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.

The In-Between

It might be the most important place; the in-between. That space where the 2e brain, accustomed to intense stimulation, compensates in the absence of excitement. Craving stimulation, if the 2e brain doesn’t get what it needs, it creates its own frenzy. It’s the time between moments of engagement when the 2e mind – rather than […]

Feelings, Nothing More than Feelings

Not every gifted or twice exceptional person is an empath, but every empath has the gift of uncanny perception and an ability to truly experience the feelings of those around them. Just as being “gifted” is a blessing and sometimes a curse, so too is the innate experience of the empath.

Success for Gifted and 2e Adults

For 2e children or adults, the key to success is recognizing and celebrating their own strengths despite destructive messaging, and using these assets to formulate strategies to support their challenges.

Honoring Overexcitabilities Allows Us to Soar Safely

Overexcitabilities to gifted and twice exceptional people are like wind to a kite.  They allow us to fly high but can also cause us to perilously fall toward earth, often in a dizzying and uncontrollable descent.   Overexcitabilities are those intensities that come forth in the intellectual, emotional, imaginational, sensual (sensory) and psychomotor domains as identified […]

The Why Behind the Why – Causes Behind Gifted and 2e Kids’ Challenging Behavior

Parents and teachers often talk to me about behavior. “What can we do about this behavior?” “How can we stop the behavior?” “I can’t deal with this behavior.” In order to durably address challenging behavior, we first have to understand it. Behavior is communication. Challenging behavior signals that something is not right in that child’s […]

Avoiding Failure – Building Self Esteem and Resilience in Twice-Exceptional Kids

Recently I articulated a theory – something I’ve thought for a long time – but now formulated into a hypothesis and conclusion of why smart kids, with learning disabilities or differences often exhibit challenging behavior and fail to reach their potential. The Theory: Self esteem is imperative for success and reaching potential. Adults around gifted […]

Perspective, Perseverance and Perfectionism

Parents, teachers and professionals spend a lot of time thinking about how to encourage kids’ resolve, keep them on track and help them recognize and reach their boundless potential. Two buzzwords in particular, “mindset” and “grit,” are used to discuss these concepts. The big question is how do we get our kids to have a […]

Giftedness and Emotional Intensity

We went to see puppies the other day, a litter of 11 standard poodles.  I warned my highly gifted, emotionally intense and fiercely loyal son that he was likely to make an immediate attachment to one particular puppy but that there were 5 of us in the family and we all had to have a […]

Don’t Ride the Wave

I stood in the ocean five feet away from shore, looking over my shoulder at the approaching wave. Anticipation. Without effort, I am lifted high on the crest of the wave. Exhilaration. Until…wham! I waited too long to swim away and crashed directly onto the ocean floor. Riding the wave of your child’s, spouse’s, or […]