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Kite Kid Mama

Kite Kid Mama

Rising above the obstacles of giftedness

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 โ€“ 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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Anyone need this reminder? I know I do some days! Anyone need this reminder? I know I do some days! ๐Ÿ˜ฌ #raisingkitekids #teachingkitekids #twiceexceptional #2ekids #schoolcounselor #schoolpsychologist #schoolsocialworker #schoolslp #childpsychology #childtherapy #playtherapy #pediatricians #pediatricnursepractitioner #socialemotionallearning #kindergartenteacher #firstgradeteacher #secondgradeteacher #thirdgradeteacher #fourthgradeteacher #fifthgradeteacher #iteachgifted #perfectionist #iteachmiddleschool #iteachhighschool #childmentalhealth #distanceteaching #teachfromhome #remotelearning2020 #distancelearningtpt #distancecounseling
Lately, Iโ€™ve been soaking in wisdom and insights Lately, Iโ€™ve been soaking in wisdom and insights from @melrobbins. I listened to ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜๐˜ช๐˜ท๐˜ฆ-๐˜š๐˜ฆ๐˜ค๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ ๐˜™๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ earlier this summer. ๐Ÿš€ And last week, I finished ๐˜›๐˜ข๐˜ฌ๐˜ฆ ๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜“๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ฆ, an @audible original that includes a mixture of her one-on-one life-coaching sessions. ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ’ผ . It was really interesting, and showed over and over again, how long childhood ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ (and unhealthy coping mechanisms) ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜‚๐˜€. ๐Ÿ˜ณ The number of ways that this can play out in adults is incredible. ๐Ÿคฏ It also reinforced for me how ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜บ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ณ-๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ด๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐˜€๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—น๐—น๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜†๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ. Every.single.person. ๐Ÿ’ฏ . In the coming weeks, Iโ€™ll talk more about my take-aways from that audiobook. For now, remember that we are each important. ๐Ÿ˜˜ . ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€. ๐Ÿค— And itโ€™s essential to ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐˜€ that ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜บ ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ and weโ€™re here for them. ๐Ÿ’• . #raisingkitekids #teachingkitekids #twiceexceptional #2ekids #schoolcounselor #schoolpsychologist #schoolsocialworker #schoolslp #childpsychology #childtherapy #playtherapy #pediatricians #pediatricnursepractitioner #socialemotionallearning #kindergartenteacher #firstgradeteacher #secondgradeteacher #thirdgradeteacher #fourthgradeteacher #fifthgradeteacher #iteachgifted #perfectionist #iteachmiddleschool #iteachhighschool #childmentalhealth #distanceteaching #teachfromhome #remotelearning2020 #distancelearningtpt #distancecounseling
Yep, MLK Jr. was โ€œa kite kidโ€ as I like to cal Yep, MLK Jr. was โ€œa kite kidโ€ as I like to call โ€œgiftedโ€ children. ๐Ÿช Check out these intellectual and social-emotional indicators. โฌ‡ ๐—›๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ฒ: ~ Was memorizing hymns and Bible verses by the time he was 5 years old. ๐ŸŽต ~ Read dictionaries as a kid. ๐Ÿ“š ~ Skipped two grade levels (9th and 12th) and began his freshman year at Morehouse College at age 15. ๐Ÿ˜ณ ~ At the integrated school in Pennsylvania, where he earned his 2nd bachelorโ€™s degree, he not only graduated at the top of his class, he was elected president of the largely white senior class. ๐ŸŽ“ . ๐—ฆ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น-๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†: ~ Tried to commit suicide twice as a child when he was distraught about his grandmotherโ€™s well-being. ๐Ÿ˜ฅ ~ Had an immensely strong sense of justice. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€โš–๏ธ ~ Exhibited strong emotional expression. ๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ . ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ธ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐—ฎ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€/๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ (๐—ข๐—˜๐˜€) ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฑ? ๐Ÿค” If so, Iโ€™d love to hear them. ๐Ÿค— . I suspect the imaginational OE is a strong possibility. It doesnโ€™t seem like a stretch that he might have gotten totally lost in his ideas or lost a sense of time. Especially with as many thoughts as he clearly had running through his mind! ๐Ÿ’ก
Many people, including educators and counselors, b Many people, including educators and counselors, buy into ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜€๐˜‚๐—บ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ "๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ณ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฑ" ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐˜€. A big part of the reason is that they receive no formal training on the topic, even though they'll almost certainly have these students in their classrooms. ๐Ÿคจ๐Ÿคท That's a big part of why it took ๐˜บ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ด to realize my oldest child is the G word. (I truly had no idea.) Yes, we knew he was smart, but his struggles were so prominent that they overshadowed his strengths, even though he was getting very high scores on standardized tests. ๐Ÿ˜ณ This is common with twice-exceptional (2e) learners, meaning that they're both "gifted" and outside the norm in another way, too. (The 2nd exception can be any number of issues: an anxiety disorder, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, the list goes on and on.) ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โš•๏ธ To help bridge the knowledge gap about what "giftedness" is (and isn't), here are ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—น๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐™–๐™ก๐™ก ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€ and ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—น ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—น๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ธ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„. ๐Ÿ’ก Is there something I forgot to include? If so, tell me what I missed. ๐Ÿ˜‰ #differentlywired #wholechild #beyondbehavior #selfreg #socialemotionallearning #emotionalintensity #twiceexceptional #2ekids #childanxiety #childmentalhealth #1stgradeteacher #2ndgradeteacher #3rdgradeteacher #iteachupperelementary #iteach456 #iteachmiddle #inquirybasedlearning #projectbasedlearning #geniushour #differentiatedinstruction #iteachmiddleschool #iteachhighschool #harrypotterteacher #starwarsteacher #schoolpsychologist #schoolslp #middleschoolcounselor #schoolcounselor #iteachgifted #giftededucationfoundation
Who says reading by flashlight is just for nightti Who says reading by flashlight is just for nighttime? ๐ŸŒง๏ธ๐Ÿ”ฆ๐Ÿ˜‰ #booknerdigans #bookish #booklover #bookaholic #raisingkitekids #teachingkitekids #emotionalintensity #differentlywired #raisingpoppies #1stgradeteacher #2ndgradeteacher #3rdgradeteacher #4thgradeteacher #5thgradeteacher #iteachreading #iteachlanguagearts #schoollibrarian #iteachmiddleschool #iteachhighschool #schoolpsychologist #schoolslp #middleschoolcounselor #schoolcounselor #counSELing#iteachgt #lmft #pediatrician #pediatricnursepractitioner #rainydayactivities #booklove
Many adults feel like they're living in a pressure Many adults feel like they're living in a pressure cooker right now & are finding it difficult to control their emotions. ๐Ÿ˜  Sometimes stressors aren't as obvious as you may think, though. This is true of adults ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ฅ of children. ๐Ÿค” Please remember this when you see a child "misbehaving." There may be an inner struggle going on that you don't even know exists. ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿซ๐Ÿ‘จโ€โš•๏ธ๐Ÿ”
Life has been stressful the past several days. ๐Ÿ˜ฉ She lost her big toenail in an accident, which was traumatic in & of itself. Even one of the Emergency Dept nurses looked like she needed a drink after they "completed" the avulsion sans Novocain. ๐Ÿ˜ณ (It was barely hanging on, so the MD said numbing it would probably hurt more.) ๐Ÿ˜จ The dressing changes at home have been equally painful & anxiety-producing. ๐Ÿ˜ฃ (Until last night, that is. Thankfully, that one was ๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ less painful; however, it took ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ & ๐—ฎ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ณ because she was so on edge & we wanted her to finally feel like she had a little control over the situation.) ๐Ÿ˜ฌ ~ Needless to say, distractions & finding less-active ways to pass the time have been important. After Mondayโ€™s stress-filled bandage change, this โ€œDot 2.0โ€ online class, that Iโ€™d already signed her up for, was a Godsend! It was a wonderful combination of some of her favorite things: candy, talking about one of her favorite authorโ€™s books, an opportunity to be creative, & a chance to interact with a teacher & other kids. ๐Ÿ™Œ ~ โ€œI love Dots and I love ๐˜›๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜‹๐˜ฐ๐˜ต by Peter Reynolds. Whatโ€™s not to love?โ€ she said when I first told her about the class. ๐Ÿ˜‚ ~ Needless to say, Iโ€™ll be adding this course to the article I wrote about distance learning. (link in bio) ๐Ÿ–ฑ๏ธ ~ We needed it in our lives even more than we realized! ("I need it in my life" is one of her favorite sayings these days. Yep, 8 going on 18.) ๐Ÿ˜œ
Truth! Truth!
The next Mars rover is scheduled to launch Thursda The next Mars rover is scheduled to launch Thursday, July 30, at 7:50 a.m. Eastern Time. Named Perseverance, it will search for evidence of ancient microbial life on Mars. ๐Ÿ” ย In addition, the robotic scientist will carry the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter โ€“ the first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet! ๐Ÿคฉ ย  For more info on this mission, & the virtual activities & events scheduled before its launch, visit @nasa ๐Ÿš€ ย  Thereโ€™s also an article in my bio that highlights Red Planet & space travel-related games & deฬcor, as well as fun online courses & virtual field trips for kids. ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿš€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿš€
Like many parents of twice-exceptional (2e) kids, Like many parents of twice-exceptional (2e) kids, as Summer Break nears its end, we start to think (& worry) about the new school year. We've learned the hard way that, although "back to school" can ๐˜ด๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ like a clean slate, the same dynamics often repeat themselves. ๐Ÿ˜ฃ ~ Although I'm doing my best to prevent that, I know that this Fall, he'll once again unintentionally say & do things that seem awkward, annoying or rude. Learning the nuances of conversation, & the instances in which he can use various sayings, are taking him a lot longer to master than his peers. ๐Ÿ’ฌ Improving his impulse control is too. (He's one of the youngest in his grade, which exacerbates this.) ๐Ÿ’ฅ ~ So now, in an effort to reduce his social anxiety, I'm teaching him that there's something he always has in his back pocket: an apology. If he realizes by the look on someone's face, or how they begin acting, that he missed the mark, he can practice remaining calm & say, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that," or "I'm not sure what I did wrong, but I can see that I made you mad. I didn't mean to." ๐Ÿ˜” This simple act can mend, or at least diffuse, quite a few situations. ๐Ÿ‘ ~ Iโ€™ve also told my son that a lot of adults don't apologize; they take the easy way out & try to "make it up" to someone (rather than admit their mistake). Thatโ€™s a great way to lose someoneโ€™s respect. A sincere apology is always better. ๐Ÿค— ~ Am I saying that all of the responsibility falls on my 2e child? Not at all. His peers also need to learn how to be calm & respectful in their responses & reactions. Self-regulation & "social smarts" go both ways. Compassion & understanding do too. ๐Ÿ˜Š
My oldest child โ€“ & the inspiration for my blog My oldest child โ€“ & the inspiration for my blog โ€“ turned double digits this past weekend. ๐Ÿฅณ As much as heโ€™s been through, I couldnโ€™t let the day pass without some serious fun, even during a pandemic. So, we threw him a good old-fashioned food fight, complete with plastic gloves & face shields! โ˜บ๏ธ It was crazy hot (even at 10 a.m.) &, of course, messy. However, there also were tons of smiles, laughter & some pretty epic shots. ๐Ÿ˜‰
You know those days when you start your car, see t You know those days when you start your car, see the gas light on & begin calculating whether or not you can make it to your destination? That happened to me a couple mornings ago. We had a few minutes of buffer time; however, we were driving somewhere weโ€™d never been before & we would need to drive a mile in the opposite direction to get to a gas station. We did so anyway, but then I saw all the pumps had plastic bags over them! ๐Ÿšซ My little engineer suggested driving even farther in the wrong direction to the next gas station. โ€œWe donโ€™t have time,โ€ I said. โ€œWeโ€™ll be cutting it close, but we can make it.โ€ ๐Ÿ˜… I then talked about how we probably had just enough & that you burn less fuel driving highway miles than city miles. As I watched his anxiety level rise, he remarked several more times that he wasnโ€™t sure about this decision. ๐Ÿค” About 1 mile before our destination, I passed another gas station (even though my son pointed out that we had time to stop). โ€œWeโ€™ll go there on the way back home,โ€ I said. ๐Ÿ’ About an hour later, as we headed back, we were one-third of a mile from the gas station when we ran out of fuel. ๐Ÿ˜ณ โ€œYou should have listened to me,โ€ he smirked. โ€œI guess youโ€™re right,โ€ I said. ๐Ÿ˜† All wasnโ€™t lost, though. I used it as an opportunity to show both of my kids that there was no need to panic. This was an inconvenience; not an emergency. ๐Ÿค— Should I have stopped at that last gas station? โ›ฝ๏ธ Yes, but we were never in danger. In addition, it provided an opportunity to practice remaining calm, laughing off a mistake & using our critical thinking skills. And having those abilities are just as valuable as math & science. ๐Ÿ’ช
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