The Gifted Learning Lab

The Gifted Learning Lab The Gifted Learning Lab offers support & coaching for parents of intense or sensitive gifted & twice-exceptional kids.

Your gifted or 2e kid's big feelings are a window into some of their biggest strengths.🧱 When a gifted kid explodes beca...
06/08/2026

Your gifted or 2e kid's big feelings are a window into some of their biggest strengths.

🧱 When a gifted kid explodes because they had to stop their Lego project for dinner, that's them being absorbed in their interests.

🎲 When they feel furious watching someone cheat at a game, that's their unwavering sense of justice and integrity in full swing.

🫶 When they feel others' pain so deeply it overwhelms them, that's their unique empathy and emotional depth.

🌱 When they refuse to do work that feels meaningless, that's their strong need for autonomy and purposeful activity.

Most gifted characteristics aren't strengths or challenges on their own. They show up as big feelings OR strengths depending on the context.

The next time your kid is having a big moment, try asking yourself: what's the strength on the other side of this feeling?

If you're having a hard time seeing it, that's okay and you're not the only parent who feels that way. Sometimes kids haven't had the chance to channel their strengths yet. And sometimes parents just need a framework and a little support to start seeing their kid differently.

That's exactly what we do inside Support Your Intense Gifted/2e Kid. The next live cohort starts June 16th, and we'd love to have you join us for 10 weeks this summer! Comment SUPPORT to learn more.

For most of my life, I thought sensory processing differences looked like one thing: loud sounds, food textures, clothin...
06/07/2026

For most of my life, I thought sensory processing differences looked like one thing: loud sounds, food textures, clothing tags.

I had no idea I had my own sensory processing differences until my late 30s.

In this carousel I share my own personal example. I've struggled to sense my own hunger cues my whole life. Not because I wasn't paying attention. Not because I needed to "get more in touch with my body." But because of interoception - my brain's ability to sense and understand internal body cues.

When I was a kid, I'd get stomachaches and headaches at aftercare waiting to be picked up. I thought I was anxious. I was just hungry and couldn't tell.
As an adult, by the time I notice I'm hungry, I'm already in panic mode.

For years I blamed myself, tried harder, and went to therapy. Nothing clicked until I understood what was actually happening in my nervous system.

These types of experiences are common in gifted and twice-exceptional kids - and they almost never get identified because sensory processing just isn't on most people's radar.

When kids' sensory differences go misunderstood, everyday tasks like eating, sleeping, and getting dressed can feel so much harder than they "should."

If any of this sounds familiar, comment SUPPORT to learn more about Support Your Intense Gifted/2e Kid. The next live cohort starts June 16th, and we'd love to have you join us this summer!

I’ll never forget when my child was a preschooler and I walked into his doctor’s office with a paper bag full of toy foo...
06/01/2026

I’ll never forget when my child was a preschooler and I walked into his doctor’s office with a paper bag full of toy food items.

My kid was VERY into toy food then.

When it was time to leave for our appointment, he was in the middle of unloading his cart and didn’t want to leave.

I could sense an argument or meltdown brewing.

So, I suggested we bring the food along!

Immediately, his resistance softened - yes, let’s bring the food to the doctor! He happily began packing.

All the transitions and demands associated with our appointment - from putting on shoes to entering the office - were so much easier thanks to the food.

And my sensitive, gifted kid felt comfortable and at peace with himself, explaining the food to the nurses and playing grocery store in the exam room.

The lesson I got from this?

Consider giving yourself MORE permission to be weird.

Are you looking for more parenting tips (and permission slips) like this? In my coaching program, Support Your Intense Gifted/2e Kid, I help you get really clear about what works for your unique family dynamic and your gifted/2e kid or teen.

Comment SUPPORT to get information about joining our summer cohort (starting June 16th!) and discover a community that is proud to be embracing the weird. We'd love to have you!

People with a hyperactive or combined presentation of ADHD may have a difficult time pausing before they act on their th...
05/27/2026

People with a hyperactive or combined presentation of ADHD may have a difficult time pausing before they act on their thoughts or feelings.

Folks without ADHD may perceive a short moment between their thought or impulse to act and the action itself. A moment to consider the potential action, notice the context, consider if the action will be effective. For someone with ADHD, their brain moves more quickly from thought or impulse to action.

Here are 7 examples of how this can look in gifted kids and teens:

1️⃣ Jumping into conversations before another person has finished their thought.

2️⃣ Calling out ideas and answers in class.

3️⃣ Saying hurtful things when upset.

4️⃣ Kicking, hitting, or throwing when mad (when it's not developmentally common).

5️⃣ Ripping up papers or breaking pencils when frustrated.

6️⃣ Sharing honest or spontaneous thoughts in conversation.

7️⃣ Making plans and decisions without thinking through all the implications.

Some of these behaviors may be more noticeable in gifted kids and teens with ADHD who are particularly curious and eager to share their ideas, who seek novelty, or who have strong feelings about living up to their own high standards.

Comment ADHD and I'll send you my full article "Gifted with ADHD — An Overview & Support Ideas."

Comment SUPPORT to learn more about Support Your Intense Gifted/2e Kid, our next live cohort starts mid-June and we'd love to have you

Does gifted parenting have you at max capacity? If you answered yes, you are not alone.Losing things, falling behind, an...
05/21/2026

Does gifted parenting have you at max capacity? If you answered yes, you are not alone.

Losing things, falling behind, and injuring myself are all signs that I am working beyond my capacity.

They are signs that I am doing (or have been doing) too much. That I can’t manage everything I’m trying to manage.

That I am out of spoons. 🥄🥄🥄

Historically, I have not done a great job considering my own capacity.

In my coaching program and workshops, I often encourage parents to carefully consider their children’s true capacity and adjust expectations as needed.

And just as importantly - as parents of intense and sensitive gifted/2e kids, we also need to consider our own capacity and adjust expectations as needed.

Ready to find the sweet spot where you and your child are operating within your capacity and feeling more ease?

Comment “SUPPORT” below to learn more about joining my group coaching program for parents, Support Your Intense Gifted/2e Kid. Our summer cohort is coming up and we would love to have you!

Kids and teens with ADHD or who are autistic are often perceived as inconsistent because of their fluctuating capacity.T...
05/20/2026

Kids and teens with ADHD or who are autistic are often perceived as inconsistent because of their fluctuating capacity.

They may be able to focus, do their homework, have a fun playdate, remember their lunch, and stay calm during a transition one day…but not the next.

This fluctuating capacity is an integral part of their neurodivergence, and it's important to recognize that these fluctuations are not intentional or willful disobedience.

All of us experience fluctuations in our capacity, but neurodivergent kids and teens are easily affected by internal and external variables beyond their control.

When a child with ADHD or who's autistic is emotionally upset, distressed, tired, hungry, or stretched thin after a long day or tiring event, it's even more difficult for them to access their executive functioning skills or emotional regulation capacities, and their challenges may seem more prominent.

Think about what it takes for your child to show up to a birthday party, a full school day, or a family gathering.

For an intense or sensitive gifted/2e kid, these experiences often require enormous amounts of energy — managing sensory input in a different setting, navigating social dynamics and processing interactions in a faster-paced environment, regulating emotions and expectations, managing unpredictable interactions or others being in control. By the time they get home, there may be nothing left.

For neurodivergent kids and teens, it's essential that the adults in their lives know that inconsistency is to be expected and is not willful. 💜

In my coaching program, Support Your Intense Gifted/2e Kid, I help you get really clear about what activities are within your child's capacity and which aren't — and I help you adapt daily routines so they're more manageable for your kid and for you!

Comment SUPPORT to get information about working with me and connecting with other parents who are riding this same wave.

05/11/2026

As an autistic mother, parenting is a huge special interest of mine and I identify with the autistic strengths listed below. I also see that parenting is often harder for me than other parents because the world is not built for my child and rarely understands us.

It's neat that research is catching up with some of the deeply-known lived experience of autistic parents.

Your 2E kid isn’t defiant, they’re dysregulated. 🧠In this episode of , Dr. Danika Maddocks breaks down why conventional...
05/08/2026

Your 2E kid isn’t defiant, they’re dysregulated. 🧠

In this episode of , Dr. Danika Maddocks breaks down why conventional parenting fails twice-exceptional and gifted kids — and how to pivot from compliance-based strategies to collaborative problem-solving.

We cover:
✨ Why behavior reflects capacity, not character
✨ How hierarchical parenting triggers threat responses in neurodivergent kids
✨ The role of sensory input, sleep + emotional state in daily behavior
✨ How to loosen arbitrary limits and actually reduce household tension

🎧 Comment “FAIL” to listen!

Is your gifted child also autistic? Here’s what it might actually look like. 👇Autism in gifted kids rarely looks like th...
04/30/2026

Is your gifted child also autistic? Here’s what it might actually look like. 👇

Autism in gifted kids rarely looks like the stereotype. Because these kids are often articulate, curious, socially motivated, and clearly bright — their autism gets missed, misattributed to giftedness, or explained away entirely.

So what does it actually look like?

Here are 9 characteristics to watch for in gifted autistic (2e) kids:

💡They taught themselves to read — or became obsessed with numbers — way earlier than expected.

💡They love to organize, sort, and systematize everything (physically or mentally).

💡 They’re collectors at heart — facts, figures, Pokémon cards, rocks, random treasures from the playground.

💡 They correct people. Sometimes a lot. (It’s not rudeness — it’s precision.)

💡 They have very strong ideas about how things should go — and when plans change, it can derail their whole day.

💡 When they’re interested in something, they don’t just like it. They go deep.

💡 They sound like a little professor — formal vocabulary, technical language, and phrases used in exactly the right context.

💡 They see patterns and systems everywhere — and they’re often baffled by the inefficiencies everyone else just accepts.

💡 Their emotions are big. Really big. (And research shows this is more strongly linked to autism than giftedness.)

If you’re reading this thinking “that’s my kid,” you’re not alone.
Gifted autistic kids deserve to be fully identified and understood, not just celebrated for their strengths while their other differences go unnoticed or unsupported.

Comment EXCEPTIONAL to read my article “Could Your Child Be Twice-Exceptional?” and learn what identification can mean for your child.

Ready to go deeper? Comment SUPPORT to learn about my signature coaching program built specifically for parents like you.

As many of you are probably aware, I often talk about the fact that standard parenting approaches don't work well for gi...
04/28/2026

As many of you are probably aware, I often talk about the fact that standard parenting approaches don't work well for gifted and twice-exceptional kids and teens, including gifted/2e PDAers.

One potential danger of emphasizing this mis-fit so often is that I might give the impression that gifted/2e needs are special and unusual.

But gifted/2e needs are human needs.

PDA needs are human needs.

This coming Thursday, I'm doing a webinar for titled PDA in Gifted/Twice-Exceptional Kids and Teens.

The webinar will be live at 5pm PST/7pm CT, and I'd love to have any of you join live if you're able to be there.

Comment WEBINAR below to learn more and for the direct link to sign up! ⤵️

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