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2E TOPICS:
BACK-TO-SCHOOL
Starting a new school year can bring both excitement and challenges—especially for twice-exceptional (2e) and neurodivergent learners. This collection of resources is designed to help families and educators ease the transition back to school with practical strategies, strength-based tools, and supportive insights. From creating a student intro one-sheet and building strong communication with teachers, to tackling executive function demands and reducing homework battles, these articles, templates, and recordings will help set the stage for a successful year.
EVENT RECORDINGS
ARTICLES
The Hidden Workload of Gifted & 2e Kids: Cognitive Fatigue, School Burnout, and What Parents Can Do
Your kid held it together all day. They answered questions, navigated the social minefield of the cafeteria, and made it through class after class without saying a word to anyone about how hard everything felt. And here's the thing… they may not have even known how much they were holding in. For many gifted and 2e kids, the effort is so constant and so automatic that they don't have the language for it, or even the conscious awareness. They just know that by the time they wal
Preparing Your Child's Nervous System for a Successful School Year
As we move into the end of summer, many families are beginning to prepare for a new school year. For parents of twice exceptional kids this transition can bring a unique mix of anticipation, excitement, and uncertainty. While many back to school checklists focus on buying supplies and new clothes, occupational therapists recognize that successful transitions involve much more than backpacks and lunch boxes. There is also an important detail which involves preparing your child
Whole Child Snapshot & Strength Based School Communication
When we change the way we talk about our children, we change the way the world sees them, and how they see themselves. This page introduces two simple and practical tools, the Whole Child Snapshot and the Strength-Based Language Cheat Sheet, that help you share your child’s story with schools in a way that is clear, positive, and actionable. Communicating the Whole Child As parents, we know our children are more than their challenges. They are creative, curious, and capable
High School 2e Executive Function Back to School Reboot
High school brings an increase in EF demands, as students are expected to take more responsibility for tracking assignments, managing...
Building Collaborative Communication with Teachers
In our Sept 2025 support group for parenting 2e kids, Heather, a parent and professional advocate, explores practical ways to foster warm, collaborative communication with teachers while also navigating the more challenging moments when accommodations aren’t fully understood or supported. Parents will leave with concrete strategies for framing conversations, reducing conflict, and keeping the focus on their child’s strengths and growth. Read the transcript here all of your sy
Organizing for Back to School for 2e / Neurodivergent Learners
At the July 2025 PHP REEL Support Group, Leisa, a 2e/neurodivergent parent and professional from Calm in Chaos Co who specializes in organizing spaces for neurodivergent brains and lifestyles, spoke about organizing for back to school. She follows a “strengths-based” philosophy. "What strengths do I have and how can I use my strengths and awareness of struggles to organize our spaces to work for us?" She offered great tips like, “take sensory sensitivity into consideration w
Oh no! Homework! Tips for Reducing Power Struggles Over the Dreaded H-word
In the spring, I did a talk for REEL called “Reduce Power Struggles with Your 2e Kid.” When parents shared their most common power...
The Power of Mentorship for 2e Learners
We were joined by Curious Cardinals (@curiouscardinals7363 to learn how mentorship helps students discover their full potential and explore their passions through interest-based learning. Twice-exceptional and neurodivergent learners can explore, learn, and grow with mentors who also have high abilities and learning challenges, in a truly inclusive and supportive environment with someone who finally “gets” them
Ask for Strengths to Shine this School Year
As we kick off another school year, I was pondering what most makes my 2e kids look forward to school, especially because their days are...
Back to School Tips for a Successful Year: A Mom’s Essentials for the 2e School Adventure
During our July 2022 parent support group with PHP, we were very lucky to feature long-time REEL parent Emon Reynolds, who spoke about...
Bears, Snakes, and Scales Oh My! Using Rating Scales to Troubleshoot at School
During the school year, you may find your 2e child saying, “I don’t like school.” You may ask them, “How was your day?” and they reply, “Bad!” but are unable to elaborate. Since parents and educators are better able to address challenges when we understand the specifics, we need a tool to help us get to the root of the problem. Enter the rating scale*—it has helped my family narrow down the scope of school challenges year after year, and enabled us to problem solve, address i
8 Strength-Based Activities to Kick Off the School Year
Finding and nurturing student strengths is a critical part of supporting twice-exceptional learners, who are both incredibly bright AND experience learning differences (e.g., autism, ADHD, dyslexia). Too often, the adults in their lives focus on shoring up their deficits, ignoring their immense talents and capabilities. Education professor M. Elizabeth Nielsen and educator L. Dennis Higgins observe “Many gifted students with disabilities view themselves as primarily disabled.
Back to School: Creating Your Student Intro One-Sheet
In this workshop we will consider the goals and benefits of creating a student one sheet, the do’s and don’t of an effective document, and when and how to support student self-advocacy by involving the student in the process of writing and distributing their own one sheet.
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