Discusses resilience in gifted and twice-exceptional children, arguing that supportive adult relationships, opportunities for autonomy, and strength-based activities build resilience. Offers practical tips for parents and caregivers, examples from An Animal School, and suggestions for nurturing hope through interests and routines.
This article analyzes the short film An Animal School: A Tale of Gifts, showing how gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) students struggle emotionally when strengths are ignored. It discusses several characters, links neurodiversity to mental health concerns, and advocates strength-based education, acceptance, and supportive environments.
Inclusive education does not harm typical students’ academic achievement and can produce small gains. Evidence shows inclusive practices and cooperative learning benefit all learners, while teacher training and individualized instruction improve outcomes. Neurodivergent strengths also enrich peer learning and future workforce skills.
Gifted children’s co-occurring diagnoses are often missed because they mask symptoms, commonly used screeners are outdated or rely on limited reports, and score discrepancies are overlooked. Evaluations should consider narrative context, observations across settings, and score discrepancies to identify needs and provide appropriate supports.
This article explains challenges faced by twice-exceptional boys whose giftedness and learning difficulties are often misunderstood. It reviews disparities in discipline, risks of misdiagnosis, and the need for strength-based, individualized educational planning. With proper identification and supports, 2e boys can overcome barriers and achieve academic success.
A mother recounts early struggles raising neurodivergent twins, describing overwhelm, isolation, and guilt. She outlines a four-step process—awareness, validation, connection, transformation—and shares how founding Mothers Together and her podcast provided community, support, and personal growth for parents of neurodivergent children.
This post examines how queerness intersects with twice-exceptionality, highlighting higher rates of LGBTQ+ identification among gifted and neurodiverse people, and the overlap with autism and ADHD. It urges clinicians, educators, and parents to validate identities, discuss gender and sexuality appropriately, and offer unconditional acceptance and support.
A mother recounts her twice-exceptional son’s distress after classmates tried to uproot a plant he named Henry. He defended it in the rain and refused to return to class; the mother comforts him, keeps her promise to protect Henry and reflects on empathy, courage, and parenting a sensitive, principled child.
This post discusses fatigue in twice-exceptional children, explaining how constant code-switching, compensation, sensory issues, and academic demands produce exhaustion. It recommends identifying disabilities, setting household expectations, advocating for school accommodations (IEP/504), and maintaining clear supportive communication to protect rest and self-worth.
During a road trip while recovering from shoulder injuries, a mother observed her twice-exceptional son’s strengths as he navigated trails and supported her. The essay argues that strengths are context-driven, recommends strength-based parenting, and cites neuroscience evidence of brain plasticity to support nurturing children’s strengths.
