Supporting Students that Don't Quite Fit the "Intervention" Threshold: Imaginational Overexcitabilities Part 3

My daughter, Lainey, LOVES helping my husband with jobs around the house.  Once while helping change the oil, she came out fully dressed in her pink danger costume (Shelby from Dino Charge).  At my new point in the process, my husband complimented her, "Great job, Lainey!". She quickly corrected him pointing to her costume and said, "um, Shelby." 

If we are home, my daughter is in costume or at least character.  It's adorable, but we always have to remember to call her by the persona she is taking on.  When this girl engages in imaginational play, she commits.  She won't even respond to her real name on accident!  This acting spills over into the classroom and her teachers have shared many stories of Lainey's imagination at work 

The imaginational overexcitability (OE) is one of my favorites because of the joy and whimsy it brings to the house.  However, it does have it's down sides as well.  My son has displayed the dark side when he comes down the stairs at night terrified our house will be struck by a tornado, even though these natural disasters hit our region in Ohio about once a century.

This OE is exactly as it sounds.  Intense imagination that sometimes cause gifted kids to imagine the worse case scenario.  Some signs of this OE include:

*Intense imaginational play.

*Daydreaming

*Love of magic and fantasy

*Intense fears

*Vivid dreams

*Love of the arts

*Fantastic sense of humor

If this sounds like your child or student, there are many simple things you can do to turn this OE into a true gift.

*Show empathy towards the child.  While I could say with 100% certainty that a tornado would not strike our house in mid January, it was real to my son.  Acknowledge the fear and allow your child to discuss this fear from his perspective. 

*Provide strategies to combat the fear.  "Tornado season in Ohio is from April to June.  It is highly unlikely one will come through our neighborhood tonight.  Also, it's been about 15 years since the last tornado touched down near us." "That was a scary dream, how do you think our dog would have reacted?  How would your zainey sister react?  How would Batman react?" Help your child to see the silly side of the fear, remember how Harry Potter handled the boggart? Younger children might need to combat their imagination with imagination.  "Did you know your blanket had magical powers?  Your dreams can't hurt you while you are under it." If your family practices a religion, this is a great time to introduce the power of prayer.

*Help your child to distinguish between their imagination and reality.  Then allow them to explore their imagination in a creative way.

*Provide plenty of time to play.

*Encourage children to explore their imagination.  Introduce good research strategies then allow your child to "go down the rabbit hole" as they learn and explore their ideas.

When my daughter was in preschool, her teacher stopped me during car line to share this adorable story:

Lainey loves her teachers.  During a group activity, the class was sitting in a circle on the floor and Lainey wanted to lay across her teacher during the lesson.  The teacher politely asked her to get off because she was in her "personal bubble".  Lainey took one look at the "bubble" then stuck her finger out and said "Pop!" then proceeded to lay across the teacher. I could fill a book with my daughter's imagination, and that's just what she's shared with us or her teachers.  Her sense of humor is beyond other kids her age.  She's the child who laughs at the teacher's joke when the rest of the class doesn't get it.  Enjoy and embrace this OE! Who knows, maybe you're raising a future best selling fiction author. 

Just Breath

Ok, so this is it, the last night of winter break.  It's bittersweet.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time with family.  My kids might have spent too much time together, but I truly feel that I allowed myself to enjoy this break.  We did it all!  Christmas partying, watching my kids (who still believe) enjoy the magic of the season, trip to Texas to visit old friend and make a few new ones, science center, New Year's Eve partying, play dates, lots of family movie night & snuggle time, my kids have fallen in love with my favorite childhood board game (Clue), and even a short touch of the flu.

As I sit her tonight praying for a completely unexpected snowstorm to extend my break by one day, I'm also feeling ready.  My students this year are challenging, but I've had worse.  It's just been awhile since I've been challenged in this way.  I'm behind where I need to be at this point in the year.  But despite it all, I love these kids.  They are so full of personality!  I'm ready to get back to them.  My lessons are planned and I'm just relaxing.  There's a lot to do, but this is what I've signed up for.  This is my Ikigai.  I've reflected on first semester and I'm ready to try out some new ideas.  You've got to keep it fresh!  The students' have taught me so much already this year.  I can't wait to see what we will learn from each other next semester.

Hope you've all had a restful break!  Happy second semester!!

Supporting Students that Don't Quite Fit the "Intervention" Threshold: Sensual Overexcitabilities Part 2

Well, it's finally happened.  I've been waiting for it, and it's finally here.  My son has quit chicken, cold turkey.  To say he is a picky eater is an understatement.  When I tell other parents what a picky eater he is, they always assume he will at least eat the usual suspects, pizza, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, PB&J, etc... Nope!  My son has exactly 7 foods, Oikos brand Greek yogurt (vanilla or lime because those flavors don't have chunks), green veggies (Hallelujah!), goldfish (fortunately he does not discriminate against the rainbow fish, color sometimes matters), pretzels, Cheez-Its, berries, and crescent rolls.  He will eat cookies and some types of candy, but food does not interest him in any way, even when he's hungry.

If that sounds like your gifted child, he likely has a Sensual Overexcitability (OE), intense input from the five senses.  In many ways, this is a fantastic OE to have, in others, it can drive a parent crazy.

• Sight - finding intense joy in beautiful colors, nature, or art.  However, this can also distract a child from the task at hand or irritate them if something is off or there is too much repetition in their field of view.  In the classroom, children with this sensitivity may become distracted by the constant flicker of the fluorescent lights, it exists and goes unnoticed by most people.
• Sound - intense like or dislike in certain sounds.  Some children may find joy in the hum of the drier or song of the birds outside their window.  However, the buzz of the fluorescent lights in the classroom, which may go unnoticed to many students, can become very distracting.  Loud sounds scare and highly agitate these children far more than their peers.
• Smell - intense experience of scents.  My son becomes very agitated when he smells foods he does not like, or refuses to try.  It could ruin his dinner.  However, when they find a scent they enjoy, it can be very calming.  These children may experience a faint scent to be very pungent.  My son can pick out approaching foul odors on a car ride long before anyone else in the family.
• Taste - this one encompasses both taste and texture of foods.  If your child is the "pickiest eater on the planet", this could explain why.  For years, my son would ONLY eat nuggets from McDonald's.  Once while traveling we could only find a Burger King.  Fortunately, I had an old McDonald's nugget box and figured we could switch them out when he was not looking.  Long story short, he could smell the impostor from a mile away and after one bite, confirmed these were not his nuggets.  Fast forward a few years, we finally got him to accept Tyson's frozen nuggets and Wendy's.  He was even eating real chicken fingers for a brief time.  However, if they were not cooked to perfection or had a spot that was darker than the rest, forget it.  Chicken fingers that are too crunchy or soft are quickly abandoned.  Alas, chicken is off the menu.
• Touch - certain materials that come in contact with the skin can cause extreme discomfort or pleasure.  Clothing labels, seems, and fabrics can cause extreme discomfort.  My cousin used to check the backings on all shirt labels before purchasing them because if they didn't feel just right, he would refuse to wear the shirt.  My son claimed to have a "soft" star on his baby blanket and would wake us up in the middle of the night if he lost it.  This was particularly difficult because each start was identical and the blanket was made from one continuous piece of fabric.  However, until the start was located, he could not go to sleep.

Children with this OE, can be very challenging to support.  Provide time and a space to revel in the sensations that bring them joy.  Take your child on walks to experience the beauty of nature and don't rush him while he takes in and enjoy the scenery.  If possible, limit the stressors in the environment.  If changing out the fluorescent lights in the classroom is impossible, provide times during the day when the lights can be turned out.  Add a few strings of Christmas lights, old lamps, or open the blinds in the classroom to let in the natural light.  I have found that all of my students prefer this type of lighting to the fluorescent bulbs.  If it is impossible to eliminate these attributes in the environment, try to slowly and briefly increase experiences with the offensive sensations.  It may take a long time and it's possible you will not succeed.  In these cases, help your child to manage these uncomfortable situations and provide a calming environment afterwards so they can decompress as they are feeling overstimulated by their environment. 

Supporting Students that Don't Quite Fit the "Intervention" Threshold: Psychomotor Overexcitabilities Part 1

Last spring, my husband and and I sat in a conference with my son's teacher.  As she shared her observations and reflections on his learning journey, one phrase immediately jumped out at me.  "His little motor is always going." Boy, don't I know it!  Both of my kiddos have intense needs to burn energy, also known as Psychomotor Overexcitability (OE).

To say both of my kids are talkers, is a huge understatement.  Try to keep up with their conversations, I dare you!  With practice, their talking can become soothing white noise to your daydream, a skill my husband is still attempting to master.  By bedtime, we are spent!  These kids are constantly doing something, running around, Nerf gun wars, making up convoluted games, Lego building, and making in our Makerspace all before dinner.  If only we could harness their energy, Duke Energy would be paying us! 

Children with Psychomotor OEs have an intense need to move.  Their teachers describe them as: *Being in constant motion, remember that motor always going?  The most common reason my kids get in trouble is for their inability to sit still and wait their turn to talk during their morning circle.
*Speaking rapidly, these kiddos may also get into some trouble for calling out at inappropriate times.
*Learning with their hands and feet, they often prefer to move or use manipulatives to learn and demonstrate understanding.
*Misbehaving, I'm pretty sure my number is on the principal's speed dial. I get several calls a month because one of my children were "being silly" in school and struggled to control themselves and/or settle down.
*Displaying a strong need to organize their space and play.  During a recent picnic I had with my daughter, our "meal" was interrupted when she needed to clean dishes we finished using and putting away the food we "ate".
*Being highly competitive.  My son is so competitive it makes him anxious and he avoids any game he might not win.  (He also has a touch of perfectionism.)
*Anxious.

*Difficulty sleeping or no needing as much sleep as other children their age. Establish a bedtime routine.  Warm baths and on some nights melatonin can be used.  **It's best to discuss the use of melatonin with your pediatrician first.**

Did the list above sound familiar? Perhaps you have students in your class that have the same characteristics, but they have not been identified as gifted. Kid with Psychomotor OEs are often referred for testing and are misdiagnosed with ADHD.  However, the major difference between their OE and ADHD, is the motivation behind the action.  Children with Psychomotor OEs always have a purpose for their actions while a child with ADHD will honestly tell the teacher they couldn't control themselves or don't know why they did what they did.  However, both can not always control the action.

So, what can you do to help a child with Psychomotor OE thrive?
*Provide opportunities for movement.  At my children's school, they have proceedures in place to allow the students to leave the room and participate in their choice of several movement activities.  It allows them to burn off some energy and return to class prepared to work.  I spent a morning with my son at school and was amazed with his ability to recognize that the task he was working on was too stationary, took a movement break, and returned to the task in a better State of calm.
*Allow children to change location in room.  Do you have centers?  Is there a space to work on specific tasks?  Are there opportunities built into your instruction that allows for movement around the room?  Even a simple task to deliver an item to another room in the building could help these children get their movement fix.  In my class, students move their name magnets to a different space in the room to get them up and moving periodically.  Keep in mind the age and expected length of sustained mental focus that is appropriate for your students, and get them moving or at the very least, talking.
*Provide choice seating/standing options especially during independent or small group time.
*Allowing students to verbally show what they know.  My son's teacher recognized that he couldn't always focus long enough to provide the correct answers on paper.  When he turns in his work or is struggling to complete the work, she pulls him aside and asks him to answer again verbally.  The teacher has noted that he does much better when responding orally.  Note, he has the physical ability to produce work on paper, but lacks the ability to calm and focus on stationary work.
*Provide hands on opportunities to learn and demonstrate mastery.  Individual oral exams are not always possible in a class of 20+ students.  My son's class is set up with manipulative everywhere!  It's amazing.  He has the opportunity to use them as needed to demonstrate mastery. 
*Support and foster creativity.  Let them explore their creative side!  They will be more motivated to stay on task.
*Get out of the classroom. During a math lesson this fally son had the opportunity to take his learning outside and complete a math lesson on angles worksheet free and demonstrated mastery.
*Incorporate passions when possible in order to to sustain focus.  A whole class math lesson involving a pumpkin was extended for my son, although the lesson had ended and the rest of the students had lost interest, because she had found something he cared about.  We have also been battling the "why do I need to know this math" comments with my son, and his teacher has incorporated more high interest problem solving into his daily math lessons.  His classroom is equipped with tons of books to interest all learner's and a piano for the students who would like to try their hand at tickling the ivories. 
*Encourage exploration of creative ideas.  Do whatever it takes to keep them interested and excited to learn.

Please, recognize that this is who the child is, and while it can be frustrating to  teachers be  spirited children, they bring great energy and enthusiasm to the learning environment.  Support these kiddos and help them understand who they are and find joy in the challenge they bring.  Both of you will be better off in the end.

Supporting Students that Don't Quite Fit the "Intervention" Threshold: The Overexcitable Child

In my last post, I listed writing a book as one of my goals for this year.  The desire to do this comes from several places.  First, it's on my bucket list.  I would love to publish a book even if no one reads it.  Secondly, I've been in a reading rut.  While everything I have read is fantastic, I sometimes feel as though I'm not learning anything new.  Thirdly, my colleagues and husband have been urging  me to write a book over the past few years.  I've got a fantastic support system and I should get over my fears of taking the first step and just jump in. This should be the push I need to get it done, but, as you may recall, I'm still a rebel and haven't found the perfect set of circumstances to sit down and start.  As a matter of fact, I'm really struggling to settle on a topic.  So, hopefully this blog will help  me process my ideas and find a topic that feels right. Thanks for your feedback, support, and sharing this journey with me. 

About 10 years  ago, I added Gifted Intervention Specialist to my certificate.  I am also the mother of two fantastically gifted children.  However, despite my education and experience,  I've struggled to find reader friendly books that help me understand and support my own children who have overexcitabilities that tend to make them less than endearing to their peers and often times frustrating to their teachers. 

At this point, I have to pause and give a shout out to my kiddos' teachers. They truly do take the time to get to know them as individuals and work very hard to support them in every way possible.  However, the fact remains, gifted children are like little bananas.  There is a short window of time that they are "ripe" and ready to learn and finding that window is an art in itself.

OK, back to the topic, overexcitabilities.  Gifted guru, Kazimierz Dabrowski, developed a list of five overexcitabilities, areas of extreme intensity, common to many gifted children:  Psychomotor, Sensual, Intellectual, Imaginational, and Emotional. 

The problem with overexcitabilities is that they are not severe enough to cause major behavior or academic concerns, but they do interfere with their academic and social behaviors just enough to cause parents sleepless nights from time to time.  Also, they are not commonly known to parents of gifted children.  As a matter of fact, it is not well known to parents or teachers that the "gifted badge" often comes with "baggage" and these fascinating little humans need to be supported much like some of their academically challenged peers.

I can not tell you how many times I've heard Gen Ed teachers deny a child's giftedness because he doesn't produce straight A work.  Over the next few days, I hope to break down each overexcitability with personal anecdotes both from my home and classroom in an effort to better support these children.  Hopefully, I'll be able to help others along the way.

Happy New Year

Yes, I know.  Pretty lame title for a first post of the year.  Personally, I hate resolutions.  I'm terrible at them.  There are plenty of things I hope to accomplish this year, but I've never been much for sticking to resolutions. 

Fortunately, I read a fantastic book this year, The Four Tendencies by Gretchen Rubin.  It was life changing for me.  This book describes four personality traits the pretty much all people fall into.  These personality traits organise people into categories based on what motivates them to meet expectations.

Unfortunately, I'm a rebel.  Usually, I'm proud to be a rebel and knowing that about myself has really helped me to say "no" and not feel bad because I understand my limitations.  It also helps to explain why resolutions have never worked for me and ways to combat this trait that prevents me from making progress on my goals. Rebels struggle to meet outer AND inner expectations.

Knowing your students' and loved ones' traits (or at least being aware of the Four Tendencies) can help you understand and motivate them to achieve their goals.  If  reading more is one of your resolutions, I highly recommend putting this book on the list.

In the meantime, here is my list of "to dos" for this year.  While I'm a rebel, I also have a bit of obliger tendencies. We aren't fully one or the other.  So maybe putting it out there will help me get some of it done.

Run 3 times a week
Cross train before school 2x per week
Write/organize chapters for my book
Write chapters 1 of my book by January 31
Apply for a doctoral program by the end of the school year
Blog and post once a week (obligers, check out the 30 Days of Blogging Challenge)
Participate in one road race per month
Organize garage

Do you have a resolution this year?  What will motivate you to stick with it?  How can we, as your PLN, help you to succeed?

Happy 2019!