Living with an Exceptional Learner

My Jad kissing his cousin. His love and care for babies is like no other.

 Last week, I attended a support group for parents of exceptional learners and what a relief I tell ya! For a few years now, I have been suspecting that my son fell under the gifted learners' umbrella but since I taught children who fall on the other end of the continuum I had little knowledge of all the characteristics of such children. 

Jad, came across as a very sensitive, emotional and intense boy (example: Mammoth Story) whose questions and reasoning were way beyond his years.We, many times, were not certain how to react to his fluctuating behavior; in a span of minutes he could go from high to low with no apparent reason why. Here was a boy who could argue his way out of a paper bag (Example: Reasoning)  and then cry incessantly if he lost his treat for not following a rule. His questioning and continuous probing seemed, to an outsider's untrained ears, as being rude. He always thought and felt at a totally different level than his peer group (Example: X-rated Knowledge) which provided him with endless social struggles. A brush on the arm by a peer walking by, seemed to him like a punch thus bringing on a reaction from him that would get him into trouble. To sum things up, EVERYTHING is exaggerated in my kid's life. 

My heart literally ached every time I heard that he was having trouble connecting with other children as I knew what a kind hearted caring boy he was. I longed for his teachers, classmates and parents to see him through my eyes (Example: One understanding parents compared to the others). I could not go around telling people that they should be more understanding towards him as they are with the physically or mentally challenged students.

Attending the support group gave me an insider's look at what other parents experience and go through in their daily lives with their exceptional learner children. A sigh of relief escaped my troubled body every time one of them shared something that was remotely close to Jad's descriptions. My feelings were verified, validated and shared. He is a normal, happy go lucky, caring, smart and gorgeous boy whose needs will thankfully be understood and met at school. As parents, our need for support and strategies will also be met and I am relieved. These sessions brought me some insight on what goes on in my boy's head and would provide me with tools that I need to be able to handle difficult situations. My husband and I have been trying our best but there is always room for improvement. Please wish us luck!