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Northwest Gifted Child Association

The Northwest Gifted Child Association supports gifted and twice-exceptional students by providing resources, advocacy, and educational workshops for parents and educators, ensuring these children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Join Dr. Austina De Bonte for a deep look at asynchrony and neurodiversity in HiCap and twice-exceptional (2e) students 🎓🧠. This session unpacks what &ldquo;out-of-sync&rdquo; development can look like at home and at school, and how it affects learning, behavior, and social life. Designed for parents, caregivers, and educators, this workshop shares concrete examples and practical ways to support gifted and 2e students so they can grow academically, socially, and emotionally in line with NWGCA&rsquo;s mission. <span fr-original-style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; box-sizing: inherit;">Many families notice that their bright children have
asynchronous development - unusually advanced development in some area(s)
alongside other area(s) of relative weakness. Asynchrony is common in our
population, and can be seen across social, emotional, and academic development.
Where does asynchrony come from? There&rsquo;s growing evidence that many bright
students who experience asynchrony are actually twice exceptional (2e) with
co-occurring neurodiversity, learning differences, or sensory processing challenges.
Parents sometimes overlook legitimate challenges and instead call our kids
quirky, sensitive, or perfectionists. Bright kids&rsquo; tremendous ability to
compensate and mask often delays recognition of their support needs. However,
providing early intervention and supports can prevent many long-term
challenges, ranging from academic underachievement to social, emotional, and
psychological impacts. Learn about the most commonly overlooked causes of 2e
and what clues to look for - so that you can identify the supports your kids
will need to thrive, and ultimately lean in to supporting their strengths. Dr. Austina De Bonte (she/her) is a consultant, researcher, and
advocate for gifted and twice-exceptional students with Smart is not Easy, LLC
(smartisnoteasy.com). She is also President of the WA Coalition for Gifted
Education (wacoalition.com), Past President of NW Gifted Child Association
(nwgca.org), member of the WA State Highly Capable Advisory, and member of the
NAGC Public Policy and Advocacy Committee (nagc.org). A dynamic and engaging
presenter, Dr. Austina speaks
regularly at regional and national conferences, as well as conducts
professional development workshops for educators, and provides consulting for
individual families. She works with school district teams to develop and
fine-tune their highly capable program models, especially concerning equitable
identification and service strategies. Her signature style combines synthesized
research, current district practices, and cutting-edge neuroscience alongside
her experience as a parent and family consultant. She has particular passion
for supporting gifted and twice-exceptional students in public schools and
helping families uncover the root
causes of their child&rsquo;s challenges, looking beyond the usual suspects. She
received an NAGC Research &amp; Evaluation Dissertation
Award (2025), NAGC Carolyn Callahan Award (2023), People
to Watch by Variations 2e Magazine (2020), WAETAG Advocacy Award (2019), has
won three PTA Outstanding Advocate awards, and is a certified SENG facilitator. She has a Masters degree
from MIT (1998) and a Doctoral degree in twice exceptional education from
Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education (2024).

Northwest Gifted Child Association

Northwest Gifted Child Association

Events

Events

Making Sense of Asynchrony & Neurodiversity in HiCap/2e Students with Dr. Austina De Bonte

Get your tickets

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Events

Events

Making Sense of Asynchrony & Neurodiversity in HiCap/2e Students with Dr. Austina De Bonte

Get your tickets

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Northwest Gifted Child Association