Stepping Stones Therapy and Learning Academy in Newport Beach caters to twice-exceptional students

When Joi Vutpakdi pulled her son out of public school after kindergarten, she thought she was in for 12 years of homeschooling.

“Public schools have such a large classroom so they weren’t able to handle it,” Vutpakdi said of her son, who has autism and ADHD — as well as an above-average IQ. “He can’t sit still and do his work — he wants to rush through and get it done. He needs to be engaged so he can actually learn and process the information.”

Vutpakdi’s son is part of a rare group known as twice exceptional, or 2e — children who have high IQs of over 130, but who also face challenges such as attention deficit disorder, autism, dyslexia or dysgraphia, the inability to write clearly.

Because they’re rare — the top 5% of all students are considered gifted, and 2% of those also have a learning disability — finding classrooms specifically designed for them is a challenge.

In Orange County, there were none until three years ago, when educational therapist Lisa Reid opened Reid Day School, which later became Stepping Stones Therapy and Learning Academy in Newport Beach — becoming one of only a handful of schools nationwide that specifically caters to twice-exceptional students.

“When you have someone who’s in first grade who’s already gotten kicked out of a few programs and is brilliant, it’s just very sad for them and is such a waste of talent,” said Reid, who teaches at Stepping Stones.

“If you just have people working with the kid who can understand their learning profile and tailor it, all the problems they’re going to run into down the road can be alleviated,” Reid said.

The curriculum for Stepping Stones Therapy and Learning Academy, which has eight students from first through sixth grade, is based on the students’ interests, and makes strong use of technology and hands-on activities, said Reid.

A typical day starts with language arts, social studies, math and science. The small class size also ensures that each student gets instruction tailored to his or her needs.

It also means that classrooms can be equipped with balance boards and wiggle seats to help students who have trouble sitting still for a long time — and that students get movement breaks and can use a sensory gym across the hall.

After lunch, students can attend on-site occupational therapy, speech therapy or other counseling services and then sessions for art, physical education and social skills.

“I can’t tell you how many kids who should have been recommended for the gifted and talented program but weren’t because they had a disability and couldn’t keep up with the handwriting, or their executive functioning skills were at a deficit,” said Brock Tropea, founder of Stepping Stones. “Or they’ll start in the gifted and talented program but then they’re asked to leave because those teachers feel that if you’re gifted and talented, you shouldn’t need any extra support.”

This course of study is designed so that students can successfully transition into a mainstream middle school after completing sixth grade at Stepping Stones Therapy and Learning Academy.

“It’s amazing seeing how their attitude towards learning has changed,” Reid said. “They believe in themselves and their ability to persist through work when it gets difficult.”

Vutpakdi, whose two sons, ages 9 and 7, now attend Stepping Stones, agreed.

“My son went from not really liking school to being completely engaged and wanting to be there on time,” she said. “I’ve seen a huge growth in him socially and academically.”

“It’s wonderful to be validated that your child is smart, he is doing well, he is progressing, and to see growth when you’ve been told for so long that you need to do this, you need to put him on medication,” Vutpakdi said. “We don’t need any of that at Stepping Stones.”

Caitlin Yoshiko Kandil is a contributor to Times Community News.