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EXPERTS & RESOURCES
Experts and resources beyond REEL for families navigating twice-exceptionality, from diagnosis to thriving.
BOOKS & BLOGS
Books for kids featuring neurodivergent characters and books for adults exploring giftedness, twice-exceptionality (2e), ADHD, autism, dyslexia, homeschooling, social-emotional needs, overexcitabilities, misdiagnosis, advocacy, trauma, and equity. Additionally, covering 2e schools, self-advocacy, and gifted resources, these resources may help parents and educators support twice-exceptional learners with practical strategies and insights to foster resilience, growth, and success.
Age | Title | Author | Year | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Kids | Brilliantly Dyslexic | Elizabeth Trudeau | 2021 | A kids’ book on early lives of Brilliantly Dyslexic people. |
Kids | A Novel Mind's Database of Books Featuring Neurodiverse Characters | Multiple | A searchable AirTable database of more than 1000 traditionally published children’s books that touch on neurodiversity and/or mental health. | |
Adult | A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children | James T. Webb, Janet L. Gore, Edward R. Amend, & Arlene R. DeVries | 2007 | Comprehensive handbook for raising gifted kids, covering communication, motivation, discipline, sibling issues, friendships, and emotional intensity. |
Adult | Bright Kids Who Can't Keep Up: Help your Child Overcome Slow Processing Speed and Succeed in a Fast-Paced World | Ellen Braaten & Brian Willoughby | 2014 | Explains slow processing speed, its academic impacts, and provides evidence-based interventions to help children succeed. |
Adult | Bright, Complex Kids: Supporting Their Social and Emotional Development | Jean Sunde Peterson & Deborah Siegle | 2017 | Offers strategies to nurture the emotional, social, and identity needs of gifted kids while fostering resilience and well-being. |
Adult | Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You | Jenara Nerenberg | 2020 | Explores neurodivergence (autism, ADHD, sensitivity, synesthesia) particularly in women, offering validation and strategies for thriving in a neurotypical world. |
Adult | From School to Homeschool: Should You Homeschool Your Gifted Child | Rhonda Barfield | 2002 | Explores pros, cons, and practical considerations of homeschooling gifted children, with guidance for parents evaluating education options. |
Adult | Gifted and Distractible: Understanding, Supporting, and Advocating for Your Twice Exceptional Child | Julie F. Skolnick | 2021 | Explains twice-exceptionality (gifted plus ADHD/learning differences), offering strategies for support, advocacy, and unlocking strengths. |
Adult | Gifted Children & How Trauma Impacts Them – 20 Things Gifted Children Wish Their Teachers and Parents Understood | Jean Sunde Peterson | 2020 | Explores trauma’s impact on gifted kids, sharing insights into behaviors, needs, and strategies teachers and parents must understand. |
Adult | Gifted Children: Myths and Realities | Ellen Winner | 1996 | Dispels common myths about giftedness, presenting research-based realities to inform educators, parents, and policymakers. |
Adult | Gifted, Learning Disabled, and Twice Exceptional: Strength-Based Strategies | Susan Baum & Robin Schader (eds.) | 2012 | Focuses on supporting students who are both gifted and learning disabled, offering classroom practices grounded in strength-based instruction. |
Adult | I'm Not Just Gifted: Social Emotional Curriculum for Guiding Gifted Children | Christine Fonseca | 2011 | Provides lesson plans and activities for educators to build social-emotional skills in gifted students across grade levels. |
Adult | Living With Intensity: Understanding the Sensitivity, Excitability, and the Emotional Development of Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Adults | Susan Daniels & Michael M. Piechowski (Eds.) | 2008 | Examines overexcitabilities in gifted individuals, highlighting how intensity shapes emotional growth, creativity, relationships, and challenges. |
Adult | Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults | James T. Webb et al. | 2005 | Reveals how gifted traits can mimic disorders; guides accurate identification, reducing misdiagnosis, and addressing true dual exceptionalities. |
Adult | Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help Students with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life | Thomas Armstrong | 2012 | Advocates for shifting from deficit models to strength-based approaches for neurodivergent students; provides practical classroom strategies to help students succeed. |
Adult | Raisin' Brains: Surviving My Smart Family | Karen L. J. Isaacson | 2002 | Humorous memoir about raising gifted children, blending anecdotes, parenting challenges, and insights into family life with bright kids. |
Adult | Raising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents and Educators | Emily Kircher-Morris | 2022 | A guide for parents and educators to understand and support 2e children’s dual profiles, social-emotional needs, and self-advocacy. |
Adult | StandOut 2.0: Assess Your Strengths, Find Your Edge, Win at Work | Marcus Buckingham | 2015 | A personal and leadership development book with an assessment tool to identify one’s top “strength roles” and apply them at work. |
Adult | Talent Development as a Framework for Gifted Education | Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, Rena F. Subotnik, & Frank C. Worrell (Eds.) | 2017 | Advocates talent development approach in gifted education, offering frameworks, models, and best practices for schools. |
Adult | Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom | Emily Kircher-Morris | 2021 | Practical guide for teachers to support twice-exceptional students, balancing strengths with accommodations for disabilities. |
Adult | The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain | Brock L. Eide, M.D., M.A. and Fernette F. Eide, M.D. | 2011 | Explores how dyslexic minds transform typical challenges into strengths by leveraging pattern thinking, storytelling, and insight. |
Adult | The Power of Self-Advocacy for Gifted Learners | Deb Douglas | 2017 | Teaches gifted students how to recognize needs, communicate effectively, and self-advocate to thrive academically and emotionally. |
Adult | The School Handbook for Dual and Multiple Exceptionality | Denise Yates & Adam Boddison | 2017 | Guide for schools supporting students with high ability plus additional needs, offering identification methods, strategies, and inclusive practices. |
Adult | The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A How-To Guide for Talent Development (3rd Ed.) | Joseph Renzulli, Sally Reis, et al. | 2021 | Outlines the SEM framework for talent development, providing schools with enrichment strategies that nurture high potential in all students. |
Adult | To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled: Strength-Based Strategies for Helping Twice-Exceptional Students | Susan Baum, Robin Schader, et al. | 2012 | Provides strategies to support twice-exceptional students by leveraging strengths while addressing learning challenges. |
Adult | Understanding Gifted Adolescents: Accepting the Exceptional | Joanna L. Fond | 2008 | Addresses developmental, emotional, and social issues of gifted teens, emphasizing acceptance, identity formation, and guidance. |
Adult | Understanding Giftedness: A Guide for Parents and Educators | Maria Assouline, Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik, & Susan G. Assouline | 2015 | Overview of gifted characteristics, identification, and educational approaches; supports collaboration between parents and teachers. |
Adult | Understanding the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Students, 2nd Edition | Thomas P. Hébert | 2017 | Research-based overview of gifted learners’ social-emotional development with practical interventions for teachers, parents, and counselors. |
Adult | Unlocking Potential: Identifying and Serving Gifted Students From Low-Income Households | Angela M. Novak & Jessica A. Hockett | 2021 | Focuses on equity in gifted education, offering strategies to identify and nurture talent among low-income students. |
Adult | Upside-Down Brilliance | Linda Kreger Silverman | 2002 | Introduces visual-spatial learners, describing their strengths, challenges, and instructional strategies for academic and personal success. |
Adult | When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers | Jim Delisle & Judy Galbraith | 2002 | Practical workbook helping gifted children navigate stress, perfectionism, friendships, and emotional challenges. |
Adult | Your Hidden Genius | Elizabeth M. Wills & Alexandra Ellison | 2025 | Presents a science-based framework and aptitude assessment to help uncover natural talents and guide fulfilling career/life choices. |
Please Note: This is not a comprehensive list of resources, but rather a collection of known or sourced resources.
Many resources are specific to San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties in Northern California, while others may be helpful regardless of location. THESE RESOURCES HAVE NOT BEEN VETTED BY THE REEL TEAM. Individual experiences may vary. We encourage you to use the resources as a starting point.
If you would like to ask whether anyone in our community has direct experience with a particular resource, please join the REEL 2e Google Group. To request an addition to these resources or share an update, please email hello@reel2e.org.
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