The Quiet Storm Presentation*

The Quiet Storm presentation is case study of a Jeffco student who completed suicide at age 18 will include an overview of his early childhood and elementary education, including GT identification, programming offered, and co-existing diagnosis (ADHD). The high school years will be highlighted, including the "red flags" that occurred both at home and at school. 

It tells the story of Patrick's life and death, with an emphasis on how the traits of being gifted impacted him. It is my perceptions and reflections. I tell Patrick's story in the hopes that it will provide insights for other parents and gifted children and help them avoid some of the mistakes we made. This version of the presentation was updated in January 2019, to include more emphasis on overexcitabilities and more details regarding his school life.

I also tell Patrick's story to keep his memory alive. He was a good kid, smart, sensitive and joyful for much of his life. I don't want him to be remembered simply by the way he died.

*The Quiet Storm presentation is conceived and presented by Terri Taylor Straut, Patrick’s mother. Therefore, the descriptions is in first-person.

© Terri Taylor Straut, All rights reserved.



The Quiet Storm Presentation Handout

Since I began telling Patrick’s story in 2013, I have provided a handout with key take aways from my decades of parenting gifted children and working with them in our local schools,

It puts much of my advice about raising and educating gifted kids into one document. It has evolved over time from the 2013 iteration that I created for my first conference presentation and is meant to serve as a practical guide for parents and educators.

Quiet Storm Presentation Slides

Please use the link below to download the presentation slides as a PDF file.

QUIET STORM PRESENTATION HANDOUT

Please use the link below to download the participant handout for the presentation. It contains tips and strategies for working with gifted students, for both school staff and family members.