TPP 345: Julie Skonick On Understanding & Supporting Gifted and Distractible Kids

The conversation around twice exceptionality has advanced a lot in the past few years but there still exists substantial resistance and misunderstanding about what it means to be 2e. As my guest today, Julie Skolnick, writes about in her new book Gifted and Distractible, it’s a widely held misconception that intellectual ability and social and emotional success go hand in hand. Which is why kids who are gifted and have simultaneous learning differences like ADHD, Autism, or dyslexia—are often not fully seen and supported by parents, teachers, and themselves.

In a world where these complex learners are often labeled lazy, scattered, attention-seeking, and a problem that can’t be solved, I am totally behind Julie’s mission to passionately guide parents of gifted and distractible children to bring out the best and raise self-confidence in their 2e kids. And in today’s conversation, she shares some of her best insights and ideas about how we can reimagine the world through our child’s unique perspective—so we can help them thrive.

Her book, Gifted and Distractible: Understanding, Supporting, and Advocating for Your Twice Exceptional Child, literally comes out the day this episode is released! If you’re raising a twice exceptional kid, I highly encourage you to grab a copy after listening to our conversation… Julie really did share all of her experience and insights and hard-won wisdom inside for us to benefit from.

About my guest

Julie F. Rosenbaum Skolnick, M.A., J.D., Founder of With Understanding Comes Calm, LLC, passionately guides parents of gifted and distractible children, mentors 2e adults, trains educators and advises professionals on how to bring out the best and raise self-confidence in their 2e students and clients.

A prolific writer and beloved speaker, Julie hosts “The Haystack 2e Adult Membership Group” which welcomes all ‘2e adult needles,’ hosts Let’s Talk 2e! Parent Empowerment Groups, produces virtual conferences, and publishes “Gifted & Distractible,” a free weekly newsletter. Her book, Gifted and Distractible: Understanding, Supporting, and Advocating for Your Twice Exceptional Child, was published in October 2023. Located in Maryland, USA, Julie’s clients and audience hail from all four corners of the globe.

You'll learn:

• How Julie is helping to expand the understanding of twice exceptionality
• What trends Julie is observing regarding educators’ willingness to explore and provide creative ways to support 2e kids
• Misunderstandings that Julie addresses over and over again about the twice exceptional population and why supporting 2e kids has to start with deeply understanding them
• The biggest challenges parents raising 2e kids face
• What we should be thinking about when trying to identify therapists or modalities that might support our 2e kids

Resources mentioned:

• Julie Skolnick’s website With Understanding Comes Calm
• Gifted and Distractible: Understanding, Supporting, and Advocating for Your Twice Exceptional Child by Julie Skolnick
• SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted)
• Ken Dabrowsky’s Overexcitabilities
• Fight Between ‘Gifted’ and ‘Advanced’ Programs Exposes Deeper Problems (Washington Post article)
• Dr. Megan Anna Neff, Neurodivergent Insights
• Julie on Facebook
• Julie on Instagram
• Julie on Twitter
• Julie on LinkedIn
• Julie’s YouTube channel
• GiftedandDistractible.com
• Julie Skolnick on Supporting 2e Kids in Traditional Schools (Tilt Parenting Podcast)

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