TWICE EXCEPTIONAL TUTORING

What Is Twice Exceptional? 

It’s not often known that students who are gifted may also have a special need or disability— just as students with disabilities may also be gifted. The term “twice-exceptional,” also referred to as “2e,” is used to describe children who have the characteristics of gifted students with the potential for high achievement and give evidence of one or more disabilities as defined by federal or state eligibility criteria. These disabilities may include specific learning disabilities (SpLD), speech and language disorders, emotional or behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, autism spectrum, or other impairments such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Like other gifted learners, 2e students are highly knowledgeable and talented in at least one particular domain. However, their giftedness is often overshadowed by their disabilities. Sometimes these students hide their learning deficits by using their talents to compensate. Sometimes a twice-exceptional child’s special education needs are overlooked until adolescence or later, or are never identified throughout his or her life.

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Twice-exceptional children often find difficulty in the school environment, where organization, participation, and long-term planning plays a role. They can be highly creative, verbal, imaginative, curious, with strong problem-solving ability, and a wide range of interests or a single, all-consuming expertise. However, at school, they may have difficulty keeping up with course rigor, volume, and demands resulting in inconsistent academic performance, frustration, difficulties with written expression, and labels such as lazy, unmotivated, or underachiever. All this may hinder their excitement for school and be detrimental to their self-efficacy, self-confidence, and motivation.

Types of Twice-Exceptional Children

Many experts group twice-gifted students into three distinct categories:

• Students who excel but later show signs of disability

• Students with diagnosed disabilities who show exceptional gifts in some areas

• Highly intelligent students who seem average because they have disabilities

Children who fall into the third category are often overlooked because learning disabilities like ADHD can hide their abilities.

Identifying twice-exceptional children is rarely a straightforward process. All children have their own gifts but they also have their own struggles. The high number of combinations makes it difficult to pinpoint a single way to identify gifted children with disabilities. Twice-exceptional children are often identified when they show promise in one or two areas. ADHD may make it difficult for a child to answer math and reading questions but that child may excel when it comes to solving real-world problems like figuring out puzzles or finding creative solutions.

Educators may also identify twice-exceptional students by recognizing a decline in performance. A child may do very well in class before succumbing to difficulties created by a learning disability. If the child’s performance begins to slip, teachers should take a closer look to determine whether an outside influence is contributing to lower grades. Declining performance can also come from poor eyesight, hearing, and other physical problems.

Common Strengths of Twice-Exceptional Children

Twice-exceptional children usually display several of the following strengths:

• Creativity
• Sophisticated sense of humor
• Wide range of interests
• Advanced ideas
• Excellent vocabulary
• Special talents that consume their attention

Children who have these skills, but perform poorly at school, are often twice exceptional.

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Common Challenges of Twice-Exceptional Children

Twice-exceptional students also tend to face two or more of the following challenges:

• Frustration
• Argumentative personalities
• Poor written expression
• Sensitivity to criticism
• Poor organizational skills
• Poor study habits
• Stubbornness
• Difficulty in social situations

A child who has some of these traits combined with the above strengths probably has a sophisticated intellect that gets overlooked because of problems with behavior or expression.

It’s important to remember that twice-exceptional children often have extraordinary talents. It’s also important to remember that they face difficulties that could mask those talents. Educators and parents who suspect that certain children’s educational needs are not being met may need to explore several strategies before discovering an approach that lets them reach their full potential

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