BRIGHT & QUIRKY CHILD SUMMIT 2022
Discover What's Possible!
Expert Bios
Browse the incredible expert panel of leading educators and psychologists helping bright & quirky kids around the world.
Susan Baum, PhD Director of the Bridges 2e Center
Dr. Susan Baum, Ph.D., is the Director of The 2e Center for Research and Professional Development. She has over 30 years experience in public schools as a classroom teacher, special education teacher, teacher of the gifted, learning disabilities specialist, and educational consultant. Dr. Baum’s professional activities include consulting both nationally and internationally, and writing and researching in many areas of education including, differentiated curriculum and instruction, emotional needs of children, gifted education, gifted learning for disabled students, primary-aged gifted youngsters, gifted underachieving students, and economically disadvantaged students. Recently her writing and research has focused on the importance of talent development for all students. Her books include: Creativity 1,2,3; Chi Square, Pie Charts and Me; and To be Gifted and Learning Disabled: Strategies for Helping Gifted Students with LD, ADHD, and More.
Website: https://2ecenter.org/
Book: To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled: Strength-Based Strategies for Helping Twice-Exceptional Students With LD, ADHD, ASD, and More
Jeffrey Blount Author, The Emancipation of Evan Walls
Jeffrey Blount is an award-winning author and television director. His latest novel, The Emancipation of Evan Walls, won numerous awards including the National Indie Excellence Award for African American fiction. In his Emmy award-winning career at NBC News, Jeffrey directed a decade of Meet the Press, as well as directing NBC Nightly News, Today, and other national special events. He is also an award-winning documentary scriptwriter for films and interactives on display in museums. His Op-ed essays have been published by The Washington Post, HuffPost, The Grio.com, and other publications. In 2016, he was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame.
Website: https://www.jeffreyblount.com
Book: The Emancipation of Evan Walls
Austina De Bonte, MENG Family Consultant at Smart is not Easy, LLC
Austina De Bonte is a consultant, speaker, coach, and advocate for gifted and twice exceptional students. She specializes in helping families get to the root cause(s) of their child's challenges, looking beyond the usual suspects. Her signature style combines her experience as a parent and parent coach, along with synthesized research, current district practices across Washington State, and cutting edge neuroscience. Austina has a Masters degree from MIT, and is currently working on her doctorate at Bridges Graduate School.
Website: smartisnoteasy.com
Michele Borba, EdD Educational Psychologist, Author of Thrivers
Michele Borba, Ed.D., is an educational psychologist, former classroom teacher, and Mom who has spoken to over one million parents and educators in 19 countries. She is recognized for her solution-based strategies on raising resilient kids and is the recipient of the Sanford N. McDonnell Award Lifetime Achievement Award in Character Education. Dr. Borba has appeared over 150 times on the TODAY show and featured in outlets including New York Times, Dr. Phil, Washington Post, Time, and Dateline. Her 24 books, translated in 20 languages, include UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World, and her latest, Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine.
Website: https://www.micheleborba.com
Book: Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine
Richard Culatta Author & CEO, ISTE
Richard Culatta is an internationally recognized leader in technology and learning. He serves as CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), a nonprofit supporting education leaders in 127 countries. Prior to joining ISTE, he was appointed by President Obama to lead the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology. In this role, he led the development of a National Education Technology Plan and helped accelerate the development of more effective learning apps. His book, Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World aims to help parents prepare young people to become contributing digital citizens.
Website: https://www.innovativelearning.com/
Book: Digital for Good: Raising Kids to Thrive in an Online World
Mona Delahooke, PhD Clinical Psychologist
Mona Delahooke, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience caring for children and their families. She is a senior faculty member of the Profectum Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting families of neurodiverse children, adolescents and adults. She is the author of the award winning book Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioral Challenges, and Brain-Body Parenting. Her popular blog covers a range of topics useful for caregivers and childhood providers.
Website: https://www.monadelahooke.com
Book: Brain-Body Parenting: How to Stop Managing Behavior and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids
William Dodson, MD Psychiatrist and former faculty, Georgetown University
Over the last several years Dr. Bill Dodson has changed the emphasis of his practice from direct patient care to being a writer, speaker, and consultant on adult ADHD medicine. He has written more than 120 articles and given 17 Webinars for ADDitude and ADDA. He is on ADDitude’s Board of Scientific Advisers. Dr. Dodson is a Board-Certified adult Psychiatrist who was one of the first practitioners to specialize in adults with ADHD 25 years ago. He is the recipient of the national Maxwell J. Schleifer Award for Distinguished Service to Persons with Disabilities and was also was named a Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association in recognition of his contributions to the field of adult ADHD. Dr. Dodson continues to have a private consulting practice in Denver.
David Finch Author and CEO of Elevated Studio
Dave Finch is a New York Times bestselling author, studio owner, media host, and creative consultant. His essays have appeared in The New York Times, Modern Love, Slate, and Psychology Today. Dave has appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, NPR, SiriusXM, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Howard Stern Show, All Things Considered, This American Life, and more. He was also a consultant on the award-winning Netflix series, Atypical. Dave’s company, Elevated Studio, produces podcasts and other digital media for brands and individuals around the world.
Website: https://davidjfinch.com
Book: The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband
Edward (Ned) Hallowell, MD Board-certified child and adult psychiatrist and world authority on ADHD
Edward (Ned) Hallowell, M.D. is a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist and world authority on ADHD. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Tulane Medical School, and was a Harvard Medical School faculty member for 21 years. He is the Founder of The Hallowell ADHD Centers in Boston MetroWest, New York City, San Francisco, Palo Alto and Seattle. He has spent the past four decades helping thousands of adults and children live happy and productive lives through his strength-based approach to neurodiversity, and has ADHD and dyslexia himself. Dr. Hallowell is a New York Times bestselling author and has written 20 books on multiple psychological topics. The groundbreaking Distraction series, which began with Driven to Distraction, co-authored with Dr. John Ratey in 1994, sparked a revolution in understanding of ADHD. Dr. Hallowell is the host of his new podcast called Dr. Hallowell’s Wonderful World of Different: ADHD and Beyond where he celebrates the many differences that adorn humanity and hopes to break down barriers of stigma and misunderstanding to show how we all benefit from the differences between us. Dr. Hallowell has been featured on 20/20, 60 Minutes, Oprah, PBS, CNN, The Today Show, Dateline, Good Morning America, The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, Time Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and many more. He is a regular columnist for ADDitude Magazine. Dr. Hallowell lives in the Boston area with his wife and three children.
Website: https://drhallowell.com
Book: ADHD 2.0: New Science and Essential Strategies for Thriving with Distraction--from Childhood through Adulthood
Renee Jain, MAPP Founder of GoZen!
Originally a tech entrepreneur who suffered from her own anxiety, Renee Jain, founded GoZen! to help a new generation of kids, parents, and therapists. She is recognized as a pioneer in marrying technology and child psychology in a unique approach that nurtures the hearts and minds of kids. Through her writing, product invention, masterclasses for parents, and children’s advocacy, she works to build the emotional intelligence of kids. Renee earned her Master’s degree in Positive Psychology – the scientific study of optimal human functioning – from the University of Pennsylvania. She is also the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book, Superpowered.
Website: https://gozen.com
Book: Superpowered: Transform Anxiety into Courage, Confidence, and Resilience Hardcover
Ned Johnson Co-Author of The Self-Driven Child and What Do You Say?
Ned Johnson is an author, speaker, and the founder of PrepMatters, an educational company providing academic tutoring, educational planning, and standardized test prep. A professional “tutor-geek” since 1993, Ned has spent more than 40,000 one-on-one hours helping students conquer an alphabet of standardized tests and honing his insights on communicating with students and parents. A battle-tested veteran in the fields of test preparation, anxiety management, and student performance, Ned coaches kids how to manage their stress while simultaneously motivating and empowering them to reach their full potential. Ned has written for the New York Times, The Telegraph, U.S. News & World Report, and The Washington Post and co-authored three books, including the national best-seller The Self-Driven Child.
Website: https://thenedjohnson.com/
Book: The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives and What Do You Say: How to Talk with Kids to Build Stress Tolerance, Motivation, and a Happy Home.
Lisa K, PhD and her son Chris Parent and son
Lisa Kumaradjaja is the parent of an extremely bright son. Navigating the difficult path of raising an extraordinarily intelligent child, she found what worked to help him become a successful and happy adult. Christopher Kumaradjaja has a degree in Structural Civil Engineering and is currently pursuing a dual graduate degree in Architecture and Historic Preservation, all at Columbia University. Lisa is dedicated to teaching people around the world how to make better decisions.
Website: http://www.LMK88.com
Elizabeth Laugeson, PsyD Founder and Director, UCLA PEERS® Clinic
Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and is a licensed clinical psychologist. As the founder and Director of the UCLA PEERS Clinic, an outpatient program providing social skills training for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities and other social challenges across the lifespan, and the developer of the PEERS curriculum, Dr. Laugeson has trained tens of thousands of mental health professionals, educators, and families worldwide, and is dedicated to developing, testing, and disseminating evidence-based treatments to improve social skills for those with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Dr. Laugeson has also been a principal investigator and collaborator on a number of nationally funded studies on social skills training for youth with social difficulties from preschool to early adulthood and has authored four books related to social skills including the critically acclaimed, The Science of Making Friends. Her programs are currently used in over 125 countries and have been translated into over a dozen languages.
Website: https://www.semel.ucla.edu/peers
Book: The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults
Paul Micallef Founder, Autism Explained and Emotions Explained
Paul Micallef is an Emotional Intelligence Trainer and the creator of the “Emotions Explained” series of emotional intelligence courses that are designed for people who want a straight-forward no-nonsense approach to understanding emotions. Paul is from Australia and his background is in engineering. He sees the world in systems to be analyzed. Paul’s passion is for taking the incredibly complex, deciphering the pattern, and explaining it very simply. At age 30 he discovered he had Asperger's Syndrome (a type of Autism sometimes referred to as 'wrong planet syndrome’). In an effort to cope Paul made it his life mission to understand these funny creatures we call humans. He is also working to see Emotional Intelligence as standard in every school curriculum and is the creator of Aspergers from the Inside Blog and YouTube Channel.
Amanda Morin Director of Thought Leadership, Understood
Amanda Morin is an author, former early childhood educator, special education advocate, host of the podcast, “In It,” speaker and mom. She serves as the Director of Thought Leadership and Expertise at Understood where she focuses on making sure individuals, families, and educators have the resources and support they need for equity, empathy, and empowerment of all learners. She has written for and served as an expert resource for numerous outlets, including NPREd, Education Week, Associated Press (AP), The Atlantic, Washington Post, Parenting Special Needs Magazine, and more. She lives in coastal Maine with her family.
Website: https://www.amandamorin.com
Book: Adulting Made Easy: Things Someone Should Have Told You About Getting Your Grown-Up Act Together
Emily Kircher Morris, LPC Host of The Neurodiversity Podcast
Emily Kircher-Morris, LPC, is a licensed professional counselor specializing in supporting gifted, neurodivergent, and twice-exceptional people. Growing up as a gifted/ADHDer inspired her to work to create a neurodiversity-affirming world. In addition to her counseling practice, she is the host of The Neurodiversity Podcast and author of Raising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents of Neurodivergent Gifted Kids.
Website: https://www.neurodiversitypodcast.com
Book: Raising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents of Neurodivergent Gifted Kids
Linda Murphy, CCC-SLP Author, Speech Language Pathologist, and RDI® Consultant
Linda K. Murphy is a speech language pathologist and RDI® Consultant. She co-founded Peer Projects Therapy From the Heart, a clinic in Beverly, MA dedicated to helping kids and families by using a positive, thoughtful communication style that emphasizes understanding, patience, respect, and kindness. Linda has been working with individuals with social learning differences for over 25 years. She leads trainings on the topic of social learning, has authored Declarative Language Handbook, Co-Regulation Handbook, numerous articles, and co-authored the book Social Thinking and Me with Michelle Garcia Winner. Linda lives north of Boston with her husband and their two busy, lovable boys.
Website: https://www.declarativelanguage.com/
Book: Declarative Language Handbook: Using a Thoughtful Language Style to Help Kids with Social Learning Challenges Feel Competent, Connected, and Understood
Dan Peters, PhD Licensed Psychologist/Executive Director, Summit Center
Dr. Dan Peters, licensed psychologist, is Co-founder and Executive Director of the Summit Center, specializing in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents, and families with special emphasis on gifted, talented, and creative individuals and families. Dr. Dan speaks regularly at state and national conferences on a variety of topics including parenting, gifted and twice-exceptionality, anxiety, and dyslexia, as well as writes for the Huffington Post and Psychology Today. Dr. Dan is author of Make Your Worrier a Warrior: A Guide to Conquering Your Child’s Fears, and its companion book, From Worrier to Warrior: A Guide to Conquering Your Fears. He is co-author of The Warrior Workbook: A Guide for Conquering Your Worry Monster, as well as co-author of Raising Creative Kids. Dr. Dan is also co-founder of ParentFootprint.com, an on-line interactive parent-training program, and Camp Summit, a sleep-over summer camp for gifted and 2e youth.
Website: https://www.summitcenter.us
Book: Make Your Worrier a Warrior: A Guide to Conquering Your Child’s Fears
Barry Prizant, PhD Speech-Language Pathologist, Visiting Scholar, Brown University
Dr. Barry Prizant is a speech-language pathologist with 50 years experience as a clinical scholar and international consultant for autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families. He is a Visiting Scholar at Brown University and Director, Childhood Communication Services. Barry has presented more than 900 seminars and keynote addresses internationally, including two invited presentations at the United Nations for World Autism Awareness Day, and is author of the best-selling book, Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism, translated into 22 languages.
Website: https://www.barryprizant.com
Book: Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism
Debbie Reber, MA Author, podcaster, founder, Tilt Parenting
Debbie Reber, MA, is a parenting activist, bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker who moved her career in a more personal direction in 2016 when she founded TiLT Parenting, a resource for parents raising differently wired children. The TiLT Parenting Podcast has more than 4 million downloads and a slate of guests that includes high-profile thought leaders across the parenting and education space. A certified Positive Discipline trainer and a regular contributor to Psychology Today and ADDitude Magazine, Debbie’s newest book is Differently Wired.
Website: https://tiltparenting.com
Book: Differently Wired
Tosha Schore, MA Peaceful Parenting Coach
Tosha Schore is on a mission to create a more peaceful world, one sweet boy at a time by supporting you to care for yourself, connect with your boy deeply, set limits lovingly, and play wildly! She brings a burst of energy and optimism to parenting, and is an expert at simple solutions to what feel like overwhelmingly complicated problems. Through her online community and courses, Tosha helps break the isolation of modern parenting and lifts your confidence so you're better equipped to face the challenges of raising young boys. Tosha is a trainer of Hand in Hand Parenting, co-author of Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Challenges, and the creator of all things Parenting Boys Peacefully, including her 10-Day Reconnect, an online group experience shared by over 15,000 parents worldwide. Tosha is also a frequent guest expert on podcasts and online and in-person conferences.
Website: https://www.parentingboyspeacefully.com
Book: Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges
Nicole Tetreault, PhD Neuroscientist, Author and Meditation Teacher
Dr. Nicole Tetreault is a neuroscientist, author, meditation teacher, and international speaker on topics of neurodiversity, neurodevelopment, creativity, mental health, and wellness. Her book, Insight into a Bright Mind, explores groundbreaking research examining the experiences of unique, creative, and intense brains while advocating for new directions of human diversity and neurodiversity. Nicole received her Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in biology specializing in neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disorders. She is the founder of Awesome Neuroscience and translates the most promising neuroscience and positive psychology for people to live their best life. She is on the faculty at Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education. Nicole leads a new generation of meditation practices by fusing novel discoveries in neuroscience with the ancient lineage of Buddhist meditation. As a recipient of the Milton Career Exploration Prize from Caltech, she founded the non-profit Beyond the Cell, a transformative program to rehabilitate incarcerated women through guided meditation, neuroscience, literature, and expressive writing. Nicole believes we have the ability to wire our minds for positive plasticity through compassion and wisdom to live the life we dream.
Website: https://nicoletetreault.com
Book: Insight Into a Bright Mind: A Neuroscientist's Personal Stories of Unique Thinking
Jennifer Thomas, PhD Co-Director, Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Jennifer Thomas is the Co-Director of the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, and an Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School. She works with individuals of all ages with eating disorders and is the co-author of more than 150 scientific articles and three books — Almost Anorexic: Is My (or My Loved One’s) Relationship with Food a Problem?; Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: Children, Adolescents, and Adults; and The Picky Eater’s Recovery Book: A Self-Help Guide to Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Her clinical research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and private foundations. She has been featured as an eating-disorder expert on Dr. Oz, the Today Show, and Good Morning America, as well as in the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, and Huffington Post. She is the President-Elect of the Academy for Eating Disorders, a global community of professionals that promotes eating disorders research, education, treatment, and prevention.
Website: https://www.massgeneral.org/eatingdisorders
Book: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (Children, Adolescents, and Adults)
Christopher Willard, PsyD Psychologist, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Christopher Willard, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist, author, and consultant based in Massachusetts. He has been invited to more than two dozen countries to speak, and has presented at two TEDx events. He is the author of twenty books, including Alphabreaths, Growing Up Mindful, and How We Grow Through What We Go Through. His thoughts on mental health have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, mindful.org, cnn.com, and elsewhere. He teaches at Harvard Medical School.
Website: https://drchristopherwillard.com
Book: Growing Up Mindful: Essential Practices to Help Children, Teens, and Families Find Balance, Calm, and Resilience