REEL and the Landmark College Bay Area Success Center co-hosted an online event for Bay Area college counselors to learn top tips for supporting neurodivergent students through the college search and selection process. Success Center Executive Director Sandra Fishler set the context for the discussion. REEL Co-Founder Callie Turk shared the parent perspective. Landmark College students Daniel and Talia shared their personal experiences.

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

In this video, we explore the concept of scaffolding through the worksheet Can We Figure Out a Different Way?—a tool designed to support neurodivergent learners by focusing on accessibility, not ability. Learn how to scaffold tasks in a way that aligns with your child’s strengths and unique neurodivergent profile.

This worksheet helps you reframe a challenging task and identify a strength-based way your child might approach it differently. Use it to brainstorm alternatives that preserve the goal but make the path more accessible. It may be helpful to refer to EF Vocabulary Cheat Sheet . 1. What task or situation is currently difficult for your child? ________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________

Strengths & Struggles Map Instructions: Draw two overlapping circles, similar to a Venn diagram. One circle is labeled "Strengths" and the other "EF Struggles." In the overlap, identify the areas where gifted traits and executive functioning challenges intersect —this is often where 2e complexity resides, and we can begin to strategize scaffolding that works with a child’s strengths. (Refer back to the Example Strengths and Struggles Map for examples.) Circle 1: Strength

This cheat sheet is designed to help you better understand the executive functioning (EF) skills your twice-exceptional (2e) child may be...

Parents of twice-exceptional (gifted + learning differences) kids face challenges with executive function (EF) skills, which develop slower in neurodivergent children. Tools like the EF Vocabulary Cheat Sheet and Strengths & EF Struggles Map help families identify challenges and strengths. Involving kids in these exercises builds self-awareness and support strategies.

This is an example from our facilitated small group discussions. It is meant to help parents realize they are probably already scaffolding in some areas and how tailoring scaffolding to their child's strengths could be more helpful in finding the best way to scaffold their child.