REEL recently hosted a learning differences simulation at a local independent school. After experiencing firsthand the struggles of students with learning differences and disabilities during REEL’s simulation , the staff engaged in an engrossing Q&A with a panel of the school’s students. Here are some of the insights their neurodivergent and disabled students shared about how schools can best support them. Part 1 explores challenges and Part 2 explores helpful supports. Describe a teacher(s) who really understood you and helped you learn the best. What were some of the ways the teacher supported you? One of the most helpful teacher supports, mentioned by several students, is working proactively with the student to find solutions. One student discussed her most helpful teacher, “Junior year I got accommodations. A teacher reached out to discuss the information with me so the teacher could better understand what I needed. Then anytime the teacher noticed I might need extra help, the teacher would reach out and suggest it. Like, ‘Do you want to go to a quiet room, or put on headphones in this moment?’ She was with me 105% and she saw what I needed.”  Another student shared a similar story, “In 6th grade, math was taking me hours. One day I went up to my teacher for help, and he helped me identify which were the critical problems to do, and which ones I could skip. In this way, I could take the same amount of time as my peers and still get the core concepts. Also the teacher was willing to put in the extra time to wait for me after school to finish tests. He worked with me, instead of us working against each other to get accommodations. It was really powerful.” Students find it helpful when teachers anticipate stressful situations and preempt the stress, or notice it happening live and actively support. One student shared, “Tests are really stressful so prior to a test, teachers helped me out. Teachers would help me during tests when they saw me crying at my desk. Teachers would take me outside quietly. One teacher agreed to let me take tests afterwards in the library.” Students also really appreciate it when they aren’t singled out for their accommodations. A student shared one example, “My English teacher supported me well. She asked everyone to indicate on a sticky note whether certain types of music would be okay to play. She made it about everyone rather than one person, in a safe way.” What are some other ways teachers can support students who are neurodivergent or disabled? Neurodivergent students, like anyone else, don’t want to be judged for their differences. They want to be seen as a whole person with strengths and receive positive reinforcement. One student shared, “When I got my neuropsych report, they told me that when I’m good at something I’m really good at it! And when I’m weak, I’m really weak. So I use my strengths to cover my weaknesses, and sometimes my weaknesses cover my strengths. I think it is important to see the whole person, and not those pieces that are covering each other. Also - I am hard on myself. I know what I did wrong, I know how I should have done it, and it wasn’t on purpose. Positive reinforcement is way more effective than negative. I already know how to beat myself up about stuff - you don’t have to do that. Don’t point out my accommodation needs. Talk privately to me after class, email me privately, don't single me out.” Students also discussed the importance of being given time limits on homework, consistent deadlines, and letting requirements go in order to focus on the big picture. One student suggested, “Homework that is creative and open-ended, I can hyperfocus on that, and I can’t stop. If I have those creative assignments I’ll just keep on going and going. On the other hand worksheets, with clear starting and ending points, those are less overwhelming. So if we have creative open-ended assignments, give a timing budget. Make it clear I should only spend a certain amount of time. That would help me know how much time I have and when I have to stop.” Another shared, “It’s always a struggle, teachers want to give extensions. But if you say, ‘Whenever you can’, for me that means it’s never going to happen.  A big part of school for students is learning how to manage themselves and figure out how to do things, but when a student is still learning this, provide us scaffolding.” Some students need extensions, for others it creates stress as work piles up, it’s best to check with each student to see what works best for them. Because every neurodivergent student has different needs, the students emphasized the importance of working with each student and the importance of flexibility. At the end of the session, one student summed it up, “How can you support neurodivergent students? It’s so different for each student, and even different at different times, different minutes even. Sometimes I can do something today that I couldn’t do yesterday. It’s going to change all the time.” Ultimately, it is important that teachers, “understand that it’s not one size fits all. Neurodivergent students have different needs,” and “The best thing you can do for students is to be flexible.” See to Part 1 for Student Challenges

REEL recently hosted a learning differences simulation at a local independent school. After experiencing firsthand the struggles of students with learning differences and disabilities during REEL’s simulation , the staff engaged in an engrossing Q&A with a panel of the school’s students. Here are some of the insights their neurodivergent and disabled students shared about how schools can best support them. Part 1 explores their challenges and Part 2 explores helpful supports . What has been your experience at school as a person who identifies as neurodivergent or disabled? Students pointed out that teachers may not understand that they can be high achievers AND neurodivergent or disabled. It may appear that difficulty with assignments or emotional distress comes out of nowhere. One student said, “I qualify as disabled and neurodivergent. I’m a high achieving student. But then some external stress or factor comes out of nowhere and I ‘fail spectacularly.’ I don't anticipate that my needs aren’t being met until it’s happening and then I have trouble getting out of that situation. I’m still working on that!” Many students, especially girls, are not diagnosed until their teen years or later and so don’t fully understand their challenges. One student shared, “I was only diagnosed as neurodivergent in junior year. A short quiz in math led to a full-on panic attack in 7th grade. That kept happening and happening. OCD also manifested. If I lost my eraser, it was ‘game over.’ The likelihood is that many kids are not aware. Then when they realize, they feel they have to hide it.” Even after being diagnosed, some students still struggle with sharing their diagnosis and using their accommodations. A student pointed out, “I don’t always use the accommodations I’m offered. It feels odd sometimes to communicate what I need and what I don’t.” Some students do share their diagnosis, but feel it is misunderstood. One student described her frustration, “I have inattentive ADHD - but I hate that name. I don’t have a lack of attention - I have all  the attention! My focus is strong. It is hard for me to switch tracks - I have to fight with my focus to get it to do what it needs to be doing.” What are some challenges you have faced that may come as a surprise to teachers? Several students shared that teachers may be surprised at just how hard they are working behind the scenes to appear neurotypical or put together. One student commented, “What might be surprising, people might think I’m put together, doing fine, a straight A student. But there's a lot of masking. Neurodivergent students cover it up - they do have challenges even if they don’t show it all the time.”  Another student also mentioned masking, or using a lot of energy to cover up their neurodivergence and blend in: “I didn’t realize I was masking until I learned the word last year. I have tics, echolalia… I don’t want to offend the teacher and have students hear me, but I can’t help it. Eye contact is very difficult, but I know how to do it.” And lastly a student shared how much the energy to “do school” costs them, saying, “I’m overtaxed during the day. I’m missing out on life and the joy and meaning it could bring because I try so hard to do school.” Students also pointed out that self-advocacy takes a lot of effort. One student emphasized, “It’s scary to ask for accommodations - what if they don't give it to you? It’s such a relief when teachers take the lead, they approach us, they lead it. When a neurodivergent student asks for help, teachers should know that’s hard to do. They’re probably having more trouble than you realize. Please take that seriously, assume that it is more. Support them!” Another challenge that may surprise teachers is the exhaustion and taunting neurodivergent or disabled students face. As one pointed out, “I get so tired in comparison to others. What people don’t realize is that there is a lot of subtle discrimination. There is a lack of awareness of neurodivergence. People make jokes and everyone would laugh about it but it’s hurtful.” One student lamented, “People can get called out in class. I transposed 6 and 9 and my classmates laughed at me and my teacher didn’t redirect the class.” Many 2e students have developed workarounds for their challenges, but these eventually aren’t as effective as the work in higher grade levels becomes more challenging. One student recalled how teachers thought she had stopped trying: “Not having accommodations until later in school, I developed strategies to get around things, trying so hard to do everything, and be ok, and it took so much more effort than anyone realized for it to happen. And then when it became impossible, it stopped working, people wondered what was going on. They asked, ‘Why did you stop trying?’ and it wasn’t that I stopped trying, but that my tricks just stopped working. I was very good at pretending to be ok until I wasn’t.” Some students pointed out that they may behave differently than typical classroom expectations, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t paying attention. One shared, “Sometimes teachers don’t think I’m paying attention if I’m not looking at them, but actually I am. Sometimes I am looking at them and thinking about other things. I need to doodle or do something during class because it’s too tiring to give full attention. My appearance doesn’t look like what’s happening in my head.” And finally, students with physical challenges that aren’t visible shared the pain they have endured when forced to do school activities: “I live in constant pain. If there are physical activities on campus I’m not able to do them. If I can’t do something, I won't be forced to do it. In the past I have sometimes been forced to do it, and then later I suffer and am in incredible pain.” Continue to Part 2 for Helpful Supports

This is the second in a series from our guest blogger, Barbara Pape, Senior Director of the Digital Promise ® Learner Variability Project , as a guest blogger for this two-part series on supporting the twice-exceptional. In this post, Barbara lays out effective strategies to support 2e learners by acknowledging and supporting their learner variability. Want to know more about 2e and the barriers they and their educators face? Check out the first post, Twice Exceptional: History & Barriers , in this series. Research is clear that holistic approaches to teaching and learning are key for all students, but critical for 2e students. As emphasized in the Aspen Institute’s report,  From A Nation At Risk to A Nation of Hope  (2019), “we know that we learn best when adults know us, make us feel safe, hold us responsible for our learning, and help us work constructively and productively together” (p. 14). In Identifying and Serving Diverse Gifted Learners , the authors underscore the complexity of 2e students and the challenge of dealing with two identities that can lead to frustration, anxiety , social-emotional distress, and low motivation (Castellano et al., 2022, p. 190). A holistic approach that weaves together social, emotional, and academic learning is key to supporting 2e learners and is supported by research. What is learner variability? It is an evidence based concept that recognizes “each of us go to school with a backpack filled with very different experiences that we draw from to master content, create meaning, work in groups, share our voice, and achieve our potential.” These factors of learning are holistic, interconnected, and can change according to context. For more information: Learner Variability Is the Rule, Not the Exception  (Pape, 2018). Accommodations and modifications  to address the learning disability is a bridge to opportunity for 2e students. According to Anthony, as he looks back on his school years, essential to building belonging  is hearing from students on how they would like their peers to know about their accommodations and treat accommodations as an onramp to learning for 2e students, not an unfair advantage.  Self-advocacy  is essential for 2e students to develop and hone throughout their school years and a bridge to opportunity.  For Stevie, a series of unfortunate events, including taking away their IEP accommodations, led to their drive to self-advocate so they could get what they needed to thrive in school. “In my senior year, my teacher made me re-do a paper I wrote a few times. They couldn’t understand why I couldn’t pull it off when I clearly knew the work. I didn’t have an IEP at that point. When I told her I had dyslexia, she changed her approach to one of empathy and offered scaffolding and support to have success.” Stevie also noted the vast improvement of assistive technology on all computers now and recommends that teachers show students how they can use those accommodations not only in school, but for homework, which “eliminates disability barriers.” Jacob recalls attending his first IEP meetings in 8th grade. “While having parents advocate on your behalf, nothing takes the place of being your own self-advocate since you are the one in the classroom every day,” he added. Anthony agrees. Learner-centered approaches to teaching that include necessary accommodations and modifications to account for a learning disability can lead to deeper learning for 2e students and be highly motivational. A learner-centered classroom gives students ownership of their education and opens the door to student voice and advocacy–skills 2e students will need as they move through their schooling and the workplace, as noted by Stevie.  Jacob found high school, where he could make more choices on how to structure his academics, was a more effective learning environment than in earlier grades.  Teacher relationships  go a long way to guiding students who are 2e. Just as Anthony’s first-grade teacher exemplified, Jacob also pointed to his fourth-grade teacher who was supportive and helped him move from the special education classroom to a general education setting to better feed his intellect and curiosity. An example of a learner-centered approach that Anthony enjoyed and succeeded in is the National History Day competition. Students in middle and high school get to pick their own history topic within a theme, research it, and present findings in multiple ways: documentary, website, paper, performance, exhibit. This is a great model for other projects that offer student choice on topics and multiple ways to showcase their work. A key bridge to opportunity centers on understanding and addressing a student’s learner variability –a recognition of the unique strengths and challenges across a whole child framework that are interconnected and vary according to context. At Digital Promise, our free and open-source edtech tool, the Learner Variability Navigator  (LVN) can provide research-based factors of learning and strategies across a whole child framework to support the full diversity of learners in the classroom, including 2e students.  How could the Learner Variability Navigator work for a 2e learner? For a student with weaknesses in phonological awareness but strengths in background knowledge and comprehension, you could find the following strategies: text-to-speech , cooperative writing , literacy centers that are personalized for interests and multiple levels, multimodal instruction , rich library: poetry , music and dance,  and others.  Takeaways: What’s Needed Keep Expectations High: The frustration many 2e students face stems from having high aspirations and they “resent the often-low expectations that others have for them” (Rosen, 2024). Recognize and Address Each Student’s Learner Variability , which means seeing them holistically – not only their academic needs, but who they are as individuals, their various identities, their social emotional needs and strengths, their interests. Create Belonging and a Culture of Acceptance , which begins with building relationships not only student-teacher, but also student-student. Bridges Academy , one of the original schools specifically founded to address the needs of 2e learners, illustrates this model through its commitment to creating a “psychologically safe environment…validating the uniqueness of their profiles and empathizing with the difficulties inherent in being twice exceptional” (Sabatino & Wiebe, 2018, p. 304). Another school cited in recent research also lives this ideal with  what one parent called the “patient support” of her child’s classmates (Speirs Neumeister, 2023). Use the IEP to not only provide for accommodations and modifications for the learning disability but to recognize a student's strengths   and ensure that those needs are met, as well. Move from teacher-centered to learner-centered teaching  in order to give students voice and choice, which can lead to developing the self-advocacy skills that will be essential as they move beyond the K-12 classroom. Improve identification of both gifts – academic and creative – and disabilities. A broader definition of gifted and learning disabled allows for a wider net to include more students who fall into this category of unique learners. Professional development that addresses learner variability and shows how it can customize learning experiences for 2e and other students with unique needs. “Re-think Least Restrictive Environment”  is a controversial recommendation from Amanda Morin. Some 2e students may need, even for a limited time, a public school or individual programming devoted to developing and nurturing 2e students in order to thrive not only in school but beyond. She suggests elevating the individual and what it takes for the person to meet their holistic potential. Guardrails would need to be put in place so these students could transition to the neighborhood school or general education classroom at an age where they better understand their identity and learner variability, and can self-advocate. Top tips from our interviewees:  Anthony Pape-Calabrese Help 2e students find their special value in the community of their peers. Empower students by developing and encouraging self-advocacy. Normalize the disability and giftedness so students don’t feel ashamed or uncomfortable with their differences. Take the time to ask the student about how they want their peers to understand why they use accommodations. Make sure peers know it’s not due to laziness nor is it an unfair advantage.  Offer multiple opportunities to showcase knowledge – papers, film, art, performance. Jacob Wells Teachers need to be and students need to learn to be adaptable. Teachers are under a lot of stress to cover the curriculum and take care of all students. They need to understand the duality of twice exceptionality and be able to adapt for these students.  Teaching need not be so prescriptive and learning styles don't work (nor does research support it). Instead, present material in multi-modal ways and allow for student output to be generated in multimodal ways. Understand that students have lives outside of school and their performance on any given day may be different because of what happened that day. Lead with empathy, knowing the exhaustion connected to being 2e. If the purpose is to demonstrate they have retained knowledge then all students don’t need to present their learning in the exact same way. Stevie Mays If a student asks to push themselves, let them do it. They are motivated. And, it’s especially important for students who are gifted with learning disabilities because it’s a way to keep curiosity alive and not suffer from boredom.  Check in that the student knows what accessibility tools they could benefit from to complete homework. Some tools that are available at school can also be made available at home.  Practice empathy. If it appears that a student is underperforming, talk to them to find out why. Teachers were frustrated with me because I knew the content, but my output was weak, particularly homework. Those who checked in and realized I had dyslexia saw huge improvements in my work. For more information, including on the Learner Variability Navigator, contact: Barbara Pape, Senior Director of the Learner Variability Project at Digital Promise, bpape@digitalpromise.org Digital Promise is a trademark of Digital Promise Global, registered in the United States and other countries, used with permission. Click here to see the published list of the citations in this article.

REEL has been hosting expert speakers for our parent community since 2019. Recently, we collected the recordings of six or our talks, and pulled out quick tips and advice from these experts. These popular talks cover writing, anxiety, working memory, processing speed, social skills, and self-advocacy. In the coming months, look for more quick video tips from our expert speakers! Now you can quickly learn more about some of the topics that matter most to you: Dr Susan Baum: Strategies to Ignite the Reluctant Writer Writing almost always tops the list of challenges for all types of 2e learners, who have both high ability and potential as well as complex challenges such as specific learning disabilities (e.g. dyslexia), autism, ADHD, and anxiety. Learn why writing breaks down, and get five ideas for your struggling writer . Dr Vivien Keil: Anxiety Strategies for the 2e Child Why do so many 2e students experience anxiety? How parents and educators can help support these exceptional youth? Uncover practical strategies to manage anxiety at home and school. Learnfully: Working Memory and the 2e Learner Working memory affects every part of a child's life. How does it affect the routines, academics, socializing, and emotions of 2e learners? Demystify working memory and hear one key piece of advice for caregivers. Dr. Marcy Dann: Slow Processing Speed and the 2e Child Many 2e children have slow processing speed. How can we balance our speed-valuing culture with an appreciation for the advantages of a slow processing speed? Understand processing speed and what to look for in a school to support these learners. Panel: Social Skills and the 2e Child Social skills and social anxiety rank as top concerns for parents of 2e learners. With so many varying approaches and lots of strong opinions, what’s a parent to do? Hear 6 steps to respectfully help your child in social situations, plus other practical tips. Panel: 2e Self-Advocacy Knowing how your brain learns—and talking with your teachers about how they can modify assignments to fit your learning needs—is touted as one of the most important skills 2e students should develop. Find out about the core components of self-advocacy, and 8 things you can do right now to support your child.

As the Educator Awareness Program Manager at REEL, I have had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the profound impact our workshops have on educators and, by extension, their students. Our recent sessions in the broader regions of the San Francisco Bay Area have not only enlightened but also inspired teachers to approach the unique needs of twice-exceptional (2e) students with renewed empathy and understanding. One memorable experience unfolded a few weeks ago, where we facilitated a learning differences simulation at a private high school in the San Francisco peninsula. This session allowed educators to momentarily experience the sensory and cognitive challenges faced by students with conditions like dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, or sensory processing issues. Though it was just a simulation and not the real experience, I could tell it provoked surprising emotions for many. Witnessing the educators' reactions, their renewed empathy, frustrations, and then their realizations of what it may feel like to struggle with learning differences despite being bright, underscored the everyday realities our 2e students navigate. A particularly moving aspect of these sessions was the student panel. 2e students shared their personal experiences, struggles, and needs with their educators. It was incredibly powerful to see the impact of open, trusting, and caring teacher-student relationships. These moments are a vivid reminder of why we do what we do—facilitating connections that foster safer, more supportive learning environments. The journey continued at a public school a little further South, where the learning simulation was accompanied by a virtual workshop based on our REEL DEAR model. This model is a framework we are immensely proud of, guiding educators through four critical considerations in supporting 2e children: Develop Connection, Embrace Flexibility, Attend to Strengths, and Reframe Behavior. The workshop not only equipped educators with tools and strategies but also deepened their understanding of how to apply these in real classroom settings. What was particularly remarkable was the engagement and involvement of parents, especially at the South Bay event. It added another layer of community support. Their active participation brought our initiatives directly into their school's culture, helping to create a more inclusive educational framework for all students involved. A parent recently shared with us: “It was an exceptional, eye opening class that was extremely helpful in teaching me how to better support 2e kids…..I hope REEL will be hosting more training at my child's school in the years to come.” Throughout these workshops, the feedback from educators has been overwhelmingly positive and insightful. One teacher shared with us, “The workshop inspired me to show more grace and be more aware of the fact that sometimes disruption or inattentive behaviors may be less about what the student is choosing to do and more about what they’re experiencing in that moment due to neurodivergence.” This reflection captures the essence of the shift we aim to create: a deeper understanding that leads to more compassionate educational practices. My role allows me to see the ripple effects of our work, from the immediate reactions in our workshops to the long-term changes in classrooms across these regions. Each interaction, each shared story, each strategy discussed adds up to a significant transformation in how education is delivered to 2e students. We are not just informing educators; we are equipping them to make a real difference. As we plan future workshops and expand our reach, I am continually motivated by the feedback and outcomes we observe. The journey of educating about and advocating for 2e students is ongoing and evolving. For my colleagues and me at REEL, each workshop is another step forward in our mission to ensure that every student receives the understanding and support they need to thrive. For educators interested in joining this transformative journey, engaging with REEL’s resources and workshops is an opportunity to be part of a movement towards a more equitable and responsive educational system. Together, we can make a difference—one educator, one student, one classroom at a time. To learn more about our workshops and our DEAR REEL model, visit our educator page or email Vera directly at: vera@reel2e.org

During this season of IEP renewal meetings and the never-ending search for the elusive “perfect educational fit” for our 2e children, we could all use a little positivity. For caregivers of 2e students who have taken their children to one assessment after another as they attempt to uncover the best ways to support and accommodate them, a strength-based assessment can feel like a nice warm smile after a super hard day. Imagine sitting through a meeting with educational experts in which they spend the whole time telling you what your child is good at and how creative they are. Strength-based assessments are evaluations that focus on a child’s strengths, talents, and interests. They are not diagnoses from psychologists or educational professionals and they do not point out areas of deficit or weakness. By using a series of questionnaires to gather information from caregivers, teachers, and the student, a strength-based assessor pieces together information about the environment in which the child can flourish. The goal of a strength-based report is to equip caregivers with the information they need to advocate for their 2e children, find their children’s ideal educational environments, and help their children thrive in and out of school. One way that 2e educational experts structure a strength-based report is by using the five non-negotiable environments for 2e learners – intellectual, physical, social, emotional, and creative. The strength-based assessor analyzes specific ways to modify each of these five environments to provide the support the child needs. For example, one child who received a strength-based assessment revealed that regarding his physical environment, he was more comfortable sitting in the corner of a room, in bright light, with the room at a warm temperature when working and learning. His family advocated for his teachers to help facilitate this environment for him in the classroom and his parents set up his homework space at home with these preferences in mind. Strength-based assessors also make suggestions for talent development activities and concrete ways to further develop the child’s strengths at home and in their educational setting. Another child who received a strength-based assessment talked about her love for magic. Her strength-based recommendations included exploring more activities with magic shows, including trying to perform her own. After the assessment, she designed a magic show for neighborhood children, allowing her to explore her interest area, demonstrate her expertise, create social connections, and gain self-confidence in performing for others. As a strength-based assessor, I’ve witnessed firsthand the value that our assessments have on improving the learning experiences for 2e students, and in turn their overall well being. It is common that families discover strength-based assessments only after every other option has been attempted with little benefit, and in many cases, negative results. Often, they come to us at a point of crisis when they just aren’t sure where to turn next. Rather than being yet another voice that tries to find the way to “fix” the child, we embrace the family and the child exactly as they are. We seek to understand not how to change them but instead, how to provide them with the environments and opportunities that allow them to shine at their brightest. We listen to the many voices in the child’s life; we develop a relationship with the child. Our assessments do not “test” the child. We create a sense of safety, radical acceptance, and a true connection that creates belonging. This process alone can positively impact some children. Shortly after a recent assessment I conducted with an 8-year-old who had arrived to me in a state of shutdown after his parents were forced to remove him from his school environment because of intense panic attacks, the mom emailed me to say, “We've seen an improvement in our son’s self-esteem through this process. He was so happy for his meetings with you, and being acknowledged as an expert on his own experience seemed to really boost his general mood.” But, our goal is not the assessment process itself. Our ultimate goal is to package the secrets we uncover on how to most effectively engage the child so that their strengths have the opportunity to shine in learning, at home, and in the individual paths that they ultimately discover for their future. Some parents may already be living with a strength-based mindset and others are still learning how to shift their perspectives from a focus on deficits to a focus on strengths. No matter where people are in their journeys, all parents and caregivers of 2e children could benefit from practicing the following strengths-based techniques with their kids: Lean in to your children’s interests with curiosity, focusing on which skills they are able to demonstrate and which ones they seem capable of learning within their areas of interest (instead of focusing on what they need to remediate) Consider your child’s individual environmental needs on multiple levels (physical, social, emotional, intellectual, and creative) and experiment with making small changes that can help them feel comfortable, confident, and able to engage, learn, and grow Look for ways to help your child connect with others who share their similar interests, whether they be peers, teachers, or mentors; finding like-minded people can do wonders for 2e children’s self-esteem while allowing them to deeply explore their strengths and talents If you're interested in exploring strength-based assessments performed by 2e experts, you can find more information at: The Strength-Based Assessment Lab at Bridges Graduate School If you're interested in receiving support creating strengths-based environments for home, learning, and interests with the direct help of a 2e expert, you can find more information at: Exceptionally Engaged, LLC Editor's note: REEL has put together a list of Strength-Based Assessment Tools. Download it here: Amy Clark, Ed.D. is the founder and lead strategist at Exceptionally Engaged LLC where she supports parents of multi-exceptional children in creating learning experiences and home environments that allow both children and the family to thrive. She also provides mentorships for multi-exceptional individuals by supporting them through their interests and is a founding case manager for the Strength-based Assessment Lab at Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity. Marna Wohlfeld, MA, MBA is mom of 2e children and a doctoral student at Bridges Graduate School for Cognitive Diversity in Education. She is passionate about supporting 2e kids and their families by focusing on their strengths and interests and designing environments that help them thrive.

A couple of days ago a Facebook memory from 13 years back popped up in my feed. It was an account of my son explaining that “a star with a tail is called a comet.” He was not even two at the time. In hindsight, that moment was the beginning of his love of science. Around the same time, he was also enthralled by the floor puzzle depicting the solar system. Once he learned the names and the order of the planets better than I knew them at the time, it became clear that we had a science nerd and an astronomy enthusiast on our hands. However, the utter lack of science curriculum at my son’s public elementary school was one of the reasons my husband and I opted to educate our self-directed son in a nontraditional way – we chose to homeschool. When you homeschool, the line between school and enrichment becomes blurred because, really, learning is happening non-stop. So, in addition to letting our son take more traditional science classes, we did a lot of other activities and used many other resources to support his passion, from observing the sky through our 10-inch Dobsonian telescope and witnessing the total solar eclipse in Oregon in 2017 to indulging our son in his desire to visit all of US National Parks. (Speaking of eclipses, if you haven’t experienced totality yet, you have the perfect opportunity to do so in April 2024 – we will be in Texas for the event.) Curious to know more about how to support your science enthusiast? This spreadsheet lists the resources we’ve used and activities we’ve done with our son over the years. The last column of the spreadsheet indicates how old he was when he was engaged in them, but make sure to adjust accordingly, as every child is different. I hope this list will be handy to some of you. And, if you have some ideas you'd like to add, email me at hello@reel2e.org. About the Author: Guest blogger Yekaterina (Katrina) O’Neil is a homeschooling mom by day, a doctoral student by night, and a software security researcher by trade. The mom to two 2e kids in middle and high school, she began homeschooling them after public school turned out not to be a fit. To understand and support her kids better, Katrina is pursuing a Doctoral Degree at Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education, while attempting to juggle a career in cybersecurity at the same time. She is passionate about neurodiversity and hopes to spread awareness and acceptance of neurodivergent individuals at home, at school, and in the workplace.She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science & Engineering from UC San Diego.

‘Sally’ (not her real name) is a Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sally and I got to know each other a few months before the pandemic. My autistic son was getting SLP services through his homeschooling charter, which it outsourced to a third-party. Since the services were provided to him only during the school year, every year he would be assigned a new SLP because in the summer his time slot would be taken by somebody else outside of the charter. That year Sally became my son’s new SLP, and soon enough it seemed like something finally clicked: we finally met someone who was on the same page with our own philosophy and who was able to find the right approach to engage our son. We liked Sally so much that even when she decided to leave to establish her private practice, we followed. And even though my son graduated from speech therapy several months ago, we keep in touch. When Sally starts working with a new client, she begins by studying the recommendations provided by other assessors who have worked with this child previously. These recommendations might include things such as a need for sensory support, movement breaks, accommodations for testing time and testing environments, or daily check-ins to help the student understand their emotional state. Sally thinks that it is critical to share these recommendations with the child to help them become more aware of their needs. They need to be able to discover for themselves that, for example, a movement break really does make them feel better. Otherwise, when they become dysregulated, they run the risk of not knowing what to do to prevent their distress. According to Sally, the number one thing that helps twice-exceptional kids in any environment – be it at school or at home – is building trust and relationships, especially when it comes to asking 2e children to do tasks. Twice-exceptional students in general often don’t feel understood and believed due to the dichotomy of having both strengths and needs. Sally emphasizes that in order for emotional check-ins to be successful, they must be conducted by trusted individuals with whom a student has a positive relationship.  Otherwise it can backfire, especially when the check-in is done by someone who is putting a lot of demands on the student or doesn’t treat them very kindly. Similarly, outside of school, it is important for the child to have a safe space to calm down free of additional expectations on them after an already exhausting day at school. Unfortunately, Sally does not often feel positively about her clients’ ability to thrive at school. Instead, she sees a lot of school trauma. In order to put it behind them, her clients need time to repair and heal before they can have any success in the school setting. This is what homeschoolers call “deschooling” – a time to pause, heal, reset, regroup, and recover before going forward. The recommended rule of thumb is one month for every year the child spent in their previous school environment. Sally has experience working both at a school district and in her private practice, and according to her these environments are vastly different. She is convinced that nontraditional schooling and homeschooling are the best educational environments that can support most 2e learners at present. In fact, the more frustrated she gets with how traditional public schools operate, the more convinced she becomes that nontraditional schooling and homeschooling is a great educational environment for all learners, 2e or otherwise. In Sally’s experience, traditional schools embrace the right ideas on paper, but do not know how to implement them in reality due to lack of understanding, training, and resources. It is not enough for the school to say that it embraces inclusion by moving all the students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) into the regular classroom without providing the right training for the teachers on how to implement and support inclusive strategies. As for the gifted schools, most of them in Sally’s area are not appropriate for twice-exceptional learners either, as they primarily cater to high-achieving compliant students or follow principles that go against the recommended practices for supporting twice-exceptional learners. Sally acknowledges that kind and well-meaning individuals do exist in the traditional educational system and she fears that they are too tied up by the limitations of the current system to be able to swim against the tide. Being part of the rigid system affects their thinking and makes it tricky for them to think outside the box. They become limited by being too accustomed to the way things are done and struggle with accepting the feasibility of another approach. Ultimately, this became the reason why Sally left the school district to focus on her private practice. She felt that it was impossible for one well-intentioned human to bring change to the system, whereas if she worked from the outside, family by family, she could be more effective. She finds herself a much stronger agent for change being a private practitioner and teaching her clients how to advocate for themselves within the school district. Additionally, at her private practice she is not bound by how she does her assessments and instead chooses the best methods (as opposed to the mandated ones) in order to figure out how to best support the needs of her clients. On the bright side, Sally thinks that increasingly, spaces that welcome 2e individuals are becoming available. Unfortunately they are still rare, and often parents end up having to create them. According to Sally, parents are still the main drivers of the 2e movement, and I agree with her. 2e is not talked about in Sally’s speech therapy community, and there are only a couple of parents in her practice with whom she can talk to about twice-exceptionality. Sally observed that her field has spaces for autistic folks, but not so much 2e. (This is similar to my own experience with the Russophone community. While most Russian-speaking members of my community are familiar with the term gifted, and 90% are familiar with the term learning difference, only 56% have heard of twice-exceptionality before.) Sally’s ultimate piece of advice to parents, teachers, administrators, and pretty much everyone is to not get stuck thinking that what you know now is the answer to everything. Over the years Sally has met many practitioners who simply cannot accept the neurodiversity affirming movement. Sally hopes that others can learn from her own personal experience. She came to embrace neurodiversity affirming practices by reading blogs authored by autistic individuals. She eventually realized that she needed to change her own practice in order to suit their needs. Even though change is hard, and even if you are a good practitioner, there is always room for growth. My interview with Sally was lovely and empowering. It was incredibly heart-warming to be talking to a person whose ideas and thoughts are so in line with my own. Sally is truly open to listening, sharing, and learning. Our conversation highlighted several important points that are salient in the twice-exceptional community. First and foremost, we need to accept and celebrate all kinds of brains. Instead of trying to fix people, figure out how to support them within their environment. Every individual has their own needs and develops according to their own timeline. Many twice-exceptional individuals experience trauma and feel misunderstood, excluded, and often depressed because of their confusing combination of strengths and needs. In order to provide help and support to these individuals, we need to establish trust and positive relationships with them. The focus must be on strengths and talents – this is what will motivate them – while also accommodating their challenges, thus making learning accessible. We can apply this formula to all individuals – not just the ones who are twice-exceptional – because everyone deserves to feel safe, accepted, and appreciated for who they are. About the Author: Guest blogger Yekaterina (Katrina) O’Neil is a homeschooling mom by day, a doctoral student by night, and a software security researcher by trade. The mom to two 2e kids in middle and high school, she began homeschooling them after public school turned out not to be a fit. To understand and support her kids better, Katrina is pursuing a Doctoral Degree at Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education, while attempting to juggle a career in cybersecurity at the same time. She is passionate about neurodiversity and hopes to spread awareness and acceptance of neurodivergent individuals at home, at school, and in the workplace.She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science & Engineering from UC San Diego.

We set ambitious targets in our five-year, four-goal strategic plan launched in Spring 2023. We called on our community to contribute to our vision and propel our ability to hire the team we need to serve the parents and educators of Silicon Valley’s 2e, neurodivergent learners. Our community answered the call and we’ve seen unprecedented impact! Check out REEL's 2023-24 accomplishments - and our plans for the coming years. We’re ready to keep growing in 2024-25 and beyond. Our community’s support is more important than ever. Please donate today to be part of the movement to create a new future for 2e learners in Silicon Valley! Our impact is REAL. Read some of these testimonials from parents, educators, and 2e students: Last year, we asked for contributions to hire our first Executive Director. This year, contributions are essential for us to accomplish the following: Develop online and in-person professional development modules based on our new DEAR REEL model so that educators can apply research-based, practical strategies to support the neurodivergent/2e in their classrooms Create online and hybrid versions of our popular introductory educator workshops Conduct outreach to historically underrepresented communities Deepen the impact of our Signature Speaker Series, including Spanish translations and discussion guides for parents and educators And so much more. We can't wait to see our momentum grow! Thanks to our community of donors and volunteers, we're seeing "reel" change for the 2e and neurodivergent in Silicon Valley.

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” - Rainer Maria Rilke Welcome to Part 2 of this 3-part series on Parenting your Neurodivergent Child. If you haven't yet read Part 1, go check it out! I hope I’ve gotten you jazzed up about starting on this journey with your child! Now you’re ready to dig in. There are three main strands you’ll want to be thinking about as you begin: intervention, accommodation, and strengths. 1 - Intervention By intervention, I am referring to specialized tools, services, methods, and sometimes medications which can alleviate some of the challenges the child is experiencing. Interventions are not appropriate for all diagnoses. Before we go further, let’s be clear on this point - we are not here to ‘cure’ or ‘change’ anyone. That being said, for some diagnoses there are some interventions you’ll want to explore to see if they may be right for your child. For example, early reading intervention witha a trained expert can improve a dyslexic’s phonemic awareness and ultimately their reading skills. Many individuals with ADHD swear by their daily medication, which they feel helps them focus and enables them - as my son has put it - to ‘get their ideas out of their brains in an organized fashion.’ In addition to tutoring and medication, I’d also put therapy (occupational, speech, etc) into this category. When you’re researching intervention options, it is critical that you find people whom you trust and who work well with your child. Interview as many people as possible, and observe them as they work with your child. Consider not only the individual, but the environment - will the child enjoy being in that space? Will the time (morning, evening, etc) work for your child? My son was first identified as needing extra help in reading when he was in first grade. He was at a lovely, small, supportive private school at the time. In an effort to help him, his teacher provided him one-on-one reading support every Tuesday and Thursday after school. It sounded like an ideal situation. However, without fail, when it was time to go to school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, I’d find my son hiding in his closet refusing to get in the car. He didn’t like being singled out for his reading difficulties, and hated that he was the only one who had to stay after class. He was tired after a long day of being challenged. He needed a break, not more of what he found impossible. It didn’t take too long for us to realize that this intervention wasn’t working. We interviewed several dyslexia tutors. During trial sessions, I would watch while my son sat pushing a pencil slowly across the desk so that it would eventually fall on the floor without the tutor knowing why. Clearly these tutors were not going to be the right fit. Finally, we met a fabulous teacher who ran a small, full-day program for dyslexic learners. Our son loved working with her. He respected her and wanted to learn when in her presence. Everyone at this teacher’s school received one-on-one tutoring during school hours, so no one was singled out, and no one had to stay late. In fact, each student looked forward to their one-on-one time with this beloved teacher. Our son enrolled in her program and the change was immediate. Finally, he was in a community of his peers - bright young twice-exceptional kids who loved learning but struggled with reading and writing. 2 - Accommodation Accommodations are the tools and supports which your child may need in order to be successful. Accommodations may change over time, cease being necessary, or be a constant in an individual’s life. Students with a specific learning difference such as dyslexia or dysgraphia may benefit from having extra time to complete assignments and assessments. Dyslexic individuals may need alternative ways to access information such as audiobooks. Dysgraphics may prefer to type or use a dictation tool rather than hand-write their work. It is a common misconception that individuals with ADHD would also benefit from extra time on assignments. However, research has shown that in fact that extra time is often detrimental to a person with ADHD. Those with ADHD will often benefit from well-defined, time-bound deadlines to help them focus. They may find that headphones help them concentrate during independent work, or that a fidget helps them focus during group activities. There are tons of different kinds of fidgets, from things which you can play with in your hands, to things which you can play with with your feet, to different kinds of chairs to sit on, and so much more. You should also consider the environment in which your child works best. Do they feel more comfortable in a brightly or dimly lit room? Do they work better with some amount of noise, or do they need a very quiet environment? Do they prefer to lie on the floor, sit on a beanbag, or stand and pace while thinking? Students need to feel safe in their environment in order to be able to learn. There should be spaces available which can accommodate all of these different needs. Accommodations are empowering, and allow individuals’ brains to work in their optimal condition. Sometimes twice-exceptional children (and/or their parents) resist accommodations, because they feel it is ‘cheating’ or a ‘crutch.’ However, recognizing that our brains all don’t work in the same way, and providing choice and variability so that all brains can achieve at their full potential, is not a crutch, and using these options isn’t something to be embarrassed by; it’s something to be proud of. Accommodations are merely doors, pathways offered so that you can choose the route which works best for you (rather than everyone having to go the same way.) Accommodations are tools - embrace them, so that your mind can shine with the full brilliance it contains. Eventually, our goal for our children should be self-advocacy, as they mature and grow into independence. As our children grow older they will need to learn how to ask for what they need in order to be successful. This will require self-awareness and self-confidence and will take time to develop. Be patient. In the beginning you will most likely have to advocate for their accommodations. As they see you do this tactfully and experience how successful they can be with these supports in place, they will begin to learn how to do this on their own. It’s a beautiful thing to see a student self-advocate, displaying self-awareness by speaking up for and articulating what they need to be successful. 3 - Strengths There are many different ways of learning and being. Howard Gardner is famous for developing his Theory of Multiple Intelligences nearly four decades ago. He identified 9 intelligence areas: Logical-mathematical Intelligence Linguistic Intelligence Spatial Intelligence Musical Intelligence Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence Intrapersonal Intelligence Interpersonal Intelligence Naturalistic Intelligence Existential Intelligence All of these aspects of intelligence are going to be necessary at different times, for different activities. A person is not only a single kind of ‘thinker.’ All of these intelligence muscles must be developed in order for an individual to thrive. But for each individual, some of these will come more naturally than others, which is why although Dr. Gardner calls them ‘intelligences,’ I prefer to think of them as strengths. In order for you to get just a taste of how strength-based programming feels, try the experiment in the section below: Try this experiment to get a quick experience of strength-based programming Consider these three ‘strength profiles:’ The creative artist: someone who loves art, music, visual thinking, movies, color, space, movement The bookworm: someone who loves reading, writing, journaling, note-taking The analyst: someone who loves looking at data, statistics, charts, numbers, graphs, analysis When you read this list, which strength type do you feel most affinity for? Are you a creative artist, a bookworm, or an analyst? Now that you’ve chosen a strength profile, I want you to close your eyes and spend a minute or so imagining your perfect day. Next, get a pencil, some paper, and a timer. Set your timer for 5 minutes, and: Creative artists - write a five paragraph essay explaining your perfect day. Bookworms - produce five charts or diagrams which explain your day. Analysts - write and perform a skit about your day. Once you’re done, set that paper aside. Now get a fresh piece of paper and set that 5 minute timer again. This time: Creative artists - have three minutes to create a visual representation of their day. Maybe a drawing, a cartoon, or a list of music? Bookworms - you can now write to describe your day. Perhaps you’ll write a poem, or an essay? Analysts - please use numbers and charts to explain your day. I expect to see pie charts, bar graphs, maybe scatter plots, or perhaps lists of percentages! Pencils down. Now, compare your two works side-by-side: Which work is of better quality? Which are you more proud of? For which work did you produce a greater quantity? Which one is full of detail, and which is more like a rough outline? When you were working in your area of weakness, did you use the full five minutes, or did you start to let your mind wander, perhaps get up and get some water? What about during the work in your area of strength. Were you in flow? Did the time just seem to fly by? How did these two five minute sessions make you feel? Often people tell me that in the five minutes of having to work in their area of weakness they felt sick, or wanted to go hide in the bathroom. Working in your area of weakness can physically affect you - headaches, dry mouth - physical manifestations of fear. In contrast, working in your area of strength can feel euphoric. In both cases you possessed the same knowledge about the material - you know very well what your perfect day would be like. In terms of understanding the material, you can’t be beat. But in one case, what you produced did not reflect the true extent of your knowledge. This is how our children can sometimes feel in school, being asked to work all day (and after school!) focusing on their areas of weakness, needing accommodations to get through their work, full of anxiety about what they’re being asked to do. It is exhausting and frustrating. Unfortunately, of the three strands, understanding your child’s strengths is the one which is most frequently ignored. People think it is less important than the others, and yet it is really the reverse. Strengths are the most important element you need to be thinking about. Every child has strengths and talents. It is our responsibility to help our children discover what excites them, and nurture those interests. By understanding what our children enjoy doing we can build their confidence, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Understanding your child’s strengths is where you’re going to find what puts the light in your child’s eyes. It’s where you’ll find out what motivates them, where their passion lies, what brings them confidence. Think of your child’s strengths as a magic key to their success. Confident individuals pursuing their passions will find the grit needed to persevere through challenges! Plus, understanding and nurturing your child’s strengths is a lot of fun for both of you. Now you have a roadmap: think about interventions, accommodations, and strengths. Next, let’s talk about the strand which sadly often gets the least attention, and yet is the most critical focus for success: finding your child’s strengths. In part 3 of this series, we’ll talk about six ways to uncover your child’s strengths.

The Aspen Institute. (2019). From a nation at risk to a nation at hope . https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Nation-at-Hope.pdf Baldwin, L., Baum, S., Pereles, D., & Hughes, C. (2015). Twice-exceptional learners: The journey toward a shared vision.  Gifted Child Today, 38 (4), 206-214. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217515597277 Baldwin, L., Omdal, S. N., & Pereles, D. (2015). Beyond stereotypes: Understanding, recognizing, and working with twice-exceptional learners.  Teaching Exceptional Children, 47 (4), 216-225. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059915569361   Castellano, J. A., & Chandler, K. L. (2022). Identifying and serving diverse gifted learners: Meeting the needs of special populations in gifted education . Routledge. Digital Promise Global. (2019). Learning in the 21st century: How the American public, parents, and teachers view educational priorities and how to achieve them . https://digitalpromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/NationalSurvey_Yr2-FINAL.pdf International Dyslexia Association. (2020). Gifted and dyslexic: Identifying and instructing the twice exceptional student fact sheet . Retrieved July 14, 2024, from https://dyslexiaida.org/gifted-and-dyslexic-identifying-and-instructing-the-twice-exceptional-student-fact-sheet/ Kircher-Morris, E. & Morin, A. (in press) Neurodiversity-affirming schools: Transforming practices so all students feel accepted and supported.  Free Spirit Publishing. National Association for Gifted Children. https://nagc.org/ Pape, B. (2018).  Learner variability is the rule, not the exception.  Digital Promise. https://digitalpromise.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Learner-Variability-Is-The-Rule.pdf Reis, S. M., Baum, S. M., & Burke, E. (2014). An operational definition of twice-exceptional learners: Implications and applications. Gifted Child Quarterly, 58 (3), 217-230. https://doi-org.libproxy.ucl.ac.uk/10.1177/0016986214534976 Rosen, P. (n.d.). The challenges of twice-exceptional kids . Understood. Retrieved July 14, 2024, from https://www.understood.org/en/articles/gifted-childrens-challenges-with-learning-and-thinking-differences Sabatino, C. A., & Wiebe, C. R. (2018). Bridges Academy: A strength-based model for 2e. In S. B. Kaufman (Ed.), Twice exceptional: Supporting and educating bright and creative students with learning difficulties  (pp. 301–321). Oxford University Press. Speirs Neumeister, K. L. (2023). Maximizing the potential of twice-exceptional learners: Creating a framework of stakeholder supports. Gifted Child Quarterly , 68 (1), 19-33. https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862231193699 Weimer, M. (2013). Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice  (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

REEL is a 501c3 non-profit that strives to ensure Silicon Valley twice-exceptional students thrive in school by raising parent and educator awareness and understanding of practical, research-based strategies to address their needs successfully. We support 2e kids by building bridges between educators and parents. For educators, we create and curate resources, workshops, and programs to help them make school a place that 2e learners can be successful. For parents, we organize and disseminate events and tools to help parents learn to advocate for and support their 2e kids. It’s an exciting time to join REEL. We’re growing and looking for individuals to join our team who want to contribute from the ground up and have a meaningful impact on our programming. JOB DESCRIPTION REEL seeks increased awareness among the local parent and educator community. This role supports the REEL leadership team as they continue to define strategy and help execute on growing educator and parent partnerships, community, and programming. In this role, you will refine and further develop REEL’s educator and parent communication plans. You will manage REEL’s social media presence, including establishing a social media post cadence and interacting on the platforms. You will reach out to key stakeholders, letting them know about upcoming events. You will support email campaign development and implementation and manage our mailing lists. You will analyze our current marketing approach and recommend improvements, including our SEO, planning the most effective local marketing strategies such as PTA/educator/SELPA outreach, viral marketing stories/videos, connecting with local parent groups/resources, local PR coverage, having members promote REEL, and more. QUALIFICATIONS Experience in a marketing/communications role such as this Familiarity with social media platforms and best practices A passion for spreading the word and sharing REEL’s mission A commitment to the success of twice-exceptional students Comfort with an entrepreneurial environment: flexibility, change, experimentation, creative solution ideation NICE-TO-HAVE Experience using email marketing software (e.g., MailChimp) Familiarity with maintaining and editing a website using a content management tool (e.g., WIX) Experience with Google Ads Experience reaching parent communities and/or educators OTHER DETAILS 6 month contract. Flexible schedule - minimum of one weekly team meeting plus independent work. Maximum of 20 hours/month. Starting compensation of $25/hour. TO APPLY Reach out to abby@reel2e.org and introduce yourself! We look forward to hearing from you.