2E or twice-exceptional means being gifted AND challenged. That means kids are both gifted and carry another diagnosis, such as ADHD. But Wait! The term “gifted” is not just being “smart.” It also includes asynchronous development (advanced or delayed), a high level of perfectionism, and over-excitability in five potential areas: emotional, intellectually, imaginational, sensory and/or psychomotor. In this enlightening conversation, parent guides to 2E, Debbie Reber and Julie Skolnick, talk candidly about misdiagnosis, the overlap between ADHD and giftedness, and the vital role parents play in nurturing their 2E children toward a fulfilling and rewarding life.
Tilt Parenting Founder & CEO Debbie Reber (MA) is a parenting activist, bestselling author, podcast host, and speaker. A certified Positive Discipline trainer, Debbie’s most recent book is Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World. Debbie’s show Tilt Parenting is the top performing podcast for parents and caregivers raising neurodivergent children, with more than 4 million downloads. In 2018, she spoke at TEDxAmsterdam (Why the Future Will Be Differently Wired).
Prior to launching Tilt, Debbie spent fifteen years writing inspiring books for women and teens, speaking about media literacy and confidence, and consulting for clients including the Girl Scouts and the Disney Channel. Since 1999, Debbie has authored many books, including Doable, Chill, In Their Shoes, and more than a dozen Blue’s Clues books. In 2008, she created and edited the first-ever series of teen-authored memoirs, Louder Than Words, for HCI.
Before becoming a solopreneur, Debbie worked in TV and video production, producing documentaries for CARE and UNICEF, working on Blue’s Clues (Nickelodeon), and developing series for Cartoon Network. She has an MA in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research and a BA in Communications from Penn State. In 2019, her husband, and 17-year-old 2e teen relocated to Brooklyn, NY after living in Amsterdam for five years.
Julie Skolnick, M.A., J.D., Founder of With Understanding Comes Calm, LLC, passionately guides parents of gifted and distractible children, mentors 2e adults, trains educators and advises professionals on how to bring out the best and raise self-confidence in their 2e students and clients.
Julie serves as Secretary to the Maryland Superintendent’s Gifted and Talented Advisory Council, is an advisor for the Masters of Education Program for the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity, is the Maryland liaison for Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG), is a Committee member for the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and serves as an advisor to “The G Word” feature documentary currently in production.
Julie produces Let’s Talk 2e! virtual conferences, hosts the Let’s Talk 2e! Parent Empowerment Series, maintains the free listing service, 2eResources.com, and publishes “Gifted & Distractible,” a free monthly newsletter.
A frequent speaker and prolific writer, Julie is also the mother of three twice exceptional children who keep her on her toes and uproariously laughing.