Life with a twice-exceptional child - gifted with a learning disability/difference - can be enormously rewarding and at the same time extremely frustrating when attempting to advocate for an education that meets all their needs. Perhaps the biggest challenge is circumventing the prevalent mind-set of many school administrators and educators these days...
Home » Archives for April 2015
Why I'm Not Toughening Up My Children
A common theme I've noticed in the parenting community in my 5 years of running a popular and is that many parents are very concerned about “preparing children for the real world.” I get that. We are living in a harsh and oftentimes cruel world that does not revolve around my child or yours. So, it seems to some that the best...
Raising Happy Siblings - A Q&A with Dr. Laura Markham
It is my privilege and honor to welcome Dr. Laura Markham to positive-parents.org today. Dr. Markham's page, , was the resource that turned my life around several years ago. She has been a continual source of inspiration and wisdom to me on my own parenting journey. Her book, , stays by my bed for reference, and her new book, , is sure to join...
Why differentiated instruction fails gifted children
Why is differentiated instruction so controversial?In a recent commentary, Jim Delisle highlighted the , how it fails to serve diverse populations of students, how it places impossible demands upon teachers within heterogeneous classrooms, and how gifted students' needs are treated as a lower priority.Differentiated instruction sounds great in theory;...
Replace the Time Out Chair for a Calm Down Area
Time-out is a popular technique for dealing with undesirable toddler behavior, but is it really best for the child? In , doctors Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D., and Daniel Siegel, M.D. tell us that the latest research suggests sitting alone in that chair is doing more harm than good.When I learned that time-outs didn't work for my highly sensitive boy almost...
5 Strategies For Being a Patient Parent
1. Lessen your screen time. I don't know about you, but too much screen time makes my brain feel zapped, and I get very irritable. I've taken off all unnecessary apps, and I'm reaching for my phone less and less these days. Computer time is limited as well. I've found a lot regarding kids and screen time, but I haven't seen much in regard to how it...
Seeking Professional Help for Your Gifted Child
There may come a time when you find it necessary to seek professional help for your child. The reasons are varied but can include seeking help for social-emotional issues, for mental health reasons or a professional determination of giftedness for educational purposes. I will discuss this last point in a separate post. When to Seek Professional HelpKnowing...