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Kite Kid Mama

Kite Kid Mama

Rising above the obstacles of giftedness

clinicians, educators

A great way to compare points of view & build social competencies

Feb 8, 2020
extroverts with social anxiety can be difficult to understand
clinicians, educators, parents

How to navigate social anxiety in kids who are extroverts

Jan 26, 2020
when an extroverted child develops social anxiety
clinicians, educators, parents

When an outgoing child develops social anxiety

Jan 25, 2020
demystifying executive-function deficits
clinicians, educators, parents

Demystifying executive functions: what they are & how to teach them

Jan 24, 2020
Ways to show your class spirit on Valentine's Day
educators

Ways to nurture students’ hearts & minds on Valentine’s Day

Jan 11, 2020
signs of anxiety
clinicians, educators, parents

Common, but often overlooked, signs of an anxiety disorder

Dec 16, 2019
Four lessons that Frozen 2 conveys beautifully
clinicians, educators, parents

Four messages that Frozen 2 conveys beautifully

Dec 1, 2019
ideas for teacher gifts
educators, parents

Teacher gift ideas

Nov 30, 2019
Gifts for Potter Heads
parents

Need gift ideas for a Harry Potter fan?

Nov 29, 2019
Why it's essential to remember a “gifted” child’s true age
clinicians, educators, parents

Why it’s essential to remember a “gifted” child’s true age

Nov 26, 2019
gifts for space enthusiasts
parents

Gifts for space enthusiasts

Nov 17, 2019
clinicians, educators, parents

Social considerations of imaginational intensity

Nov 12, 2019
Christmas gift ideas
parents

Gift ideas

Nov 9, 2019
school counseling friendship groups
clinicians, educators, parents

Counseling friendship groups don’t help when there’s undetected neurodiversity

Oct 16, 2019
17 ways to celebrate World Space Week
educators, parents

Ways to celebrate World Space Week (Oct. 4-10)

Oct 2, 2019
Bid-on-me jars for your school's silent auction
educators, parents

Silent auction themes for young bidders

Sep 15, 2019
Have a smart child who struggles? Don't miss Bright & Quirky's 2019 Smart but Struggling Student series for incredible insights, tools & strategies.
parents

Smart but Struggling Student masters series by Bright & Quirky

Sep 11, 2019
Learn about executive function skills
educators

Executive-function deficits can plague any student

Sep 6, 2019
Free bookmarks for your students
educators

Insights for teachers + free bookmarks for students

Sep 5, 2019
Fat Brain Toys’ 2019 Kidventor contest; deadline is Sept. 29
parents

Fat Brain Toys’ 2019 Kidventor contest: deadline is Sept. 29

Aug 31, 2019
Cool science experiments on the Little Passports blog | Kite Kid Mama
educators, parents

Cool experiments on the Little Passports blog

Aug 27, 2019
Teaching kids self-regulation for social-emotional success. Free webinar with Social Thinking founder Michelle Garcia Winner, SLP.
clinicians, educators, parents

Teaching kids self-regulation for social-emotional success (free Aug. 28 webinar)

Aug 21, 2019
Is he bright, but disorganized? This Aug. 25-28 free online summit can help.
clinicians, educators, parents

Aug. 23-25 free online summit re: major pain point for kite kids

Aug 20, 2019
A cozy, woodland-themed classroom students will love
educators

A cozy, woodland classroom students will love

Aug 16, 2019
How to encourage student questions (and still get through your lesson plan)
educators

How to encourage student curiosity (and complete your lesson)

Aug 10, 2019
Ways to get class donations
educators

How to let parents know what you need this school year

Aug 5, 2019
20% of kids face internal challenges most adults don’t recognize or understand. As a result, they’re harder to coach. Here's why & what helps. | Kite Kid Mama
educators, parents

How to harness the strengths of differently-wired athletes

Aug 2, 2019
Don’t give up. You can find answers – and help your child succeed. | Kite Kid Mama
parents

The difference a year can make

Jul 31, 2019
How to build trust with your students
educators

An easy way to get tremendous insights about your students

Jul 31, 2019
Don't make kids' gifts a competitionCan’t we all just accept what makes each kid unique? Let’s stop turning this into a competition – or worse yet, an excuse to mock or exclude someone. | Kite Kid Mama
educators, parents

Don’t make kids’ “gifts” a competition

Jul 20, 2019
The danger of making generalizations about parents | Kite Kid Mama
clinicians, educators, parents

Why parents of neurodiverse kids hate this meme

Jul 15, 2019
How to create winning parent-teacher dynamics that set students up for success | Kite Kid Mama
educators, parents

A game plan for great parent-teacher relationships

Jul 10, 2019
Teachers, not sure why one of your smart students is struggling? It may be due to a type of neurodiversity. Here are 20 traits & behaviors that are indicators. | Kite Kid Mama
educators

Why some smart students struggle + two freebies

Jul 3, 2019
Even the anti-bullying mom mocked gifted kids & their families | Kite Kid Mama
Uncategorized

When an anti-bullying mom mocked gifted kids & their families

Jul 2, 2019
The Problem with Potential - Kids don’t have to succeed all the time; they should have opportunities to explore & fail, too. | Kite Kid Mama
clinicians, educators, parents

The problem with “potential”

Jun 27, 2019
Summer can suck for kids who are bullied & excluded. On June 20, after another VBS camper tried to punch my son, was the day I said “no more.” Here’s what I’ve learned since then. | Kite Kid Mama
clinicians, educators, parents

The day I said “no more”

Jun 20, 2019
There’s more to giftedness than concert halls and I.Q. scores. It’s a true type of neurodiversity that affects the whole child – and it isn’t always pretty | Kite Kid Mama
clinicians, educators, parents

Understanding the gifted child’s brain

Jun 19, 2019
When you work with young kids on a daily basis, your books quickly become more “loved” than those in a public library! Here are some suggested books (with positive messages) if your reading materials are falling apart. | Kite Kid Mama
clinicians, educators

Kids’ books falling apart? Here are ideas if it’s time to replenish.

Jun 12, 2019
Gifted kids are often misdiagnosed disorders they don’t have. In many cases, this is due to lack of familiarity with common traits that are linked to their uneven brain development & “super-sensitivities.” | Kite Kid Mama
clinicians

Gifted kids misdiagnosed with disorders they don’t have

Jun 11, 2019
Most general-education teachers don’t feel equipped to meet outlier students’ needs | Kite Kid Mama
educators

Most teachers don’t feel equipped to meet outliers’ needs

Jun 6, 2019
Are the sacrifices worth it?
clinicians, educators, parents

Is this worth it? Remembering my why.

May 11, 2019
Building "social knowledge” can be far more complex that most people realize.
clinicians, educators, parents

How to help kids build “social smarts”

May 10, 2019
clinicians, educators, parents

The struggles (& strengths) of twice-exceptional kids

Apr 22, 2019
parents

Camps that are a great fit + win a drone

Apr 18, 2019
parents

BrickUniverse delivers

Apr 17, 2019
educators, parents

Improving class lists

Apr 13, 2019
parents

The best youth coach email ever written

Mar 6, 2019
educators, parents

My interview with children’s author Peter H. Reynolds

Feb 13, 2019
clinicians, educators, parents

How to help gifted kids who struggle socially

Jan 21, 2019
clinicians, educators, parents

Some bullies have nice parents

Jan 19, 2019
clinicians, educators, parents

Possible clues I missed

Jan 17, 2019
educators, parents

Why my child was the class clown, even though kids didn’t “get” his humor

Jan 17, 2019
clinicians, educators, parents

“Peer” can have various meanings, especially for kite kids

Jan 17, 2019
clinicians, educators, parents

Out of nowhere, and yet, everywhere

Jan 17, 2019

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Meet Patti

Meet Patti

Thanks for stopping by. I created this site after learning why my son had been bullied & excluded since age five. It took three years to find out – mostly because of long-standing myths. That's far too long, so now I'm on a mission to help others. I explain what "the G word" is &, just as important, what it isn't. With the help of many experts, you'll also see tips for navigating this type of neurodiversity. Join me as I share what I'm learning.


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This site contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase via any of them, I’ll receive a small referral fee. (Usually less than half the cost of a tall latte.) I use this income to help offset the expenses to operate the Kite Kid Mama blog & its corresponding social media accounts. Also, there is never a mark up to you. Pinky swear! Learn more

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Instagram post 2246698787563416280_10025046666 A real conversation this morning during breakfast... 🥞 . “Mom, what if we all looked the same & had the same name, so everyone had to go around holding up their butt prints so people could tell who was who?” 🤔 (Yep, you guessed it. Like a fingerprint, but with our rear ends.) 😳 . In true "kite kid" fashion, my 2e nine-year-old went on to explain that one option people could use to make their prints is “the graphite technique.” You know, how kids draw on their fingers with pencil lead & then make a fingerprint on paper? 📝 Like that, except with our back sides. 😬 . Heaven help me… 🙄 🙏 😅
Instagram post 2245827185061776672_10025046666 Some kids are rule followers. Then there are those who 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 “𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗼” if someone breaks a real (or perceived) rule. 👨‍⚖️ Last spring, I remember another mom telling me her middle school-age son had recently been convinced that a classmate purposely let a door close on him, rather than being nice & holding it. 🚪 Apparently, her son talked about the incident for 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 (not only to her at home, but also with his teachers). 😳 . When my son was in preschool, he became super offended one day when he noticed that a man in our neighborhood didn’t return my wave as we drove past him. 👋 𝗠𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗲! 😂 Nothing I said could convince him otherwise. 🤦‍♀️ . As 𝘈 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘎𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 states, some 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 kids may “focus on moral concerns & issues of fairness.” This can be over anything from polite gestures to global warming. 🤝🌎 When others aren’t as passionate as the child about that particular "rule," it also can bleed over into 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗘. “Their needs can be extreme, & also puzzling to adults…They sometimes become very sad, cynical or angry when they discover that their idealism & sensitivity are not shared by others.” 😬 . To learn more about these & other types of intensities (which can be indicators of "the G word"), visit my Instagram bio. 🖱 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 "𝗸𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀"? 😊 ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share this post as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep this effort going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
Instagram post 2244384981558512199_10025046666 I love this quote by @monadelahooke 🤗 𝗜𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀. 🙌 How can a child (or anyone) learn what calm feels like, and then start working toward self-regulation, if they don't feel safe? And yes, a sense of social-emotional safety is as important as physical safety. 💕 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴? 😊 ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share this post as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep this effort going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
Instagram post 2240924116138241705_10025046666 Changes come in all shapes & sizes. Have I mentioned I 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 coffee? 🤣 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁? ☕ ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share this post as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep this effort going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
Instagram post 2239533335976346998_10025046666 Have you read this book yet? 📚 I finally did & it's even better than I anticipated. 💕 So many opportunities for discussion & to learn more about others. 🙌 . (To read my article about it, see the link in my bio or go to my blog’s home page.)🖱 . Teachers, SLPs & school counselors, what TpT resources are out there that would be good to pair with this book? 🤔 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁? ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share this post as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep this effort going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
Instagram post 2238029301889264574_10025046666 Great reminder 💕 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁? ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share this post as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep this effort going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
Instagram post 2236593281780078088_10025046666 I don't know how the weather is today where you are, but it's gloomy here, so I thought I'd share some humor. This little gem above is one of 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 examples of things that my sweet, but super literal, son has said over the years. In this instance, he was four years old. We were staying with my parents while our new house was being built. The neighbor in the condo next door was being pretty animated & my son was trying to figure out what was going on. 😂 He is always, always analyzing something. 🔍 . . Also, the next blog articles I'm working on relate to: ➡ why some kite kids are misdiagnosed with ADHD (a deeper dive than my IG posts on this topic) ➡ why some kite kids become aggressive & how to handle it . . Please keep in mind, I have a consulting business &, thankfully, quite a few assignments just rolled in (gotta pay the bills); however, I'll crank these stories out as quickly as I can. 😊 If you have other requests, let me know. Have a great Tuesday! 😘 . . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴? 🙌 ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share this post as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep this effort going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
Instagram post 2235770162076990338_10025046666 So true! 😊 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁? ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share this post as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep this effort going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
Instagram post 2235164619327253010_10025046666 Ever had a student who was smart, but also struggled a lot? 🙋 Some children (I call them kite kids) hit developmental milestones 𝘸𝘢𝘺 outside the norm. They reach some capabilities much earlier than their classmates; others happen much later. 🤷‍♀️ . Kite kids also have one or more intensities/overexcitabilities (OEs). In addition, the more out-of-sync their development is, the more likely they are to struggle with executive functions (ex: impulse control, organization, task initiation, working memory, etc.) ⏰📆🤡📓 💡 . As you can imagine, these kids tend to feel incredibly misunderstood – not only in school, but everywhere. 😥 If they’re lucky, their parents understand them, but that isn’t always the case, either. 🤔 (My son’s teachers & I had no idea what was going on with him. In fact, it was so frustrating to me that I developed depression because of it.) 😣 . To learn more about these kiddos & how to help them, look for the bus riders image (above) in my Instagram bio. 🖱 It’s a link to one of the pages in the Educators section of my blog. 💻 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁? 😊 ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share this post as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep this effort going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
Instagram post 2235146429410872889_10025046666 Shortly after learning my son is neurodiverse, I decided to 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 about differently-wired kids like him. (Because there are 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 myths, it took 𝘸𝘢𝘺 too long to figure out what was going on.) . I dove in head-first to determine 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁, & I discovered Amy Porterfield's podcast. I’m so thankful I did! 🎉 In every episode, her 𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 & 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀 give me the info & the supportive nudges I need to keep going. She's a fabulous virtual mentor & cheerleader. 😍 . Amy, as much coaching as you’ve already given me for free, I feel guilty for even throwing my hat in the ring for a 𝗼𝗻𝗲-𝗼𝗻-𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱 with you. However, I 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 this 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗶𝗻-𝗮-𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 would enable me to do even more for the 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 I want to help. (And 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 & 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗿𝘀, who are pulled in so many directions.) 🤯 . Friends & followers, if you have big dreams (or know someone who does), I 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 recommend Amy’s podcast. Not only does she provide 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀, she walks you through 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆. And gives you ideas that weren’t even on your radar. 😊 Listen to an episode & you’ll see what I mean. 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱! ✨ . @amyporterfield
Instagram post 2234361726806328077_10025046666 Executive functions are skills we all need to be successful in life. 📚📆💬 Kids with ADD have a lot of difficulty with them; however, other children struggle with them, too. Some kiddos are battling anxiety disorders and/or clinical depression, some are intellectually “gifted,” & others are twice-exceptional or multi-exceptional. 🧠 . Michelle Garcia Winner, SLP & founder of Social Thinking, has a free webinar next week that focuses on this topic. 🙌 Even if you can't attend live, you can receive a link to the recording if you register for the event. 💻 . For details, click on the messy desk image in my Instagram bio. (under the light blue buttons) 🖱 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁? 😊 ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share it as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep my blog & IG posts going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
Instagram post 2233905029814101524_10025046666 Another gem from the Why Not Now? podcast episode I mentioned yesterday. 😍 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁? ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share it as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama ➡ Make a small contribution to help keep this effort going: www.kitekidmama.com/donate
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