Beyond The Scores: Twice Exceptional Max

About the Book

Max is a gifted child with Autism. Educators often overlook twice-exceptional students because their academic scores steal the attention away from the struggles these students are burdened with. I encourage you to see the child behind the data points, the child that we, as parents, see.

About the Author

She is a mom to 3 boys, her oldest is Rylan, age 7, (who inspired this book), as well as identical twins Emerson and Everett, who are 6 years old. She is from a small rural town in Ohio. She and her husband have been together for almost 10 years and work for a family furniture store together. They have struggled with the challenges parents often face when being blessed with a child who has special needs. While these challenges may seem as extra stress to outsiders, they have found joy in their son's quirks and charm! Rylan was born Deaf/Hard of Hearing, and later diagnosed with ADHD, ODD, and Autism (formerly called Asperger's). Shelby has been fighting with their local school district, her own alma mater, for 3 years. She has tried over and over, as most parents in this realm do, to get educators and administrators to see her son's challenges and his need for supports and services. Their school district continues to say that Rylan's IQ is "too high" to be eligible for supports and services, because his developmental deficits are not found in Math, Reading, Science, or Writing standardized scores. Hopefully through colorful picture books she can get through to those in the position of power within schools, so that kids, like her son, can be supported to grow into the best version of themselves.