How to spot and celebrate wonderfully wired children
Wonderfully wired profiles include ADD and ADHD, gifted kids, dyslexia, autism spectrum, and twice-exceptional kids.
Did you know as many as 30% of children struggle with the way schools teach and test because they highlight the things these children find hard? Kids are bullied, teased, disciplined, and medicated and the message is: there is something wrong with you – the parent.
Once in a while, we hear of someone differently wired who has defeated the odds and succeeded: Richard Branson and Jamie Oliver are dyslexic, Greta Thurnberg and Elon Musk are on the autism spectrum. But the message is that these people have thrived despite their ‘disabilities’.
“As a mother, researcher, and teacher, I am here to tell you that these people succeed because of the unique strengths of their brain wiring, not despite them,” says Elle Leher, founder of Wonderfully Wired.
“What’s more, there are solutions needed in the modern world that different thinkers are able to provide. That’s why I don’t call them simply, differently wired – I call them Wonderfully Wired.”
How can a parent identify and support these kids?
Billie loves to cuddle. She chats all day long to imaginary companions and recalls details and names with incredible accuracy. But when Billie is hurt, tired or overstimulated it is almost impossible to calm her explosive behaviour.
Ferdie is fascinated with all things mechanical. If you add something with an engine you can fully expect all else to be neglected. But Ferdie struggles with maths at school.
Phindile is the most gifted artist, when sketching her family playing soccer she draws figures in perfect proportion, as if photographed from above. But Phindile’s teacher is concerned she won’t pass sixth grade.
Parents often see a big difference between what they know their child is capable of and what the school says. Their children struggle in areas other children find easy, like organisation and time management, but then surprise them with incredible knowledge, creativity, or innovation.
Some Wonderfully Wired kids hate to be touched and some cuddle incessantly. Some struggle socially, others talk themselves in and out of any trouble. Some are called ‘nerd’ and ‘genius’ others ‘slow’ and’ unteachable’.
There is a wave of research confirming that these kids are not disabled or in need of fixing but in fact hold amazing gifts ready to be unlocked.
The key difference between the success and failure of many of the Wonderfully Wired kids is parental support and understanding.
4 Keys to unlocking the wonderfully wired
- Someone to focus on their strengths: Thriving Wonderfully Wired adults tell us that their success started with strong parental support. It can change everything for a struggling child to know that a parent believes in them.
- Strength development: Talents must be identified and nurtured to become strengths. For this to happen more time needs to be spent on exposing kids to areas of interest and opportunities to shine.
- Support for their weakness: Kids become more able and willing to do remedial work with enthusiasm when they are confident in their strengths.
- Social Emotional Learning support: When kids are being celebrated instead of ‘fixed’ they are open to learning the skills they need to plan, organise and manage their relationships and responsibilities.
Giving the above support to your child starts with you becoming informed about all aspects of their difference. Don’t try to sift the overwhelming information alone.
Visit https://www.wonderfullywired.online/ to find tested and tried information made simple and practical for busy, invested parents. Begin the journey to see, support, and celebrate your Wonderfully Wired child.
