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.

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 […]

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 […]

The Smarter They Are, the Harder They Are…or Are They?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the effect of words used in psychological diagnoses; particularly for the diagnoses of ADHD and Gifted. Yep, “Gifted” is a diagnosis. I was surprised too. When my 5 year old was diagnosed ADHD and Gifted, I didn’t think the Gifted part was a “diagnosis.” I thought, “Ok, so he’s […]

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 […]