The Special Family Connection® Podcast

"Out-of-the-Box Kids" - Do We Educate or Heal the Gifts Out Of Them?

April 27, 2021 Debby Wells Season 2 Episode 9
The Special Family Connection® Podcast
"Out-of-the-Box Kids" - Do We Educate or Heal the Gifts Out Of Them?
Show Notes Transcript

What if schools could use their resources to set educational goals that would nurture gifts, then give students the environment to use them?  Would regular ed and out-of-the-box kids be able to grow up and do amazing things? The answer has almost always been yes.

Oh, man... What kind of world would we have if teachers were trained and free to find the unique talents and potentials displayed in a child's behavior? 




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"Out-of-the-Box" Kids: Do We Educate or Heal the Gifts Out Of Them?
Written by Debby Wells for Special Family Connection® Podcast



"Do we "educate" the creativity out of our children? Or "heal" it out of them?" This was a question I read in a blog written by Mark Demers, a man who wrote about the person I will soon tell you about...


Believe it ... or not, lol, I was always daydreaming or talking in class. All my report cards said, "Debby is a smart, happy girl, but.... she can't stop wiggling and talking." But then, I grew up, and as I aged, all the comments on the report cards and the times I was sent to the principals' office for my inability to be quiet finally worked. I was turned into a silent and submissive minion. I was afraid to talk and share my thoughts openly in class, critical thinking was taboo, and I shrank into my desk, tried not to move, and did my work. Little did they know that I would be diagnosed with ADD in my adult years, and it would help me to research, write, teach and talk ... all the time .... for a living. 

When my daughter was diagnosed with Fragile X Syndrome and Developmental Disabilities, I had to fight for her. The desire to protect and provide for her woke the momma bear in me, and I found my voice again. No one was going to tell me to be quiet when it came to her.

Oh, man... What kind of world would we have if teachers were trained and free to find the unique talents and potentials displayed in a child's behavior? 

What if schools could use their resources to set educational goals that would nurture gifts, then give students the environment to use them? Would regular ed and out-of-the-box kids be able to grow up and do amazing things? The answer has almost always been yes.

Leonardo da Vinci

It looks as though Leonardo had learning disabilities and talents. He showed signs of dyslexia, ADHD, learning disorders, and attention deficit. He wrote backward, used had poor spelling, and didn't finish much of what he started. Many believe that others with similar attention and learning difficulties were Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton. 

Agatha Christie

Christie had dysgraphia, a learning disability that affects writing, spelling, and math. She had excellent reading skills and the ability to solve complex problems and develop detailed plots. Still, she dictated her mysteries and romance novels due to her poor handwriting.

Albert Einstein

Leading autism expert Simon Baron-Cohen believes that Einstein suffered from Asperger's syndrome. He was socially awkward; he had difficulty communicating clearly and delivered confusing lectures. He also had obsessive, single-minded interests.  

George Washington

George Washington, general and father of the United States, is known for his pronounced learning disabilities. Historians say he had difficulty expressing himself and poor skills in reading and writing. Although some believe his writings show signs of dyslexia, it certainly did not affect his popularity or abilities as a leader.

Learning differences may appear as vulnerabilities can become strengths for many. People tend to work harder in the areas that are most difficult for them. Sometimes, differences in neurological processing give individuals extraordinary focus, creativity, and unique perspectives.

In the "normie" world, We send the tallest to basketball, the swiftest to track. The mechanically-minded kids shuffle off to shop class and the strategical thinkers to chess club. This world is changing and making more available to special needs kids. Our unique and differently-abled kiddoes need the same access to classes or courses that would focus on and draw their natural abilities out for all the world to see.

A child's preoccupations and play reveal the gifts and talents God gifted them. The things that distract our out-of-the-box kids can tell us what they are interested in, what makes them tick, what makes them unique...but are we paying attention or just trying to get them into the box?


On the website, Homeschooling With Dyslexia, Marianne writes 

"What Parents Can Learn from the Story of Gillian" 

""Growing up in England in the 1930s, Gillian was 7-years old when her mother took her to the doctor because her school was concerned that she had a learning disorder.

Unable to sit still, Gillian had earned the nickname Wriggle Bottom. Gillian felt hopeless, her teachers were exasperated, and her mother was at the end of her tether. The idea of ADHD had not been born yet.

What happened at that doctor's office radically changed Gillian's life and provides a lesson for all parents who are seeking answers to how to raise their outside-the-box kids.

After listening to Gillian's mother explain the teachers' concerns about Gillian's disruptive behavior, the doctor and Gillian's mother stepped outside the office to speak privately. Before leaving the office, the doctor put some music on his tiny office radio.

From the hallway outside that office, Mrs. Lynne and the doctor peered in. They observed Gillian jumping and twirling around the room, enraptured by the music.

The doctor turned to Mrs. Lynne and famously said, "There is nothing wrong with your child. She is a dancer." After which, he recommended Gillian be enrolled in dance school.

Can I just stop here for a minute and say, "Hallelujah!" I mean, seriously, who was that doctor?

Gillian's mom did enroll her in dance school, about which Gillian remarked later, "Everyone was like me! They needed to move to be able to think. It was wonderful!"


This story is about 

The Remarkable Life of Gillian Lynne


Gillian went on to have a remarkable career at the Royal Ballet. She eventually graduated from the Royal Ballet School and met Andrew Lloyd Webber. She's been responsible for some of the most successful theater productions in history, such as Cats and Phantom of the Opera.

Not only has she given pleasure to millions, but she's also a multimillionaire!""

Just think how different the world would be if Gillians passionate desire to dance had gone unnoticed, while her inability to be 'IN-THE-BOX" was all that defined her?

Most children born with outside-the-box skill-sets are treated as vulnerable their entire life, instead of being made to feel empowered due to their different abilities and view of the world.

Do our expectations and preconceived wish lists for our kids in general, keep them from becoming the person they were meant to be. We parents have to intervene and do whatever it takes to help our kiddos learn and thrive, but we need to take just as much time to be observant of what they may be showing us.

In an article written on AngelSense.com titled, "These 5 Facts Will Change the Way You Think About Special Needs Kids", they write, 

""Instead of focusing on how special needs kids are different, it's time to highlight their gifts and strengths. Many of these kids are gifted, and yet so many of their talents go unnoticed. Perhaps it's our perceptions which need to change. The many misconceptions about special needs kids do more harm than good and only serve to isolate these innocent children. By confronting these false truths, people will see that in many ways special needs kids are no different to other kids.""

 On the blog written by Gorges' Grouse: called "The Dancer," he writes;

Hopefully, all "different" children find adults capable of welcoming them for who they are and not for what they lack.

Long live the differences, the little black sheep and the misunderstood. They are the ones who create beauty in this world.


This is Debby Wells with Special Family Connection, Thanks for listening...


Websites and Acknowledgements 

Gillian Lynne - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillian_Lynne

Dame Gillian Barbara Lynne, DBE (née Pyrke; 20 February 1926 – 1 July 2018) was an English ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre-television director, noted for her theatre choreography associated with two of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.


What We Teach … What We Learn – Gillian Lynne | Mark .... https://markdemers.wordpress.com/2013/09/07/what-we-teach-what-we-learn-gillian-lynne/

https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/gillian-lynne/

https://www.angelsense.com/blog/5-facts-will-change-way-think-special-needs-kids/

https://markdemers.wordpress.com/2013/09/07/what-we-teach-what-we-learn-gillian-lynne/

https://www.masters-in-special-education.com/lists/5-historical-figures-who-overcame-learning-disorders/

Gorges' Grouse: The Dancer. https://gorges-smythe.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-dancer.html