Anyone with kids who are NOT 2E?

[MittensKittens]

Just wondering, because it seems 2E is almost more common than "just" gifted. My DD seems to be gifted with dyspraxia, and I am gifted with dyscalculia myself. 

[kathymuggle]

there are 2 (often) misdiagnosis in the gifted world, that seem to affect a lot of families.

1.  ADHD.  Gifted kids are often busy and often bored.  It looks like ADHD, but it is not. 

2.  Many gifted kids have a gap in their writing ability to everything else.  There are reasons for this  (hand dexterity develops at a normal rate compared to cognitive ability, bright young brains work quickly and hands move slowly so gifted kids are often frustrated with writing which eventually impacts output, perfectionism) 

Edited by kathymuggle - 8/18/11 at 9:47am

[MomofSev]

My son is not 2E.

[reezley]

My two are not 2E.  I have wondered about my older, but I truly believe it's a case of looks-like ADHD-but-isn't. He has handled school (behavior) expectations so far without incident. He's just overflowing with energy, mental and physical.

[whatsnextmom]

Lots of "just gifteds" here. There are no officially identified 2E's in our family. I suspect my brother and BIL would have owned owned a second label had they grown-up in different times. Until 4th grade, my youngest was picked out by every teacher and staff member as dyslexic and dysgraphic but outside the writing, he has since compensated so well you wouldn't know. However, that's 3 "most likely" out of 20 non-2E gifties in the identified family I can name off the top of my head.

I have suspicions as to why you see what you see. For starters, large quantities of gifted children have gone through some sort of testing process. You test for one thing, and often multiple labels appear. You also have to remember that most people search for boards when they are having issues. 2E kids are complicated and so the need to connect with others of similar circumstances is higher. Every variance is higher online than in person. Online, majority of kids are reported as profoundly gifted but it's rare to actually meet one in person. Online, there are tons of 2E kids but in person, they aren't nearly as common. It's still not the norm in the gifted community to be 2E but it can seem so on support boards.

[serenbat]

2 that are not 2E!

[moominmamma]

Three that are just gifted and one that is gifted with dysgraphia. Still struggles to write his name at age almost 15, though he's immensely literate with a keyboard.

Miranda

[LynnS6]

One plain gifted, one 2E (but very mildly so -- but enough so that it masks his giftedness at times).

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by MittensKittens 

Just wondering, because it seems 2E is almost more common than "just" gifted. My DD seems to be gifted with dyspraxia, and I am gifted with dyscalculia myself. 

The more complicated and unusual the profile of  child in the population, the more likely the parents are reaching out for help and brain storming (or venting!)

DD is not 2E.  She's quirky, with asynchronous development, uneven skills and PG in math.  5 year old DS is undergoing testing right now for dyslexia-like issues, but it looks like he'll be coming out with "just" very high IQ with and unusual pattern of asynchronous development. 

The parents of the more stereotypically gifted kids in DD's gifted class know very little about the issues surrounding raising gifted kids, local laws regarding acceleration and differentiation, or the jargon that comes with all of this.  This is because they've never been so stymied by the educational limitations or difficulties in raising their kids.  The school system works for them.

[bec]

My middle DD seems to not be 2E, just globally gifted. 

My oldest is not designated gifted, but I believe she is 2E (3E  maybe more!).  Anyway, she has ADHD (not just a busy mind), and she definitely has some serious learning disabilities in math and sequencing (I strongly suspect discalculia, but have no formal diagnosis).  I am hoping that getting the ADHD under control will help her numerous strengths really shine through.

[RiverTam]

DS2 is not 2e, just gifted.  

[JollyGG]

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

The parents of the more stereotypically gifted kids in DD's gifted class know very little about the issues surrounding raising gifted kids, local laws regarding acceleration and differentiation, or the jargon that comes with all of this.  This is because they've never been so stymied by the educational limitations or difficulties in raising their kids.  The school system works for them.

We have found the exact same thing. My son goes to a full time gifted program with around 45 kids per class 2nd - 5th. Most of those parents have not done any of the research I have done. They haven't had to. The system, for the most part, works for them and the resources they need are available through the school. However, the parents of every single one of the 4 grade skipped kids I know have done all the research and more.

Once kids get out of the norm, even for the local gifted community, parents are often forces to seek out other resources. The two main groups being 2E and profoundly/highly gifted.

My son is not 2E. However, he is highly asynchronous. His writing is horrible, but I don't think he has a disability just some areas that are more age normal that show up in contrast to his areas of strength. He is in fourth and grade skipped (skipped 1st) in a high red shirting area. So he is two full years younger than the other kids and honestly has the writing ability similar to the 2nd graders who are his age.

[Linda on the move]

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom 

You also have to remember that most people search for boards when they are having issues. 2E kids are complicated and so the need to connect with others of similar circumstances is higher.

yep.

One of my kids is 2E, the other is *just* gifted. I hardly ever post about the *just* gifted one. I don't have any questions, and she's a piece of cake. Anything I said about her would only sound like bragging. She's a peach.

My other DD is gifted and on the autism spectrum, and is unusual. One of the reasons that I stick around mothering is that I'm the mom on the special needs board with the oldest child. I sign on to mothering to be supportive of moms of little kids who are dealing with special needs, and also I check on the personal growth forum and say nice things there.

[AllisonR]

Originally Posted by whatsnextmom 

I have suspicions as to why you see what you see. For starters, large quantities of gifted children have gone through some sort of testing process. You test for one thing, and often multiple labels appear. You also have to remember that most people search for boards when they are having issues. 2E kids are complicated and so the need to connect with others of similar circumstances is higher. Every variance is higher online than in person. Online, majority of kids are reported as profoundly gifted but it's rare to actually meet one in person. Online, there are tons of 2E kids but in person, they aren't nearly as common. It's still not the norm in the gifted community to be 2E but it can seem so on support boards.

There is probably a lot of truth in this. I have two who are only 4 and 6, probably "just" gifted, not PG, and not 2e. However, I live in a society where grade skipping is impossible and there is no GT or accelerated program AT ALL, at any age. When you live in a society where everyone is equal, then it can make some disasters when a few are outside of the field. It is socially unacceptable to be better than anyone else in any area. So I feel the NEED to read these boards.

[Cavy]

Hm... sometimes these boards talk about asynchronous development like that's a special feature of Gifted kids, and personally I think variable development is a feature of many, maybe most of us (gifted or not, so not that remarkable).  Anyway, one of my kids might be gifted and have slight ADHD (yes, they are separate things for him!), and my other 2 quite bright DC don't have any SN at all.

[Geofizz]

Originally Posted by Cavy 

Hm... sometimes these boards talk about asynchronous development like that's a special feature of Gifted kids, and personally I think variable development is a feature of many, maybe most of us (gifted or not, so not that remarkable).  Anyway, one of my kids might be gifted and have slight ADHD (yes, they are separate things for him!), and my other 2 quite bright DC don't have any SN at all.

I don't think there is a single child out there who develops exactly evenly or exactly at the time "the books" say they should. 

I think the distinction here is the magnitude of the asynchronicity.  For example, DS's tests out with a 4 standard deviation variation in skills.  No, most kids' math, language, and other skills do not develop at the same rate, but most 4th grade math books assume that the student can read at a 3-4 grade level.  Testing 4 sigma above the mean on a test puts that skill at ~1:10,000 rate in the population.  Having it not be matched by verbal skills makes his profile of thinking and interacting with the world even more unusual.  It's also limiting if he's unable to read words in math books written at his math level, because his reading level is, oh, 5 grade levels below that.

With age, I expect that these differences will diminish, with the verbal scores coming upwards, and hopefully some of the population catching up in math.  We've certainly seen this with DD.   She wasn't tested until the end of second grade, at which point the math scores were "only" 2 sigma above the verbal.  At that time, I spent a long time here, reading books, and elsewhere in the real world trying to figure out how to advocate for her and help her interact with the world.   She's grown up a lot, with her social skills coming along nicely, and she's finally got good placements in school to meet her variable needs.  I find that I'm now reading these boards with my DS in mind.  I suspect I'll fade into the background after he's been in school for a few years and we've got things figured out with some evening of the skills profile. 

I should note, though, that the parents IRL that have helped me the most in navigating this all are the parents of SN kids.  They are also very much aware of the complexities of raising a child with variable skills developing out of sync.  For all those awesome SN parents out there open about their experiences, I'm eternally thankful.

[whatsnextmom]

Originally Posted by Cavy 

Hm... sometimes these boards talk about asynchronous development like that's a special feature of Gifted kids, and personally I think variable development is a feature of many, maybe most of us (gifted or not, so not that remarkable).  Anyway, one of my kids might be gifted and have slight ADHD (yes, they are separate things for him!), and my other 2 quite bright DC don't have any SN at all.

I agree that asychronous development is something typical of all children but they can be more pronounced in gifted children and lead to more frustration and complication.

[loraxc]

My older child may be slightly 2e, but if so, the exceptionality is mild ASD or ADHD, not an LD.

My younger child is only 3, but probably gifted, too, and I'll eat my hat if he's 2E. He's socially very adept, emotionally seems very on-track, and everything seems to just be developing together. He doesn't have nearly the same asynchronous feel as DD, though he is probably a year-2 years ahead on academic milestones.

[pigpokey]

My kids do not have any LDs and there are none on either side of the extended family.  Most ID'd at least moderately gifted.  I don't think it has anything to do with giftedness but parents who are gifted are more likely to throw gifties and more likely to want to get to the bottom of any school issues, and also as said earlier, more likely to be looking on a board.

[JayGee]

DS is just plain gifted.  He tests on the lower end of the gifted range.