Bright Not Broken

The future of our society depends on our gifted children—the population in which we’ll find our next Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, or Virginia Woolf.  Yet the gifts and talents of some of our most brilliant kids may never be recognized because these children fall into a group known as twice exceptional, or “2e.” Twice exceptional kids are both gifted and diagnosed with a disability—often ADHD or an Autism Spectrum Disorder—leading teachers and parents to overlook the child’s talents and focus solely on his weaknesses. Too often, these children get lost in an endless cycle of chasing diagnostic labels and are never given the tools to fully realize their own potential.

Bright Not Broken sheds new light on this vibrant population by identifying who twice exceptional children are and taking an unflinching look at why they’re stuck.  The first work to boldly examine the widespread misdiagnosis and controversies that arise from our current diagnostic system, it serves as a wake-up call for parents and professionals to question why our mental health and education systems are failing our brightest children.

Most importantly, the authors show what we can do to help 2e children, providing a whole child model for parents and educators to strengthen and develop a child’s innate gifts while also intervening to support the deficits.  Drawing on painstaking research and personal experience, Bright Not Broken offers groundbreaking insight and practical strategies to those seeking to help 2e kids achieve their full potential.

Diane M. Kennedy, author of The ADHD-Autism Connection, is a long time advocate, international speaker/trainer, and mother of three twice-exceptional sons.

Rebecca S. Banks, M.A., co-author of The ADHD-Autism Connection, is a veteran educator, national speaker/trainer, and mother of two twice-exceptional children.

Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is a professor, prolific author, and one of the most accomplished and renowned adults with autism in the world.

“"This book is truly inspiring and it shows that by simply changing our perception of these children, and then the testing and education that stems from that perception, we can help them become successful, contributing adults." (psychcentral.com, March 13th, 2012)”

DIANE M. KENNEDY, author of The ADHD-Autism Connection, is a longtime advocate, international speaker/trainer, and mother of three twice-exceptional sons.

REBECCA S. BANKS, MA, coauthor of The ADHD-Autism Connection, is a veteran educator, national speaker/trainer, and mother of two twice-exceptional children.

TEMPLE GRANDIN, PhD, is a professor, prolific author, and one of the most accomplished and renowned adults with autism in the world.

Praise for Bright Not Broken " Bright Not Broken invites us to look beyond the deficit-ridden labels that we give to 2e children and embrace a paradigm that seeks to define these kids in terms of their abilities rather than their disabilities. I believe this book will inspire a new generation of educators and parents to champion the cause of twice-exceptional children and will help to ensure that these children can truly become themselves in all of their wonderful baffling richness." -- Thomas Armstrong , PhD, author, Neurodiversity "This book is essential for parents and professionals. It is both theoretical and practical, and it creatively updates thinking on autism spectrum disorders. Kennedy and Banks have professional knowledge and are parents; in our experience change in the field will only happen when parents campaign, which these authors are doing with such enthusiasm." -- Drs. Lorna Wing and Judith Gould , The National Autistic Society (UK) "This timely book is a must-read for parents, educators, mental health workers, and policy makers. It marries vital information from diverse fields, removes stereotypes, and redefines giftedness as asynchronous development and overexcitabilities, rather than the achievement of high grades. Bright Not Broken sheds light on the keys to success for the fast-growing population of twice-exceptional learners: unmask their gifts and cultivate their passions. Bravo!" -- Linda Kreger Silverman , PhD, director, Gifted Development Center, Denver, Colorado "A work of tremendous scholarship and passion that deserves to be a seminal and paradigm-shifting work. It should be read by all parents of gifted children with coexistent disabilities--and the professionals who work with them." -- William Sheehan , MD, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services, Willmar, Minnesota "In this beautifully written and compelling book, Kennedy, Banks, and Grandin argue convincingly that the current psychiatric vocabulary cannot account for the extraordinary range of human intelligence, and that disability labels often tell us less about the so-called disabled and more about society's inability to understand the complex mixture of children's skills and challenges. Their powerful words will resonate with countless parents and teachers. Bright Not Broken offers a new, creative, and positive way of seeing." -- Roy Richard Grinker , PhD, professor of anthropology, George Washington University; author, Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism

Praise for Bright Not Broken " Bright Not Broken invites us to look beyond the deficit-ridden labels that we give to 2e children and embrace a paradigm that seeks to define these kids in terms of their abilities rather than their disabilities. I believe this book will inspire a new generation of educators and parents to champion the cause of twice-exceptional children and will help to ensure that these children can truly become themselves in all of their wonderful baffling richness." Thomas Armstrong , PhD, author, Neurodiversity "This book is essential for parents and professionals. It is both theoretical and practical, and it creatively updates thinking on autism spectrum disorders. Kennedy and Banks have professional knowledge and are parents; in our experience change in the field will only happen when parents campaign, which these authors are doing with such enthusiasm." Drs. Lorna Wing and Judith Gould , The National Autistic Society (UK) "This timely book is a must-read for parents, educators, mental health workers, and policy makers. It marries vital information from diverse fields, removes stereotypes, and redefines giftedness as asynchronous development and overexcitabilities, rather than the achievement of high grades. Bright Not Broken sheds light on the keys to success for the fast-growing population of twice-exceptional learners: unmask their gifts and cultivate their passions. Bravo!" Linda Kreger Silverman , PhD, director, Gifted Development Center, Denver, Colorado "A work of tremendous scholarship and passion that deserves to be a seminal and paradigm-shifting work. It should be read by all parents of gifted children with coexistent disabilities and the professionals who work with them." William Sheehan , MD, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services, Willmar, Minnesota "In this beautifully written and compelling book, Kennedy, Banks, and Grandin argue convincingly that the current psychiatric vocabulary cannot account for the extraordinary range of human intelligence, and that disability labels often tell us less about the so-called disabled and more about society's inability to understand the complex mixture of children's skills and challenges. Their powerful words will resonate with countless parents and teachers. Bright Not Broken offers a new, creative, and positive way of seeing." Roy Richard Grinker , PhD, professor of anthropology, George Washington University; author, Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism

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