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Kite Kid Mama

Kite Kid Mama

Rising above the obstacles of giftedness

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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You’d probably think by watching the previous vi You’d probably think by watching the previous video I posted that my 3rd grader is a confident child; however, she often has anxious thoughts. 😣 In addition, she has been dealing with increasing self-doubt – especially at school, even though her teachers are nurturing. 😓 ⁣ . ⁣ If you’ve seen my posts the past 2-3 months, you know she often 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 and that she’s 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 and 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱. 💭📄🎒 ⁣ . ⁣ A former teacher said her stress level and 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗺 may be because teachers often have to redirect her. Plus, she’s getting to the point where peers are fairly self-sufficient when it⁣ comes to managing their time and their work. 😬 ⁣ . ⁣ This week, she’ll undergo 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 with a child psychologist who understands twice-exceptional (2e) kiddos. I’m relieved that the moment is finally here, but I’m also feeling nervous. 😨 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘁𝘀 of ADHD, anxiety, giftedness and perfectionism 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗽, so it’s important to know for sure what’s really going on – especially if a prescription may be involved. 💊 ⁣ . ⁣ Praying for definitive answers soon and that we can get her on a path to feeling more confident in her abilities. 🙏
This child is so “extra.” And ornery, too. 😏 #ihateslurping
Much easier said than done for some kids and adult Much easier said than done for some kids and adults; however, it's 𝘴𝘰 important to work toward. 💪
Lately, I’ve been starting off the morning with Lately, I’ve been starting off the morning with nature sounds to help wake my kids. 🦜 Then, I go into their rooms, give them a few kisses on the cheek, & try to get them moving. 😚 Occasionally, however, after a couple more attempts, the process evolves to more drastic measures. 😏
Today's inauguration showed children with speech d Today's inauguration showed children with speech disorders, and other disabilities and unique challenges, that their struggles don't have to define them. 🙅 I knew President @joebiden struggled with stuttering, but now I read that 22-year-old @amandascgorman, who gave today's inaugural poem, also had a speech impediment when she was young. 💬⁣ . ⁣ As @thejonathanmooney says, "Find your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses." It's 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 what we can accomplish when we lean into that. 💪
Instagram post 17858478989421358 Instagram post 17858478989421358
While earning his bachelor's degree, Martin Luther While earning his bachelor's degree, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote an essay about 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & the importance of critical-thinking skills. You've probably seen the quote "Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education," which was part of the same paper. ⁣ .⁣ I think this excerpt is equally wonderful: ⁣ . ⁣ "𝘛𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢, 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘌𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.⁣ . ⁣ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘴." ⁣ .
It's true. MLK Jr. was “a kite kid,” a term I It's true. MLK Jr. was “a kite kid,” a term I prefer to “gifted” children. 🪁 ⁣ . ⁣ Here are several intellectual and social-emotional indicators. ⬇ ⁣ .⁣ 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲: ⁣ ~ Was memorizing hymns and Bible verses by the time he was 5 years old. 🎵 ⁣ ~ Read dictionaries as a kid. 📚 ⁣ ~ Skipped two grade levels (9th and 12th) and began his freshman year at Morehouse College at age 15. 😳 ⁣ ~ At the integrated school in Pennsylvania, where he earned his 2nd bachelor’s degree, he not only graduated at the top of his class, he was elected president of the largely white senior class. 🎓 ⁣ . ⁣ 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹-𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆: ⁣ ~ Tried to commit suicide twice as a child when he was distraught about his grandmother’s well-being. 😥 ⁣ ~ Had an immensely strong sense of justice. 👨‍⚖️ ⁣ ~ Exhibited strong emotional expression. 🗣 ⁣ . ⁣ Can you think of other examples of 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀/𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 (𝗢𝗘𝘀) that he had? 🤔 If so, I’d love to hear them. 🤗 ⁣ . ⁣ The 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗘 seems like a strong possibility, too. It isn't hard to envision him getting totally lost in his ideas or losing all sense of time. Especially with as many thoughts as he had running through his mind! 💡
This weekend, I’m soaking in 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗱𝗼𝗺 from Seth Perler as I attempt to help my daughter get better at 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 that her teacher says 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 before 4th grade next year. 😣 (Some of these pain points include: organization, sustained focus, time management and asking for help.) 🎒📚📝⏱ ⁣ . ⁣ Coaching her on EFs isn’t easy for me because 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝘁𝗼𝗼; especially since I began battling depression a few years ago. (Anxiety and depression often hinder our executive functions.) 😬 ⁣ . ⁣ If you want to learn how to help kids develop these “𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲” 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀, Seth is a true expert. 🙌 You can find his work: at SethPerler.com, on his YouTube channel, and through interviews he’s done for various podcasts (e.g., episode 61 of #cultofpedagogy; episode 71 of @theneurodiversitypodcast; episode 108 of #parentingadhdpodcast with @pennywilliams; episodes 85, 123 and 124 of @tiltparenting). 🎧 ⁣ . ⁣ In addition, Seth is a featured expert in the @letstalk2e 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 that I mentioned a few days ago. It’s an awesome lineup with 25 experts on how teachers, counselors & other school staff can support twice-exceptional (2e) students.👩‍🏫 The conference’s on-demand interviews release Jan. 25; early-bird pricing ends Jan. 18. 🏃‍♀️
Each person has their own way of processing input, Each person has their own way of processing input, but with synesthesia, the senses interpreting that input overlap. For example, some synesthetes see sounds; others hear colors. Apparently, some even associate flavors with different shapes or words! 😳 . I first heard about this phenomenon in an online group for parents of neurodivergent kids. It kind of blew my mind. 🤯 . I had never heard either of my kids talk about it; however, my daughter is creative in many different ways, so I figured I'd ask her. 🤷🏼‍♀️ To my surprise, she said that, yes, in her experience, some numbers & letters do have specific colors. 🌈 . This is how she described them. 👆 I took the video above in December & asked her about the same letter & numbers again today (about 2.5 weeks later). Out of the 10 numbers & letters that she mentioned last month, only one answer changed. (In the video, she said E is orange; this time she said E looks yellow.) 😏 . From what I understand, there are tests for synesthesia so I can't definitively declare that she has it. Either way, though, I think it's pretty darn fascinating! ☺️ . Have you ever known anyone with this condition? 🤔
Meeting the needs of a twice-exceptional (2e) stud Meeting the needs of a twice-exceptional (2e) student means adjusting your approach. 🤔 It requires gaining a deep understanding of the student’s specific strengths & struggles. 🔎 It also means trust & partnership with both the student & his/her parents. 🤝 . Through the 2e virtual conference for educators, you’ll learn how to reach & teach your 2e learners. 💡 The online event features 25 experts & thought leaders to help you connect with – and bring out the best in – these complex, but super cool, kiddos. 🤗 . Crazy busy? 😣 Of course you are – this school year more than any other! Event organizer Julie Skolnick M.A., J.D. knows that. 👍 That's why, once you register for the conference, you can watch – and rewatch – the on-demand sessions 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁. 🙌 All of them will be available starting Jan. 25; you can go through them as you have time & in whatever order you’d like. You also may be able to earn CEUs. ✅✅ . Early bird pricing ends Jan. 18. ⏱️ . For more details, see the conference link in my bio. 🖱️
My 8-year-old, who seems to have a lot of sensory My 8-year-old, who seems to have a lot of sensory issues, says this is “very satisfying.” 😌 She & my son also recently said that about inserting push pins into a cork board & sharpening pencils in an old-fashioned pencil sharpener that came with our “new” house. 📌✏️
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