and homeschooling possibilities. What is giftedness?, a very insightful take on gifted education from Our Gifted Kids podcast  Celine Alvarez: The Natural Laws of Children: Why Children Thrive When We Understand How Their Brains Are Wired 

With Giftedness being a niched area of expertise, sometimes foreign to our clinicians, what are some of the risks our children have to be misdiagnosed and medically treated in error?  This talk is based on research by Dr. James Webb Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger's, Depression, and Other Disorders (2nd edition)  And the Supporting the emotional Needs of the Gifted Children Association https://www.sengifted.org 

What “Operating Equipment” does your child work with on a day –to- day basis?  Dabrowski was a polish psychiatrist who over the course of this extensive practice studied highly sensitive people and identified 5 OVER-EXCITABILITIES  or ways in which a highly sensitive person can experience the world and they are:  Psychomotor Sensory Emotional Intellectual Imaginational  My proposal is to review for each the opportunity it may bring for the child and others as well as its strength, its positive aspect.  Dabrowski: Personality-Shaping Through Positive Disintegration 

Common characteristics of gifted children  James Webb: A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children  Olivier Revol: 100 idées pour accompagner les enfants à haut potentiel: Changeons notre regard sur ces enfants à besoins spécifiques afin de favoriser leur épanouissement. (French Edition)    

NAGC Giftedness Definitions:  https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/what-giftedness  MENSA testing and offerings:  https://www.mensa.org  Howard Gardner: Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences  James Delisle: Understanding Your Gifted Child From the Inside Out  Joseph Renzulli : Identification of Students for Gifted and Talented Programs (Essential Readings in Gifted Education Series)  Francoys Gagne: Differentiating Giftedness from Talent: The DMGT Perspective on Talent Development  The Munich Model :  Munich Studies of Giftedness (Talent Encouragement - Development of Expertise - Performance Excellence / Talentforderung - Expertiseentwicklung - Leistungsexzellenz)  Alfred Binet: L'audition colorée et les synesthésies: Oeuvres choisies VIII (1891-1894) Alfred Binet (Encyclopédie psychologique) (French Edition)