Pattern began with a dream to help young neuro-complex minds navigate our strange world.

a tree standing alone on pink grass
Arrow pointing right

As I explored neuro-complexity and twice-exceptionalism, I was struck by how little support is available to these unique minds.

As a school psychologist, I found my strengths were in addressing the unique behavioral and executive functioning needs of our twice-exceptional learners: ones that needed the challenge but also had significant deficits in areas that were often overlooked.

My favorite students were described as “bright but not meeting their potential” or, by those unaccustomed to twice-exceptional needs, “lazy.”

Often, these students were frustrated, too. They knew they craved intellectual challenge and felt discouraged by their grades, their peers’ responses to them, and/or their teachers’ opinions of their work.

Most of all: they felt different. Even if no one else has noticed, they feel deep in their souls that they navigate and see the world in ways that don’t line up with their friends.

And while we often find our way to acceptance of this fact as adults … it’s isolating for children and teens.

So that’s why Pattern Minds exists: to help unique minds embrace all that they are.

Hi, I’m Claire

I’m the founder & chief brain at Pattern Minds.

I am a trained and licensed School Psychologist, a former gifted kid, and now a twice-exceptional adult.

I’m smart … and/but/also: I’m autistic.

That means I’m good at finding patterns, working with students with similar brains, and helping families navigate the intensity and complexity of loving neurodiverse children.

Please reach out! Let’s work together.

The basics:

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison:
    B.S in Journalism & Mass Communication

    University of Wisconsin-River Falls:
    M.A. in School Psychology
    Ed.S. in School Psychology

    License:
    School Psychologist, MN
    NCSP: Nationally-Certified School Psychologist

  • Several years as a licensed school psychologist in a large public high school, responsible for special education evaluations, center-based special education programs, and mental health supports for grades 9-12.

  • Listen, every autistic human has them. From a professional perspective, I love digging into data and finding ways to implement.

    In my personal life, I am a K-pop stan and I make no apologies. :)

  • I am a wife and a mom of two! In my free time, you can find me (but please don’t!) biking around the neighborhood with my daughter, likely on our way to ice cream!