2E or Twice Exceptional Kids

I love Twice Exceptional, or 2E, kids. They are My People. If you are reading this on purpose, chances are high that you love a 2E kid, too.

2E kids are kids that have both an exceptional ability and an exceptional disability; they are both Gifted (high IQ) while also having a learning, developmental, or emotional disability. 2E kids are almost never boring; their lives are typically rollercoasters with peaks of educational/academic superstardom, followed by lows of crippling dysfunction. Other adults love their smart and funny parts, but loathe their poorly organized, inflexible or emotionally explosive parts. Parents of 2E kids are the Rodeo Cowboys of parenting; holding on for eight seconds at a time until whatever situation they are riding calms down again.

No two 2E kids are the same. Each one has been very specifically shaped by their natural ability/disability, in their very specific environment with, often, at least one 2E parent. When it comes to 2E kids and their families, there is no script, no rulebook and no general therapy guidelines. Everything, and anything, is possible. Difficulty could be attributed to the high IQ, or the ADHD, or the Autism, or the Dyslexia, or the Anxiety, or the home environment, or the school environment or... or... or... Very smart parents of 2E kids spend a lot of their brainpower (which is usually very mighty) trying to untangle the factors that contribute to their child's difficulty. The lucky ones have some success, for a while.

This is why I love 2E kids: I can actually help them!

I am, typically, the therapist:

• Who succeeds after several failed attempts at therapy with other providers

• That "gets" your 2E kid, even though they use big words and abstract concepts

• That can pass all of the "tests" they blockade me with, to successfully earn their trust

• That doesn't flinch when they start to emotionally spiral or use scary language

• That they want to come see

• Who can explain to you, very clearly and succinctly, what is happening and what our next step needs to be

• Who can identify what parts of your child we need to accept and celebrate, and which parts need to change, for their own well-being

I am very grateful to be able to say that most families that come to my office have at least one 2E family member and many of them have a few 2E'ers. I think we have an unreasonable amount of success with their kids because we collaboratively work, as a team, to move the child into optimal functioning. And, when the work is done, they happily skip out the door and continue building on the new life they have created.

If you have a 2E kid... or if you are a 2E family... please don't quit looking for Your Person. It is hard to find the right therapist, but there are a few of us out here, waiting to be the Person that your family needs. Keep looking and, if you're in my neighborhood, give me a call!