Seminars, tours to assist families of gifted children

Parents of intellectually and academically talented children can gain insight into a variety of issues associated with gifted education and parenting during a series of free seminars at Arizona State University’s West campus. The Parent Seminar Series is hosted by the Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy, an initiative of ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.

Free tours also are offered each month for students and their parents who are considering enrollment at the Herberger Academy, Arizona’s first university-based school specifically designed to meet the unique educational, social and emotional needs of gifted young adolescents.

Presenters for the Parent Seminar Series include ASU and Herberger Academy faculty members along with experts from the community.

The seminar schedule for the next two months is:

Thursday, Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m.
“Asynchronous Development: Executive Functioning In Gifted Children” by Paul Beljan

Gifted children who display asynchronous development behaviors may not respond to traditional forms of behavior management. Dr. Beljan will briefly review the neuropsychological basics of asynchronous development and how it causes some children to experience affective dysregulation. He will teach parents an intervention approach that equips children with appropriate decision-making by maintaining cognitive control over sub-cortically produced affective stimulus. Dr. Beljan has 25 years of experience as a mental health clinician, providing psychotherapy and assessment services for adults, adolescents and children.

Wednesday, Dec. 5, 6:30 p.m.
“Playing Games: Creating the Next Generation of Global Thinkers” by Erica Bailin

In this seminar, parents will take on the role of Herberger Academy students and engage in a learning episode with global themes. Participants in this interactive session will gain an understanding of the role of games within our society, the value, and impact of games. Parents are invited to see how games can produce critical thinkers to tackle society’s biggest challenges. Bailin teaches at the Herberger Academy; she previously worked in the Paradise Valley Unified School District as a classroom teacher, gifted cluster teacher, gifted pull-out teacher for honors reading and mathematics, and an instructor for the Digital Learning Center for the Gifted.

Additional seminars are scheduled for Jan. 17, Feb. 6, March 21, April 3 and May 9. Topics will be announced in the near future. Attendees may register at http://hebergeracademy.eventbrite.com/.

Tours of the Herberger Academy are conducted by Kimberly Lansdowne, the Academy’s executive director. The schedule of tours for prospective students and their families is:

• Wednesday, Dec. 5, 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Dec. 5, 5:30 p.m. (immediately prior to the Parent Seminar Series)
• Thursday, Jan. 17, 9 a.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 6, 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 6, 5:30 p.m. (immediately prior to the Parent Seminar Series)
• Thursday, March 21, 9 a.m.
• Wednesday, April 3, 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 3, 5:30 pm (immediately prior to the Parent Seminar Series)
• Thursday, May 9, 9 a.m.

Seminars and tours are held in the Herberger Academy building on ASU’s West campus, 4701 W. Thunderbird Road in Phoenix. (The building is identified at FABNX in the online campus map.) The events are free and open to the public; R.S.V.P.s are not required. Visitor parking on campus costs $2 per hour.

More information may be obtained by visiting http://herbergeracademy.asu.edu/ or calling (602) 543-8274.