TPP 286: A Conversation with Twice-Exceptional Teen Jordan O'Kelley
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
37 min
1 speaker
5 chapters
transcribed 13 hours ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
I would say it is extremely important for students to be in control of the pace that they're learning at and in control of what it is that they're learning. You can't teach an art student marine. I mean, you could teach them marine biology, I guess, if they're interested in that. But if they don't want to learn that and if they're actively against learning that, no matter how long you spend in that classroom, they're never learning it. And if you're going marine biology over the course of three years when you could do it in three months, that's also a problem.
And,
you know, vice versa, if you're doing it at three months when it should take three years, that's an issue as well.
Welcome to Tilt Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. I'm your host, Debbie Reber. I'm so excited to have Jordan O'Kelley on the podcast today. Jordan is a 16-year-old college junior in the Honors College of Cal State Los Angeles, where he is majoring in physics and journalism and is employed as a math tutor. And yes, you heard that right. Jordan is only 16 years old. But even at this young age, Twice Exceptional Jordan has become a powerful advocate for the two-week community. And so I wanted to share his work and his journey with you. Diagnosed with autism at four and identified as gifted at age 10, Jordan's list of projects includes writing a book of humorous short stories called O'Kelly Legendary Legends of Legend in fourth grade as a way to get out of doing summaries of other books, adapting the book to a series of monologues which he presented as a fundraiser for Seng, and being the subject of a documentary about the production of the monologue show.
Jordan also speaks at educational conferences about his experience as a 2E student. I had the pleasure of meeting Jordan a few years ago, and so I loved having this chance to catch up with him. In this conversation, you'll hear about Jordan's journey from feeling lonely and isolated in elementary school to being empowered and becoming a self-directed student, what it's like to be a 16-year-old junior in college, how his family's advocacy and educational resource, the O'Kelley Lab, began, and much more. If you are raising a 2E teen, this episode is for you and also for your teen. All right, now let's get to my conversation with Jordan. Hey, Jordan, welcome to the podcast.
Hey, happy to be here.
I am looking forward to this. And I really appreciate you doing this when you're not feeling well today means a lot to me. And I'm just really excited to share your work. You have work, you're a young person, and you've already done so much in your life. So I really wanted to share you with my listeners. But I'd love if you could start us off by just introducing yourself in your own words. How would you describe yourself?
Well, I'm Jordan O'Kelly. I'm a TUI or Differently Wired student who goes to Cal State LA. I am 16 years old, soon to be 17 in February. And I'm a self-proclaimed, I'm a TUI advocate is what I'm trying to say.
You are such a powerful voice in 2E advocacy, and we will definitely get into all of that. And just as the mother of a 2E 17-year-old, I am so grateful for the work that you do and your many contributions to supporting kids like you and the parents raising them. So thank you for that. And we will get into that. But I want to talk a little bit about your journey and as a young person.
Who is Jordan O'Kelley and what makes his story unique?
So you were diagnosed as autistic when you were four, I believe, and you had an IEP from the time you were in kindergarten on. And then when you were in fourth grade, tell me if I get these dates wrong, but I believe that's when you were identified as being gifted. So I'd love to know how you really identified, how you saw yourself as a student back then when you were in elementary school.
Sure. Well, in elementary school, if I had to define my time there, I would say I was lonely. You know, I felt different from everyone because in a way I was different from everyone.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–3:44
2
Who is Jordan O'Kelley and what makes his story unique?
3:44–20:19
3
How did Jordan experience loneliness and isolation in elementary school?
20:19–25:16
4
What changed for Jordan when he attended Bridges Academy in middle school?
25:16–35:46
5
How did Jordan accelerate his math learning and enter college at 16?
35:46–37:45
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
TPP 266a: A Conversation with Poet and Advocate LeDerick Horne
TPP 522: A Whole Child Approach to ADHD with Phil Boucher, M.D.
TPP 091a: A Conversation With Steve Silberman About His Book “Neurotribes”
TPP 521: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood
TPP 253a: Advocate and Author Jonathan Mooney on Why Normal Sucks
TPP 520: Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids