Twice-Exceptional in Plain Sight: We Missed it.

When did we first realise our kids were gifted and disabled (Twice-exceptional)? Well, frankly, for a long time, we didn’t.

Image: Yellow duckling on water. Text: Twice-exceptional in Plain Sight: We missed it. yellowreadis.com

With My Son

When my son held his head up in the hospital. We missed it.

When the nurses commented on how alert he was. We missed it.

When my son quickly settled into an older awake pattern. We missed it.

When he quickly developed a love of books. We missed it.

When my sister used my son’s reading level as a gauge for the books toddlers would like at her daycare, and was told the books were way too old. We missed it.

When he read words – yes words – on his second birthday. We were surprised. But as other kids friends could also recognised letters . . . we dismissed it.

When he endlessly played with the turning letter toy his Pop gave him, we thought it was cute. And we missed it.

When he started writing out words at 2.5, we realised he was perhaps a tad ahead.

But still . . .

When his motor skills developed within an ‘average’ time frame. We missed it.

When he couldn’t stand loud noises. We missed it. Because neither can we.

When he had trouble following directions in a crowded room we missed it. Because we can’t either.

When people commented on how my son was a carbon copy of his dad. We missed it – but got there eventually. (How many tests? How many specialists? How many hospital clinics? I don’t know. I lost count. )

Knowing about his and, indeed our whole family’s twice-exceptionality was, for us, a marvellous moment of understanding.

Our brains and bodies are different. Quirky people have quirky brains.

With My Daughter

When my daughter came along, I decided to keep careful notes on what and when she did things. I was determined to not miss things. In many ways, she was just like her brother. In others, she was totally different.

But still . . .

When she walked early – just like her mum! We missed it.

When she drew letters and numbers beautifully. We missed it.

When my daughter stopped looking at books. We missed it. She was just young.

When  she hyper-focused we missed it. Because I do too.

Of Course We Did

Eventually we realised the simple truth: Twice-exceptional parents have twice-exceptional kids. And quirky people like hanging out with other quirky people.

We are what we are.

We didn’t miss it because we were terrible parents. We missed it because our kids . . . are just like us.

And that’s OK.

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This post is part of the GHF Blog Hop, “When Did You First Realize Your Child Was Gifted/2E/Different?

When Did You First Realize Your Child Was Gifted/2E/Different? | GHF Blog Hop

2 Replies to “Twice-Exceptional in Plain Sight: We Missed it.”

  1. Pingback: When Did You First Realize Your Child Was Gifted/2E/Different? GHF

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