Meet our Speakers

Symposium Presenters

Emmett Aster

Mentor, Tutor, and Workshop Facilitator | Co-coordinator, My Neurodivergent Child | Award-Winning Theatre-Maker

Emmett is twice-exceptional and was radically accelerated, graduating high school and university three years ahead of his peers. Now 23 and completing a Masters in Social Work, Emmett works with gifted and 2E young people alongside Dr Kate Aster.

Presentation: 2e and Radical Acceleration — A Retrospective

Grounded in eight years of reflection post-graduation, Emmett unpacks the full experience of radical acceleration, benefits, struggles, and long-term impacts, and what scaffolding made the difference for their mental health and development.

Dr Kate Aster

Founder and Director, Alchemy Therapy | Founder, My Neurodivergent Child | Principal Founder, GiftedWA

With over 20 years specialising in giftedness, twice-exceptionality, and complex trauma, Dr Aster is a leading allied health voice in this space — featured in The Guardian, ABC, and SBS, and actively shaping systemic policy.

Presentation: From Anger to Anxiety: Emotional Regulation for the Intense and Sensitive

Conventional approaches often fail gifted and twice-exceptional children. This session helps parents and educators understand the nervous systems of intense, sensitive learners, and discover practical, compassionate strategies that actually work.

Jasmine Bautista

Presentation: Creative Problem Solving on Gifted Girls’ Thinking Skills and Self-Efficacy

Details coming soon.

Kylie Bice

Director and Education Consultant, Growing Up Greatness | BA, DipEd, MEd

An award-winning teacher and scholar, Kylie specialises in gifted education, differentiation, and twice-exceptional learners. She is the former Senior Inclusive and Gifted Education Consultant at the Association of Independent Schools of WA.

Presentation: Identifying & Supporting Twice-Exceptional (2e) Students

2E students are gifted and also have a disability or other challenge — and their potential is too often undeveloped. This session explores how to identify their unique profiles and offer practical, strength-based support in classrooms and school settings.

Lucy Birts

Gifted and Talented Coordinator | GiftedWA Committee Member | Doctoral Candidate, UNSW

Lucy coordinates gifted education at an independent school in Perth, works with GERRIC at UNSW, and holds a Master of Education (Gifted Education) with Excellence. Her doctoral research explores how teachers implement professional development in gifted education.

Presentation: Beyond Identification: Using Gifted Education Profiles to Support Meaningful Classroom Differentiation

Gifted Education Profiles can be a powerful tool for time-poor teachers. This practical session outlines approaches for developing profiles that bring together student voice and evidence-informed strategies, bridging identification and classroom practice.

Kasilene Bostock, Andrew Herft and Dr Sue Vasilevska

NSW Department of Education

Presentation: Recognising and supporting our students with high potential in the social-emotional domain

An overview of the four domains of high potential with a focus on the social-emotional domain, offering practical strategies for recognising and supporting gifted students within classroom, school, and broader NSW Department of Education contexts.

Dr Alison Brown

Psychologist, Author, and Educator

A psychologist, teacher, and author with experience across Australia and the USA — including as Adjunct Professor of Exceptional Child Psychology at Seton Hall University — Dr Brown specialises in the social, emotional, and academic needs of gifted students.

Presentation: What Lies Beneath the Anger: Misdiagnosed Giftedness

Behind labels like ‘troublemaker’ or ‘overly emotional’ often lies unrecognised giftedness. This session explores how perfectionism, intensity, and deep emotion are misread, and how a fresh lens can transform a child’s journey.

Troy Eggelston

Science Teacher, NSW Department of Education | Lead Teacher | Master of Gifted Education (UNSW)

A regional NSW educator in his third decade with the NSW Department of Education, Troy holds Lead Teacher accreditation and leads high-potential and gifted education initiatives at his school.

Presentation: Late Identification, Neurodivergence, and Advocacy in Gifted Education

Drawing on his own story — including the late identification of autism and ADHD and a grand champion win on a television quiz show — Troy reflects on giftedness, advocacy, and the importance of seeing learners whose strengths don’t fit conventional expectations.

Sarah Fleming

Casual Academic and Research Officer, UNSW

Sarah has led gifted and high-potential programs in primary schools and contributed to policy development in the ACT and NSW, combining classroom experience with academic research in gifted education.

Presentation: Social-Emotional Autonomy Support for Twice-Exceptional Students

This presentation explores pedagogical approaches to autonomy-support in social-emotional domains, developing practical understanding of how to support gifted children with ADHD socially and emotionally.

Chrissy Gamble and the Kingswood SEEK Team

Principal, Kingswood College

An educational leader with over 30 years across K–12 independent schooling, Chrissy presents alongside members of Kingswood College’s leadership and Student Enrichment and Extension (SEEK) team.

Presentation: Twice-Exceptional, Twice-Overlooked: Strength-Based Pathways for Challenge, Belonging and Growth

Through case studies and classroom practice, this session explores how schools can balance intervention with intellectual challenge, enable safe acceleration, and foster belonging for twice-exceptional learners.

Jo Gray and Dr Sue Vasilevska

NSW Department of Education

Presentation: Addressing equity gaps — how NSW Public schools are supporting our high potential and gifted students

Outlining the NSW Department of Education’s HPGE policy and its strong equity foundation, this session highlights cutting-edge system-wide initiatives already making an impact across creative, intellectual, physical, and social-emotional domains.

Emily Green

Primary Teacher | Sessional University Tutor | Master of Gifted Education Candidate, UNSW

A teacher with over 10 years of classroom experience in Western Australia and a parent of a highly gifted child, Emily bridges professional knowledge and lived experience to advocate for gifted learners.

Presentation: The Gentle Bulldozer: Parenting a Highly Gifted Child

A research-informed personal perspective on raising a highly gifted child, covering early identification, asynchronous development, schooling challenges, and advocacy — and the vital role of supportive educational environments.

Zico Hua

First-Generation Immigrant | Late-Recognised Virtuoso

Zico’s experiences have been shaped by delayed recognition, cultural expectation, and the complexities of identity — offering a rare and candid voice from within the gifted community.

Presentation: Giftedness, Migration, Ageism, and Being Overlooked

A personal perspective on what it means to be gifted yet repeatedly unseen, inviting reflection on how giftedness is recognised, misunderstood, and valued across cultural and social contexts.

Penina Kiss

Gifted Education Lead, Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese | PhD Candidate, Griffith University

An experienced educational leader and PhD candidate at Griffith University, Penina leads the gifted education agenda at Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese in NSW, connecting system strategy with individual student advocacy.

Presentation: Exploring approaches to collaboration in support of twice-exceptional learners

Collaboration is widely advocated in gifted education, yet rarely examined for twice-exceptional learners specifically. This workshop explores the key themes shaping how collaboration is practiced to identify and support 2E students.

Lauren Krause

Catholic Primary School Teacher | Master of Gifted Education

A Queensland primary teacher who combined classroom experience in Mackay and Western Queensland with graduate study in gifted education, Lauren brings a strong interest in national policy and teacher preparation.

Presentation: Strategic Vagueness & Silent Standards: How National Language Marginalises Gifted Education

Drawing on Senate reviews and international frameworks, this session examines how vague policy language limits meaningful provision for gifted learners, and argues for clearer expectations in Initial Teacher Education.

Amanda Larkin

Details coming soon.

Michele Linossier

Head of Extension and Enrichment, Camberwell Girls Grammar School

An educator and curriculum leader specialising in transformative learning for gifted and twice-exceptional students, Michele is known for her practical strategies and work identifying students whose abilities aren’t always immediately visible.

Presentation: Gifted Networks

Supporting high-ability learners thrives on connection. This session explores how schools can intentionally build and sustain meaningful networks — sharing data, pedagogy, and opportunities — to ensure gifted students are consistently recognised and challenged.

Lynne Maher

Life Member, Tasmanian Association for the Gifted | Past Tasmanian Director and Treasurer, AAEGT

A qualified teacher and gifted education advocate with 25 years' experience, Lynne has served as president and life member of the Tasmanian Association for the Gifted, past Treasurer of the AAEGT, and has presented at state, national, and world conferences on gifted education.

Presentation: Gifted Education in an Ideal World

Framed as 'a dream', Lynne draws on 25 years of experience to paint a picture of what gifted education could look like, and makes the case that much of it is achievable with a coordinated approach.

Geraldine Nicholas

Educator, Author, and Victorian Director — Tournament of Minds

Geraldine teaches at St Michael’s and is the Victorian Director for Tournament of Minds, leading statewide initiatives that bridge research and classroom practice. She is a published author and experienced mentor.

Presentation: Embedding Creative Problem Solving in Every Classroom

What if creativity wasn’t an ‘extra,’ but the engine of deep learning? This session offers practical, adaptable frameworks for cultivating creative thinking across all disciplines, supporting high-ability and twice-exceptional learners.

Emily Peterson

Chair, AMC Primary — Australian Mathematics Competition

Emily brings extensive experience in primary mathematics teaching and enrichment, with a focus on identifying and nurturing high-potential students through engaging, challenging problem-solving opportunities.

Presentation: The Curious Case of the Bored Mathematician

Why do some of our most capable maths students become the most disengaged? This session explores the paradox of the bored mathematician and shares practical ways to re-engage learners through rich challenge, curiosity, and meaningful mathematical thinking.

Laura Ralston

Masters Researcher in Gifted Education

Bio coming soon.

Presentation: Parenting Gifted Children in Australia

Sharing findings from a qualitative Masters research project, this presentation explores the emotional impact of parenting gifted children in Australia.

Jan Robinson

Gifted Education Researcher and Practitioner

Presentation: A case study of a gifted underachiever examined to see how it aligned with or diverged from what gifted education research suggests

Using a real case study, this session bridges the gap between research and reality, raising important questions about how more effective application of gifted education knowledge could change outcomes for learners.

Dr Michelle Ronksley-Pavia and Professor John Munro

Dr Ronksley-Pavia: Researcher in Gifted Education, Griffith University | Professor Munro: Educational Psychologist and Learning Expert

Dr Ronksley-Pavia is internationally recognised for her work on twice-exceptional learners and equity in gifted education. Professor Munro is a leading expert in learning processes, literacy, and evidence-based classroom strategies.

Presentation: Amplifying Potential with Generative AI as a Platform for Supporting Gifted Learners with Disability and Neurodivergent Conditions

This session explores how generative AI can surface unrecognised strengths and enable personalised, evidence-informed approaches for twice- and multi-exceptional learners often overlooked by traditional frameworks.

Nicole Shepherd

Education Officer, Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese

Nicole has worked across Catholic schools and systems in both high-potential/gifted and disability leadership roles, holding post-graduate qualifications in Gifted Education, Educational Psychology, Disability, and Neuroscience and Education.

Presentation: Case Studies as Illustrations of Practice: Supporting HPG and Twice-Exceptional Students in a System Context

Student case studies are a powerful tool for building teacher capacity. This workshop draws on real examples from multiple schools to explore identification, strengths-based strategies, and practical approaches to supporting HPG and 2E learners.

Anne Wood

Head of Academic Academy, A.B. Paterson College | Doctor of Education Candidate, QUT

With over 25 years of teaching experience, Anne leads the Gifted and Talented program at A.B. Paterson College in Queensland. Her doctoral research focuses on curriculum and pedagogy for gifted learners.

Presentation: Beyond Extension: A Targeted, Child-Centred Model for Twice-Exceptional Learners

This workshop shares a practical, school-based model for designing gifted programs that move beyond generic extension to targeted support, with a distinct pathway for twice-exceptional learners.

Dr Denise Wood 

Consultant in Gifted Education | PhD, Gifted Education

Working in gifted education since the early 1990s, Dr Wood holds a Master's degree and PhD researching gifted provision in rural settings, and has worked as a consultant with Catholic Schools NSW, developing resources, leading workshops, and presenting at conferences.

Presentation: Mapping the Journey: Where Do We Go Next?

Conferences and professional development inspire fresh ideas, but sustaining that momentum is the real challenge. Drawing on recent work with Catholic Schools NSW, this session shares a collaborative framework for school-based mapping that brings all stakeholders into the planning process and supports a shared, growing vision for gifted provision.

Vanessa R. Wood, Psy.D. and Dr. Reineke Wood

Co-Founders, The International Gifted Consortium (IGC), Research Center for Highly Profoundly Gifted

Vanessa R. Wood, Psy.D. is co-founder, president, and research principal investigator of the International Gifted Consortium (IGC) and principal consultant at Gifted Assessment, Identification, and Development (Gifted AID). Dr. Reineke Wood has created programs for highly—profoundly gifted children in partnership with the Challenger Learning Center and Chicago Botanic Gardens, and trains parents, teachers, counsellors, and psychologists on the development and potential of gifted and highly—profoundly gifted young people.

Presentation: Prevalence of Emotional, Intellectual, Imaginational, Psychomotor, and Sensual Overexcitabilities in Highly and Profoundly Gifted Children and Adolescents

Sharing findings from an international mixed-methods study, this session draws on Dabrowski’s theory and parent experience to explore how heightened sensitivities in highly to profoundly gifted young people can be better understood and supported.

With much gratitude, the 2026 Gifted Awareness Week Symposium will be brought to you by Crimson Global Academy