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Kite Kid Mama

Kite Kid Mama

Rising above the obstacles of giftedness

STEM gift ideas
parents

Gift ideas for STEM-loving kids

Oct 25, 2019
How to create a Star Wars room theme
parents

How to create a super cool Star Wars-themed room

Oct 22, 2019
school counseling friendship groups
clinicians, educators, parents

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

Oct 16, 2019
Minecraft room ideas
parents

Fun room decor for Minecraft lovers

Oct 8, 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

33 awesome bid-on-me jar themes

Sep 15, 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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Instagram post 2228588773309197138_10025046666 Have you heard the term executive functions? There are many of them, but in a nutshell, they’re skills we all need to be successful in life. 💪 . 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲-𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 & 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: organization ~ planning ~ prioritization ~ goal-directed persistence. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: ~ impulse control ~ emotional control ~ flexibility ~ metacognition. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘀: ~ task initiation ~ sustained attention ~ working memory. 🧠 . As you might suspect, 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗗𝗗 have difficulty with these skills; however, 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 (those battling anxiety disorders or clinical depression, who are intellectually “gifted” or twice-exceptional, etc.). 🔍 . In addition to positioning kids for academic success, these executive-function skills are important for “the social world.” That’s why I’m excited to hear that social competencies guru Michelle Garcia Winner is offering a 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 Executive Function webinar 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗙𝗲𝗯. 𝟱. There will be a Q&A at the end, but if you can’t attend the live event, don’t worry. Everyone who registers will receive a link to the recording. 🙌 . Simply understanding this topic will go a long way in helping kids who struggle with these types of skills. Let’s do everything we can to 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, instead of lazy, not living up to their “potential,” or like hopeless failures. 😥 For more details, visit @socialthinking . . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁? ~ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ~ Share it as part of your Instagram story
Instagram post 2227847020646176747_10025046666 Sometimes it's pretty easy to discern what is making a child anxious; other times, it isn't. 😣 . There are 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 & many types of stressors. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗯𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 (like executive-function deficits & sensory-specific sensitivities). 🤔 . As Dr. Stuart Shanker explains in 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘙𝘦𝘨, though, when a child is particularly stressed out, there 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗲-𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. The situation has built to its current state due to a combination of factors. 🌋 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴? ➡ Tag a friend in the comments (or send it to her/him) ➡ Share the post as part of your Instagram story ➡ Follow me @kitekidmama
Instagram post 2227090816659565707_10025046666 When you begin learning about twice-exceptional children, one of the messages 2e experts repeatedly talk about is 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 & 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, even though they have amazing talents. 🤔 . While we should support 2e kids in the areas where they struggle, the resounding advice is to also 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀 & 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀. 💪 . For some 2e kids, their challenges are so obvious that no one notices their unusually high degree of talent. 😥 For other 2e children, their talent(s) make it difficult to notice the area(s) in which they have a medical disorder or significant skill deficit. 😳 . Regardless of which is the case, giving 2e kids 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 (& 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲) 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 “fills their buckets” in 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 ways: 1. It provides an opportunity to be really good at something. 🤩 2. It often feeds one or more of their overexcitabilities (a.k.a. intensities), 😜 & 3. In some cases, focusing on their strengths can actually diminish the degree to which they struggle. 🤯 (I would argue that this is particularly true when the second exceptionality is an anxiety disorder and/or clinical depression.) 🤕 . 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
Instagram post 2226461466536862503_10025046666 So true. I learn something new 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺. And my understanding of people (even me, sometimes 😅) is greater because of it. 📚📻💬💪 . 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
Instagram post 2225607312331254196_10025046666 Some kids instinctively think in terms of measurement & calculations. It seems to come as naturally to them as breathing. ➕➖✖➗ . My 4th grader is one of them. Last night, at a playoff game party, he began talking about: the sound level in the football stadium (which flashed on the screen); how that compared to fireworks & rockets; and the point at which ear damage begins to occur. 🔊 . A couple years ago, when he finally lost a tooth that had been loose for a while, he told me he’d pushed it out & that it only took 2 pounds of pressure. “Maybe less,” he added after thinking about it some more. 👆 . Those moments always make me laugh because it is so 𝘯𝘰𝘵 how my brain works; however, it’s totally the way his does. (It makes my head spin sometimes.) 😂 . This morning, his constant calculations also have me thinking about how we, as adults, measure the world around us. And ourselves. 🤗 The more that I learn about: the G word, neurodiversity in general, mental health, executive functions, social competencies & other areas, the more that I realize how different people can be. And that’s okay. We don’t have to all fit into a neat little box. 📦 . We also should be careful about comparing ourselves to others. If someone inspires you or pushes you to expand your thinking or perspective, that’s one thing. But don’t use their success as a measuring stick for yours. 📏 One podcaster I love often cautions her listeners to avoid comparing themselves to others; especially to those who are farther along in their journey. Each perspective & every journey is unique & important for its own reasons, so the best measurement is your own progress. 💪This is essential for children to know, but we need to believe it, too. 😘 . 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
Instagram post 2224843777540357120_10025046666 When a bright child struggles with "social smarts," addressing it may not be as simple as putting him in a counselor's Friendship Group or adding basic SEL curriculum. 🙅‍♀️ Especially if the child is neurodiverse 🧠 or has developed depression or anxiety disorder. 😥😣 . I'm working on a blog article that takes a deeper dive on why you need to address anxiety or depression first (if the child is battling either of them). In the meantime, however, please read the first story I wrote about building a child's social competencies. To read it, go to my Instagram bio & scroll down to the image of the boy climbing a treehouse ladder. 🌳 (The headline for the image says Building Social Smarts.) 🖱 . 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
Instagram post 2223381020009806998_10025046666 The first time I heard about my son’s “class clown” antics, I was shocked. It was during a 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁-𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 with his first-grade teacher. I wanted to know what she meant by class clown. 🤡 What was he doing? I can’t recall her exact response, except that she never provided an example. I could tell she was hesitant to do so. I asked if he was disrupting the class & if I needed to speak with him about it. “No,” she replied reluctantly, “It’s not to that point… And 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅.” A complex? What?!? 😳 . 𝗜 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁. My son was smart, outgoing & extremely kind, so this was the last thing I expected to hear at a parent-teacher conference. 😬 . I contacted my son’s kindergarten teacher, as well as both of the teachers from his 4-year-old preschool class, to see if he’d been that way in their classrooms & never mentioned it. All three of them replied “no,” & said it was surprising to them, too. 🤔 . Little did I know that it was the beginning of a long, & very painful, journey that has compelled me to begin blogging – something I never aspired to do. 🙆‍♀️ I’m working on a new article about what social anxiety can look like in extroverted kids, but for now, I’ll leave you with an article I wrote when I first began blogging. 👩‍💻 To read it, please scroll to the clown image in my Instagram bio. 🖱 . 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
Instagram post 2222227934721389992_10025046666 No one knows this better than someone whose career has revolved around educating misunderstood kiddos. 🏫 . 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
Instagram post 2221375759959087109_10025046666 I finally started to dive into this book by 𝗗𝗿. 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗿. I saw him for the first time during Seth Perler's executive function summit & was 𝘴𝘰 moved by the reason he's dedicated his life to self-regulation & misunderstood children. Dr. Shanker said that when he was a kid, 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱 (who, to this day, is one the smartest people he ever met) 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝟭𝟳. 😵 . "He was 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 talented & clever...& overstressed," Dr. Shanker said. "Really, really overstressed." 😓 . Dr. Shanker said he was 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱. "I was going to study whatever I could, so we never lose a kid that way again." 🙅‍♂️ . Swipe to see 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲. As you can see from the photo above, there are many more. (I have Post-It tabs everywhere & I haven't yet completed chapter 3.) 😂 . 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴? ~ Tag a friend in the comments (or send this post to her/him) ~ Share this post as part of your Instagram story ~ Follow me @kitekidmama
Instagram post 2219894101544155457_10025046666 I never aspired to be a blogger, but sometimes life throws challenges & opportunities your way that you can’t ignore. (Even if you try, which I did, at first.) 🙅‍♀️ . In Sept. 2018, I was processing some new info I’d received about my 3rd grader (that he’s "gifted"). I was told by the child psychologist, who evaluated him, that it explained the social challenges he'd experienced since early kindergarten. (Even though my son is an extrovert, who constantly tries to make friends.) 😥 . The more that I read about the G word, the more I realized 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗲𝘀. So why on earth had it taken so long to get answers? 𝗜'𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, especially as bullying started to become physical... 😣 . By trade, I’m a communications strategist who focuses on health care & higher education; therefore, I couldn’t help but think about all the ways to 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝘆𝘁𝗵𝘀 & 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. I also began to realize how many of my work & life experiences had prepared me to carry this torch. 🔥 . So now, here I am, blogging, IGing & pinning my heart out. Although I've learned a lot & continue to do so, I'm not an expert on this topic (except for 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀). My background has simply prepared me to convey what experts in this field already know & continue to discover. ✍ . I hope that, 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗼𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 & success, rather than one of self-doubt & lost opportunities. 💕 . 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/help-kite-kids
Instagram post 2219181231504122201_10025046666 I write about a lot of serious topics, but today's post focuses on fun. 😊 Teachers, school counselors & others, I know y'all are planners. 🗓 . If you're looking for ways to show your students some extra love this Valentine's Day, I hope you'll take a gander at my latest blog article. I've written it with you mind. 😘 To read it, click on the link in my Instagram bio. 💕 . 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
Instagram post 2217705938885046271_10025046666 The internal thoughts of twice-exceptional children contain a lot of negative self-talk. In fact, it frequently overshadows good thoughts about subjects or activities that the child knows he or she is particularly skilled in. 🤔 . And all too often, the adults guiding the kids reinforce those self-concepts, sometimes without realizing how much of an impact it's having. 😥 . For these reasons, there must be balance. 😌 . 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
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