Blog
Running to Stand Still
The lyrics illustrate the lonely and often frustrating journey of parenting a 2e child or being a 2e adult; awakening to the realization of necessary and sometimes onerous advocacy and the final appreciation that even after a journey of learning and promoting best practices, we may find ourselves standing in the same place as when we started.
read moreAdvocacy: Crafting Your 2e Child’s Story
You know what makes me crazy? When parents think they deserve the judgments thrown at them. “It must be so difficult raising your child.” “I can’t imagine how you get through each day.” And the backhanded compliments, “You’re so strong, I could never do what you...
read moreSuccess 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.
read moreHonoring 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...
read moreGood ‘til the Last Drop – Understanding and Monitoring Triggers that Cause Explosive Behavior in our Children, Students and Ourselves
Gifted and twice exceptional people who experience “overexcitabilities” respond to stimuli in a much grander way than the typical population. In order to support our children, students and clients, as well as our gifted and 2e adult selves, we must honor these...
read moreMaking and Keeping Resolutions through Gratitude
This time of year people talk about resolutions. We are bombarded by advertisements to join fitness centers, eat healthier, save more. Often times people start out with good intentions but within a few weeks or months, fall back into known patterns. In parenting,...
read moreHow Incentive Systems Can Backfire with Gifted and 2e Kids
My client’s second grade son came home in tears the other day. Usually a happy child, on this particular day he communicated his feelings in response to a teacher’s strategy for “good behavior.” Apparently the teacher issues stickers to children who can “behave,” who...
read moreThe 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....
read moreAvoiding 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...
read moreMaking an Investment in the Parent-Child-Teacher Triangle
I feel it. Looking around the pool where friends and neighbors were lounging and carefree all summer, there’s a certain change, a bit of electricity in the air. It’s the homestretch of summer break and parents and kids alike are getting that antsy feeling. In some...
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