The Dangerous Diminishment of the Term “Gifted”
There is a movement afoot to substitute the term “advanced learner” for gifted. This is an attempt to “dumb down” a moniker that stands for way more than intellectual acumen and to couch the change within the misleading goal of making enriched learning available to all. Unfortunately ridding the world of gifted programming results in […]
Collaborative Communication Skills on Behalf of 2e Learners
Since the Gifted and Distractible blog literally posts on National Teachers’ Day this year, I’d 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 “Real World”
SEL or Social Emotional Learning are buzz words in today’s 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 person’s profile. While SEL can provide a cushion […]
It’s Time To Listen
“Grown ups stink!” So said a thirteen-year-old highly gifted, emotionally overexcitable, empathic, creative, dysgraphic child to his parents. He’d been to a new school for about two-and-a-half weeks when he shared his feelings. He expressed feeling like he was “treated like a kid,” had “no control,” and that he missed on-line learning. It was so […]
Precocious Play and Undue Discipline
A 2e child’s brain gets him into trouble. Seeking sensory input, feeling anxious about a situation or environment, or responding to an unseen need, a 2e child’s behaves in a way that is often misinterpreted as naughty, purposeful, dangerous, or manipulative adults. Sometimes teachers react without understanding the reasoning behind the child’s 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. ‘Telescoping,’ 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.
