Parenting Dual Exceptional Children

This is the first comprehensive guide for parents of children with Dual and Multiple Exceptionality (DME, sometimes called Twice Exceptionality or 2E). Children with high learning potential may also have conditions such as ASD, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia, having 'flashes of brilliance' in some areas whilst needing additional support in others. As a result, their abilities may not always be recognised in an educational setting. This book takes a strengths-based approach towards helping parents recognise and focus on their child's areas of potential to support them towards better attainment and self-esteem, and build on these abilities while also identifying and addressing areas of difficulty. It provides an understanding of the mixed learning profile of DME children, explaining why they excel in some areas but not others, as well as guidance for parents on working positively with schools and providing their child with the support they need. With stories, quotes from parents and examples throughout, this is an essential guide to helping DME children achieve their full untapped potential.

Just because a child is gifted doesn't mean they don't have other types of neurodivergence, like ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and more. Conversely, even children with one of these diagnoses can be cognitively gifted. Raising Twice-Exceptional Children provides you with a road map to understand the complex make-up of your "gifted-plus," or twice-exceptional, child or teen. The book helps you understand your child's diagnosis, meet their social-emotional needs, build self-regulation skills and goal setting, and teach self-advocacy. It also shows you effective ways to collaborate with teachers and school staff, and it offers advice on finding strengths-based strategies that support development at home. For too long, these kids have fallen through the cracks. This book provides key information on how to best support neurodivergent children by leveraging their strengths while supporting their struggles.

Our brightest, most creative children and adults are often being misdiagnosed with behavioral and emotional disorders such as ADHD, Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, Bipolar, OCD, or Asperger?s. Many receive unneeded medication and inappropriate counseling as a result. Physicians, psychologists, and counselors are unaware of characteristics of gifted children and adults that mimic pathological diagnoses. Six nationally prominent health care professionals describe ways parents and professionals can distinguish between gifted behaviors and pathological behaviors. ?These authors have brought to light a widespread and serious problem?the wasting of lives from the misdiagnosis of gifted children and adults and the inappropriate treatment that often follows.? Jack G. Wiggins, Ph. D., Former President, American Psychological Association

Twice Exceptional Kids, is a response to education intervention with a practical and common sense approach for the identification, understanding, and education of academically gifted children, handicapped by one or more learning disabilities. In this book, the author provides a thorough explanation of the various special education needs hindering the identification, schooling and social successes of the twice exceptional, while supplying methods and best practices for positive behavioral support (PBS) of the students in their school and home environment. To be effective, education programs need to incorporate a variety of components to meet the challenging needs of the twice exceptional. This book provides them. Steps for positive advocacy are given along with appendices of appropriate support organizations and parenting groups. Twice Exceptional Kids is a helpful stratagem for all educators and parents interested in providing the appropriate education for these special children and helping them achieve to their fullest potential.

A practical, research-based guide that demystifies giftedness and learning differences in order to help “twice exceptional” children thrive. Does your child exhibit giftedness and behavioral issues like meltdowns, power struggles, and difficulty relating to their peers? Are they out-of-the-box thinkers requiring different teaching and learning methods? It’s a widely held misconception that intellectual ability and social and emotional success go hand in hand. In fact, “twice exceptional” kids—those who are gifted and have simultaneous learning differences like ADHD, Autism, or dyslexia—are often misunderstood by parents, teachers, and themselves. This much-needed and empowering guide reveals the unique challenges these remarkable kids face, and offers strength-based, hands-on strategies for understanding, supporting, and advocating for twice exceptional kids. In a world that labels them lazy, scattered, attention-seeking, and a problem that can’t be solved, these tools will help you reimagine the world through your child’s unique perspective—so you can help them thrive.

It’s time to say NO to trying to fit square-peg kids into rounds holes, and YES to raising them from a place of acceptance and joy. Today millions of kids are stuck in a world that doesn’t embrace who they really are. They are the one in five “differently wired” children with ADHD, dyslexia, giftedness, autism, anxiety, or other neurodifferences, and their challenges are many. And for the parents who love them, the challenges are just as numerous, as they struggle to find the right school, the right support, the right path. But now there’s hope. Differently Wired is a revolutionary book—weaving together personal stories and a tool kit of expert advice from author Deborah Reber, it’s a how-to, a manifesto, and a reassuring companion for parents who can so often feel that they have no place to turn. At the heart of Differently Wired are 18 paradigm-shifting ideas—what the author calls “tilts,” which include how to accept and lean in to your role as a parent (#2: Get Out of Isolation and Connect). Deal with the challenges of parenting a differently wired child (#5: Parent from a Place of Possibility Instead of Fear). Support yourself (#11: Let Go of Your Impossible Expectations for Who You “Should” Be as a Parent). And seek community (#18: If It Doesn’t Exist, Create It). Taken together, it’s a lifesaving program to shift our thinking and actions in a way that not only improves the family dynamic, but also allows children to fully realize their best selves. “In this generous and urgent book, Deborah Reber lets the light in. She helps parents see that they’re not alone, and even better, delivers a positive action plan that will change lives.”—Seth Godin, author of Linchpin “Differently Wired will help parents of children who think differently to accept their child for who they are and facilitate their successful development.”—Temple Grandin, author of Thinking in Pictures and The Autistic Brain