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HOMESCHOOLING
Homeschooling resources for gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) learners provide families with community support, expert consulting, and alternative education options. Through local events, online classes, parent networking, and personalized guidance, these resources help families nurture gifted strengths, address learning differences, and create customized learning paths that foster resilience, confidence, and academic success.
Name | Description | Contact Name(s) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Gifted Homeschool Forum (GHF) | Nonprofit community supporting gifted and twice-exceptional learners through resources, online classes, and parent networking. | Lexington, Massachusetts | |
Jamie Heston | Homeschool consultant offering guidance, workshops, and resources for families seeking alternative education paths. | Jamie Heston | Castro Valley, California |
San Francisco Bay Area Gifted Homeschoolers Network | Local community supporting families of gifted and twice-exceptional children through events, resources, and collaboration. | Christina David | San Francisco Bay Area, California |
Sequoia Gifted | Provides leading expertise in educational support and advocacy for highly and profoundly gifted as well as twice-exceptional learners. | Lisa Jobe | Virtual |
Name | Community Comments | Location |
|---|---|---|
Gifted Homeschool Forum (GHF) | Lexington, Massachusetts | |
Jamie Heston | Castro Valley, California | |
San Francisco Bay Area Gifted Homeschoolers Network | San Francisco Bay Area, California | |
Sequoia Gifted | Virtual |
Tool Name | Source | Cost | Description | Related Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Suite of Tools | Bridges Model | Fee | Identifies & nurtures strengths in struggling learners, empowering students, families, & educators to create collaborative, effective learning experiences. | To be Gifted and Learning Disabled |
Dyslexia Screening and MIND Strengths Assessment | Dyslexic Advantage | Screening $79.95 | Using advanced technology, this screener analyzes 600 data points from 300+ test questions to identify challenges in key brain processes and reading skills, determining overall dyslexia risk. | The Dyslexic Advantage |
MIND Strengths Survey | Dyslexic Advantage | Free with screening | Dyslexic minds have a special ability to create complex mental models of objects and ideas. These models become great tools for creative thinking and big picture problem solving. | The Dyslexic Advantage |
3 Strengths Exercises | Positive Psychology | Free | ||
9 Strengths Finding Tests | Positive Psychology | Free | ||
Clifton Strengths for Students | Positive Psychology | $19.99 | Helps teachers and students understand how they contribute, learn, and collaborate, providing shared language to discuss and integrate strengths. | |
VIA Survey of Character Strengths | Positive Psychology Center | Science-based understanding of strengths, wellbeing, and flourishing through education and dissemination worldwide. | ||
8 strength-based activities to uncover and tap into the strengths & interests of students | REEL Article | Free | ||
Seven Strategies for Success for Parenting your Neurodivergent Learner | REEL Article | Free | ||
Buckingham StandOut Assessment | The Marcus Buckingham Company | Free | Reveals your natural traits through nine Strength Roles and identifies your Top Two, helping you leverage who you are, show up at your best, and intentionally avoid your weakest tendencies. | StandOut 2.0 |
My Way Expression Style Inventory | The Schoolwide Enrichment Model | Free | This worksheet from the University of Connecticut helps students explore their preferences and strengths for showing mastery, including written, oral, and artistic expression. | The School Wide Enrichment Model |
Renzulli Grades 5+ Interest-A-Lyzer | The Schoolwide Enrichment Model | Free | The Renzulli Center is a global leader in gifted education and talent development, advancing innovative teaching through decades of research, outreach, and practical services. | The School Wide Enrichment Model |
Renzulli Grades K-5 Interest-A-Lyzer | The Schoolwide Enrichment Model | Free | The Renzulli Center is a global leader in gifted education and talent development, advancing innovative teaching through decades of research, outreach, and practical services. | The School Wide Enrichment Model |
Renzulli Learning Styles Inventory | The Schoolwide Enrichment Model | Free | The Renzulli Center is a global leader in gifted education and talent development, advancing innovative teaching through decades of research, outreach, and practical services. | The School Wide Enrichment Model |
Renzulli Learning Total Talent Development | The Schoolwide Enrichment Model | $15 | The Renzulli Center is a global leader in gifted education and talent development, advancing innovative teaching through decades of research, outreach, and practical services. | The School Wide Enrichment Model |
Neurodiversity Strengths Checklist | Thomas Armstrong | Free | Urges schools to honor brain differences and focus on students’ strengths so neurodiverse and neurotypical learners can thrive together. | Neurodiversity in the Classroom |
YouScience | YouScience | $49 | YouScience Aptitude & Career Discovery helps people identify their unique strengths and aptitudes. | Your Hidden Genius |
Title | Author | Year | Age | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Twice Exceptional Boys: A Roadmap to Getting it Right | Deborah Gennarelli M.Ed. | 2022 | Adult | Takes readers on an invaluable journey to learn about the challenges faced by this group of talented, but perplexing students. |
Brilliantly Dyslexic | Elizabeth Trudeau | 2021 | Kids | A kids’ book on early lives of Brilliantly Dyslexic people. |
A Novel Mind's Database of Books Featuring Neurodiverse Characters | Multiple | Kids | A searchable AirTable database of more than 1000 traditionally published children’s books that touch on neurodiversity and/or mental health. | |
A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children | James T. Webb, Janet L. Gore, Edward R. Amend, & Arlene R. DeVries | 2023 | Adult | Comprehensive handbook for raising gifted kids, covering communication, motivation, discipline, sibling issues, friendships, and emotional intensity. |
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 | Adult | Explains slow processing speed, its academic impacts, and provides evidence-based interventions to help children succeed. |
Bright, Complex Kids: Supporting Their Social and Emotional Development | Jean Sunde Peterson & Daniel B. Peters | 2021 | Adult | Offers strategies to nurture the emotional, social, and identity needs of gifted kids while fostering resilience and well-being. |
Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Designed for You | Jenara Nerenberg | 2020 | Adult | Explores neurodivergence (autism, ADHD, sensitivity, synesthesia) particularly in women, offering validation and strategies for thriving in a neurotypical world. |
From School to Homeschool: Should You Homeschool Your Gifted Child | Suki Wessling | 2014 | Adult | Explores pros, cons, and practical considerations of homeschooling gifted children, with guidance for parents evaluating education options. |
Gifted and Distractible: Understanding, Supporting, and Advocating for Your Twice Exceptional Child | Julie F. Skolnick | 2021 | Adult | Explains twice-exceptionality (gifted plus ADHD/learning differences), offering strategies for support, advocacy, and unlocking strengths. |
Gifted Children & How Trauma Impacts Them – 20 Things Gifted Children Wish Their Teachers and Parents Understood | Adam C. Laningham, Melissa Sadin & Nathan Levy | 2020 | Adult | Explores trauma’s impact on gifted kids, sharing insights into behaviors, needs, and strategies teachers and parents must understand. |
Gifted Children: Myths and Realities | Ellen Winner | 1996 | Adult | Dispels common myths about giftedness, presenting research-based realities to inform educators, parents, and policymakers. |
Gifted, Learning Disabled, and Twice Exceptional: Strength-Based Strategies | Susan Baum & Robin Schader (eds.) | 2012 | Adult | Focuses on supporting students who are both gifted and learning disabled, offering classroom practices grounded in strength-based instruction. |
I'm Not Just Gifted: Social Emotional Curriculum for Guiding Gifted Children | Christine Fonseca | 2011 | Adult | Provides lesson plans and activities for educators to build social-emotional skills in gifted students across grade levels. |
Living With Intensity | Susan Daniels & Michael M. Piechowski (Eds.) | 2008 | Adult | Examines overexcitabilities in gifted individuals, highlighting how intensity shapes emotional growth, creativity, relationships, and challenges. |
Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults | James T. Webb et al. | 2005 | Adult | Reveals how gifted traits can mimic disorders; guides accurate identification, reducing misdiagnosis, and addressing true dual exceptionalities. |
Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help Students with Special Needs Succeed | Thomas Armstrong | 2012 | Adult | Advocates for shifting from deficit models to strength-based approaches for neurodivergent students; provides practical classroom strategies to help students succeed. |
Raisin' Brains: Surviving My Smart Family | Karen L. J. Isaacson | 2002 | Adult | Humorous memoir about raising gifted children, blending anecdotes, parenting challenges, and insights into family life with bright kids. |
Raising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents and Educators | Emily Kircher-Morris | 2022 | Adult | A guide for parents and educators to understand and support 2e children’s dual profiles, social-emotional needs, and self-advocacy. |
StandOut 2.0: Assess Your Strengths, Find Your Edge, Win at Work | Marcus Buckingham | 2015 | Adult | A personal and leadership development book with an assessment tool to identify one’s top “strength roles” and apply them at work. |
Talent Development as a Framework for Gifted Education | Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, Rena F. Subotnik, & Frank C. Worrell (Eds.) | 2018 | Adult | Advocates talent development approach in gifted education, offering frameworks, models, and best practices for schools. |
Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom | Emily Kircher-Morris | 2021 | Adult | Practical guide for teachers to support twice-exceptional students, balancing strengths with accommodations for disabilities. |
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 | Adult | Explores how dyslexic minds transform typical challenges into strengths by leveraging pattern thinking, storytelling, and insight. |
The Power of Self-Advocacy for Gifted Learners | Deb Douglas | 2017 | Adult | Teaches gifted students how to recognize needs, communicate effectively, and self-advocate to thrive academically and emotionally. |
The School Handbook for Dual and Multiple Exceptionality | Denise Yates & Adam Boddison | 2017 | Adult | Guide for schools supporting students with high ability plus additional needs, offering identification methods, strategies, and inclusive practices. |
The Schoolwide Enrichment Model: A How-To Guide for Talent Development (3rd Ed.) | Joseph Renzulli, Sally Reis, et al. | 2014 | Adult | Outlines the SEM framework for talent development, providing schools with enrichment strategies that nurture high potential in all students. |
To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled: Strength-Based Strategies for Helping Twice-Exceptional Students | Susan Baum, Robin Schader, et al. | 2012 | Adult | Provides strategies to support twice-exceptional students by leveraging strengths while addressing learning challenges. |
Understanding Gifted Adolescents: Accepting the Exceptional | Joanna Simpson & Megan Glover Adams | 2015 | Adult | Addresses developmental, emotional, and social issues of gifted teens, emphasizing acceptance, identity formation, and guidance. |
Understanding Giftedness: A Guide for Parents and Educators | Maria Assunta Zanetti, Gianluca Gualdi & Michael Cascianelli (Eds.) | 2019 | Adult | Overview of gifted characteristics, identification, and educational approaches; supports collaboration between parents and teachers. |
Understanding the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Students, 2nd Edition | Thomas P. Hébert | 2020 | Adult | Research-based overview of gifted learners’ social-emotional development with practical interventions for teachers, parents, and counselors. |
Unlocking Potential: Identifying and Serving Gifted Students From Low-Income Households | Tamra Stambaugh & Paula Olszewski-Kubilius (Eds.) | 2021 | Adult | Focuses on equity in gifted education, offering strategies to identify and nurture talent among low-income students. |
Upside-Down Brilliance | Linda Kreger Silverman | 2002 | Adult | Introduces visual-spatial learners, describing their strengths, challenges, and instructional strategies for academic and personal success. |
When Gifted Kids Don't Have All the Answers | Jim Delisle & Judy Galbraith | 2002 | Adult | Practical workbook helping gifted children navigate stress, perfectionism, friendships, and emotional challenges. |
Your Hidden Genius | Elizabeth M. Wills & Alexandra Ellison | 2025 | Adult | 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. Listings in this directory 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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