Collaborative Communication Skills on Behalf of 2e Learners

Since the Gifted and Distractible blog literally posts on National Teachersâ Day this year, Iâd like to address the importance of, and how to communicate effectively between teachers and parents of 2e kids. Emotions tend to run high in 2e people and we know twice exceptionality is genetic, so we can assume that one or […]
Ignorance in Any Language Causes People to Suffer

Italy is known for culture and art (not to mention gelato and cannoli!). I recently had the opportunity to visit and present at an international conference while visiting the beautiful city of Florence. What I learned was staggering. In Italy, gifted is not a recognized term. Twice exceptional is therefore, well, twice unknown. The educators, […]
Balancing Social Emotional Needs and the âReal Worldâ

SEL or Social Emotional Learning are buzz words in todayâs educational system and recommended as a focus in the home to encourage social success. Yet it is imperative that SEL consider the existential considerations and emotional overexcitability that are often part of the gifted and twice exceptional personâs profile. While SEL can provide a cushion […]
It’s Time To Listen

âGrown ups stink!â So said a thirteen-year-old highly gifted, emotionally overexcitable, empathic, creative, dysgraphic child to his parents. Heâd been to a new school for about two-and-a-half weeks when he shared his feelings. He expressed feeling like he was âtreated like a kid,â had âno control,â and that he missed on-line learning. It was so […]
Precocious Play and Undue Discipline

A 2e childâs brain gets him into trouble. Seeking sensory input, feeling anxious about a situation or environment, or responding to an unseen need, a 2e childâs behaves in a way that is often misinterpreted as naughty, purposeful, dangerous, or manipulative adults. Sometimes teachers react without understanding the reasoning behind the childâs actions. The 2e […]
Zooming in, Zooming out; Telescoping to Alleviate Stress

Changing perspective based on the issue in front of us is necessary to address stress and other challenges typical for the gifted and twice exceptional communities. âTelescoping,â the act of zooming in and zooming out, is necessary to shift perspective and persevere.
The Importance of Seeing the Forest Through Trees

Teaching our children to ask questions pertinent to their learning style empowers them to understand their own viewpoint and communicate their needs in a productive way.
Top 10 Considerations When Parenting or Teaching a 2e Child

So often responses and reactions are based on misinformation, faulty assumptions and a deep-seeded need to fix. 2e folks are complex and knee jerk responses to the way they present in the world only serve to fuel their frustration and yours.
Pardon Our Mess, We’re Under Construction

Practitioners, parents and educators alike would do well to address 2e children through a trauma-informed lens.
Practicing What We Preach: Using Cognitive Flexibility in Understanding 2e

How often do we push, based on our biased perspective, for a 2e child to meet our agenda without really knowing whatâs going on? Recognizing efforts and understanding underlying causes are the best practices for eliciting greatness from our 2e kids and peers.