SENGinar: The 2e Journey – Research Reflecting the Parent Experience

Parents play a critical role in the academic success of their twice-exceptional (2e) children through their ability to provide time, financial support, and advocacy. Parents have traditionally been the most accurate first identifiers of a 2e child in terms of behavioral characteristics, recognizing intellectual capabilities and signs of a disability. Parents receive conflicting messages from the media, family, school personnel that can be confusing. In addition, research uncovered a cycle of grieving parents experience upon receiving the diagnosis of giftedness or a learning difference that directly impacts their ability to nurture, protect, and advocate for their child. Parents can get stuck in any phase of the cycle of grief, preventing them from caring for their child’s social and emotional needs. This SENGinar will address each stage of the cycle and how parents can transition out of this perpetual cycle of grief, frustration, and anger to acceptance and a positive perspective that their child can have a future to thrive.

About the Presenter:

Dr. Arnstein is an assistant professor in Educational Psychology at the Department of Urban Education at the University of Houston-Downtown. She received her doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction for the Gifted from the University of Denver. Her research examined the developmental transitions of twice-exceptional students. Karen is a speaker and author dedicated to supporting twice-exceptional learners. She is the co-founder and Director of Technology at Sierra Gifted Educational Services, a non-profit dedicated to supporting gifted and twice-exceptional families. Her involvement with SENG began when her son was five and is now discovering new challenges parenting a twice-exceptional teenager.