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 […]
2e Advocacy for Parents, Teachers and Twice Exceptional Adults
Parents: When the phone rings and it’s your child’s school – do you cringe?Do you feel your child’s strengths are unknown or ignored by teachers at school?Is school focusing on your child’s struggles?Do you receive regular negative communication from school about your child’s behavior?Does your child have a ‘behavior plan?’Are you in a power struggle […]
Reacting vs. Responding to Twice Exceptional Behavior: Tapping into Your Treasure Chest
There are certain apparent patterns with challenging twice exceptional behavior. Frequently the unwanted behavior we see in our twice exceptional children and students, or experience as 2e adults, is in response to an unseen trigger. The child or adult feels assaulted emotionally or from a sensory standpoint. They are overwhelmed, immediately thrown into fight or […]
Grateful for “Nobody”
Particularly during this unsure and unstable time of #coronavirus, jotting down what you are grateful for, big or small, at a specific time during the day, can help bring light when everything feels dark and stormy.
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.
