A new age of video learning, long promised, has now taken hold after a year of living in a pandemic. That’s a good thing, especially for 2e kids, who tend to respond positively to electronic media, and more so for their parents and stakeholders.
As Julie Skolnick, host of the popular Let’s Talk 2e conference, says, “the pandemic has confirmed for us that people love that conferences remain on-demand … forever.” Parents and professionals have become comfortable with online venues in order to find resources, become better informed, and connect with others in support groups. Video conferences, meetings, podcasts, and vlogs are increasing in popularity because, as Debbie Steinberg-Kuntz, the host of Bright & Quirky, notes, the online resources are available all the time all around the world. “It’s really a beautiful thing,” she says, “to bring this tribe together.” Skolnick adds, “We realized during this pandemic that people need a sense of community and coming together to share successes and struggles and to be able to ask questions in a safe space.”
The following is a compendium of websites and links, including to Let’s Talk 2e and Bright & Quirky, for parents, teachers, and other professionals who work with twice-exceptionality. Each site has their own unique set of resources. Some require pay to get full access, but all allow partial access.
ADDitide: https://www.additudemag.com/
A comprehensive website for ADD and ADHD is the aptly named Additudemag.com. Through blogs and articles by and about parents, educators, and experts in the field, Additude’s attitude is one of support and information. Come here to find out how to get kids to take their medication, how to have “that talk” about sex, and what to do about temper tantrums. Additionally, Additude provides very helpful symptom tests for everything from dysphoria to dyscalculia. There are several links to webinars and resources on other websites, organized by region.
Tilt Parenting: https://www.tiltparenting.com/ Founded by Debbie Reber, author of the best-selling book, Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World, Tilt advocates for the rebranding of deficits as differences. Reber’s podcasts on topics as diverse as homeschooling, sensory processing disorders, and assessments provide a spectrum-positive approach to neurodiversity. Her resources cover links to experts, articles, books, and other podcasts that shed light on twice-exceptionality, anxiety and sensory issues, and the autism spectrum. There are several ways to connect to other parents and groups, as well, such as the Tilt Together community and the Differently Wired Club.
Impact Parents: https://impactparents.com/
For a more direct approach to problem solving, Impact Parents offers advice and guidance for parents, educators, and other professionals. Their library of blogs include practical tips for dealing with ADHD, managing expectations, and turning anxiety into a leadership trait. The site is very focused on parents, offering many techniques through group and private coaching sessions with experts in various fields.
Gifted Challenges: https://giftedchallenges.blogspot.com/ The Gifted Challenges website advocates on behalf of neurodiverse children with schools, teachers, counselors, the legal system, and sometimes with parents themselves as they cope to understand a very diverse and nonconventional population. Through this website, Dr. Gail Post offers coaching for parents, as well as workshops on managing expectations, challenging underachievement, and planning ahead for college. The Best of Gifted Challenges section offers practical how-to advice on many topics related to giftedness — and learning challenges.
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities: https://www.smartkidswithld.org/ For coping with Covid, and the aftermath of the pandemic, the Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities is invaluable. They offer many video workshops, as well as blogs, on how to navigate through this precarious time as we try to reclaim “normal” life. Many of the resources and links apply to generalized topics such as dealing with stress and how parents can support student learning at home. Their Community page provides links that connect parents and others to insights on living with learning disabilities.
2eNews.com: https://2ecenter.org/ 2e News has everything you want to know about 2e. There are many articles and features about the latest innovations in the field, including the most effective educational techniques and programs. Informative interviews with a variety of stakeholders, from scholars to celebrities, make this website the most entertaining and integral place to go. It is refreshed frequently and hosts a comprehensive archive. Also see the Bridges 2e Center, another facet of the Bridges Education Group, and 2e News’ complete archive of the 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter’s catalog.
Twice Exceptional Children’s Advocacy: https://www.teca2e.org/
Founded by parents in order to collectively advocate on behalf of their 2e children, TECA has expanded to be a warehouse of resources, including links to essential reading, products and manipulatives, and online parent support groups. There is a Provider Directory to help parents find the right counselor for their needs, as well as a blog that focuses on different ways twice-exceptionality intersects with social and personal issues.
The Neurodiversity Podcast: https://neurodiversitypodcast.com/ Emily Kircher-Morris posts her Neurodiversity Podcast on her website. Each episode features interviews with many of the most exciting innovators in the field discussing equity and 3e education, imposter syndrome, the history of autism, the role of IQ, neurodiversity and existentialism, and dozens more fascinating topics. She also includes equally relevant blog entries under the former name of the website, Mind Matters.
Bright & Quirky: https://brightandquirky.com/ Debbie Steinberg Kuntz has rebranded twice-exceptionality as “Bright & Quirky” and supports parents, students, and those who love, teach, and counsel the B&Q. Courses offered in their Catalyst program include everything from Minecraft building to executive functioning. A unique IdeaLab allows people to get practical answers from experts in the field. An archive of video logs also provides a wealth of information. Bright & Quirky culminates with a yearly summit that presents the best and latest thinking about cognitive diversity.
Being Twice Exceptional: https://beingtwice-exceptional.blogspot.com/ Uniquely, the Being Twice-Exceptional website is geared to teachers and parents and organized by issues around giftedness and dyslexia to make research easier. It allows parents interested in how schools support students with dyslexia, for example, to look up articles and advice specific to their needs. Teachers may need different information and can have access to material catered to them. The video blogs offer great, easy to understand advice and ground-level tips for both parents and teachers. Black Girl Lost Keys: https://blackgirllostkeys.com/ Although the Black Girl Lost Keys website is dedicated to women of color, certainly everybody can use and enjoy its lively articles. With her own personal and fun style, René Brooks shares her wit and wisdom on topics as diverse as “100 No Cook Meal Items For When You Refuse To Adult” to “ADHD Bedtime Routine: How To Create One You Don’t Hate.” As much a lifestyle or life-coaching venue, the BGLK is also a fun way to learn more about coping with learning challenges.
With Understanding Comes Calm: https://www.withunderstandingcomescalm.com/
Founded by Julie Skolnick, M.A., J.D., this umbrella organization covers twice-exceptionality from many angles. The name of her website, With Understanding Comes Calm, is also her mission to bring clarity and compassion to those in the 2e world and serves as an all encompassing hub of support for parents of 2e kids, 2e adults, and educators. Providing guidance and training to 2e stakeholders since 2014, With Understanding Comes Calm offers online and in-person support. In addition to providing education, teaching strategies, and advocacy training, there are several easily accessible articles, podcasts, and videos from educators, counselors, and professionals in the field. There is also access to several years’ worth of Skolnick’s well-regarded Let’s Talk 2e conferences and webinars with a subscription. Anyone can book a call with Julie directly to learn more at JulieSkolnick.youcanbook.me.
LetsTalk2e.com is part of With Understanding Comes Calm, LLC. Here you’ll find online and on-demand and accredited conferences for parents, educators, 2e adults, and clinicians. This site also features a community with Parent Empowerment Groups (PEG) that provide live webinars and community building support for parents around the world.
2eResources.com is a listing site for gifted and 2e resources is organized by category: Education, Clinicians, Consultants, Associations, and Enrichment. Housed within the With Understanding Comes Calm site, 2eResources.com is free to the public and provides vetted resources for the gifted and 2e world. Often highlighted on social media channels, 2e Resources listed here are also featured in Facebook Live interviews broadcast on the With Understanding Comes Calm Facebook page. If you are a 2e Resource and would like to be featured at 2eResources.com, reach out to Graciela@WithUnderstandingComesCalm.com.
GHF Dialogue: https://ghfdialogue.org/ GHF, or Gifted Homeschoolers, may have started out as a place where the specific needs of homeschooling 2e students were addressed, but it’s evolved to be more encompassing. Among the services they offer are special video columns by Dr. Nicole Tetreault and Dr. Matt Zakreski. With membership, there is access to many resources to guide parents, teachers, and students through the finer points of gifted education, whether at home or in school.
Guiding Bright: https://www.guidingbright.com/ Centered around helping parents support their children, the Guiding Bright website steps away from using the term “gifted” in favor of “bright” in order to be more inclusive. There are many helpful mini-blogs here, as well as more extensive videos dealing with power struggles, depression, and OCD. Tina Harlow is committed to relieving anxiety by making people more aware of their authentic selves, claiming that identity, and celebrating it.
Dyslexia the Gift Blog: https://blog.dyslexia.com/ For a tighter focus on reading challenges, the Dyslexia blog from the Davis Dyslexia Association International provides many videos and podcasts. In entertaining segments, the miscomprehensions about dyslexia are unwrapped, often through personal stories. There are also empowering clips about how to handle aspects of this condition, including getting over the fear of small words and tapping into the scientific research on memory and language, etc. The podcasts are very extensive and help to reframe dyslexia, as one series puts it, as a “superpower.”
Laughing at Chaos: https://www.laughingatchaos.com/ Educator, writer, and parent of 2e children Jen Merrill’s blog and work often focuses on self-care for parents. Author of If This is a Gift, Can I Send It Back?: Surviving in the Land of the Gifted and Twice-Exceptional, Merrill provides intimate and often humorous perspectives on her own journey as a 2e parent, highlighting challenges, successes, and everything in between.
Parenting ADHD and Autism: https://parentingadhdandautism.com/ The mission of the Parenting ADHD and Autism website is in the title. Through hundreds of podcasts, Penny Williams, taking her inspiration from her own experience parenting a child with ADHD, explores useful topics and gets right to the point. Among the many videos she also offers are a series of 5-Minutes Fixes, quick ways for busy parents to learn more about medications or getting better sleep, etc. Additionally, she brings parents and professionals together through several webinars.
Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted: https://www.sengifted.org/
SENG stands for Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted. Its website does just that by offering several absolutely essential resources. Primarily among them is a very thorough Mental Health Directory with the accreditations and contacts for a variety of counselors. SENG also sponsors many mini-conferences throughout the year. They include several articles organized by topics such as homeschooling, equity, LGBTQ+ — and many in Spanish, as well. Membership unlocks more benefits, but many of the resources are free.
This is just a sampling of the many resources available. More excellent examples were discussed in a recent Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented #gtchat on Twitter that focused on twice-exceptionality, including the 2e Resource, the Davidson Institute, Wright’s Law, Seth Perler’s executive function site, the How to ADHD video series, National Association for Gifted Children, the Belin-Blank Center, the University of Connecticut, and more.
The full transcript of that chat can be found here.
