Twice Exceptional
What’s a Twice Exceptional Child? What does 2e even mean?
According to the Children’s Health Council, twice exceptional/2e individuals are both bolstered by exceptional talent or giftedness, as well as challenged by a disability or weakness that impairs functioning. There is significant heterogeneity among the population of 2e students, who have bright minds but can experience a wide range of learning disabilities, including ASD (autism spectrum disorders), ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, and any other disability covered by IDEA.
2e children often feel frustrated, like square pegs trying to fit in a round hole. Parents of 2e children experience isolation and overwhelm as they balance the need to build on strengths and address challenges. Most educators aren’t aware that twice exceptionality exists and find it difficult to understand struggling students who they know have high potential but don’t “fit the mold.”
A national Twice Exceptional Community of Practice offers a more detailed definition of twice exceptionality in a Gifted Child Today article, “Twice Exceptional Learners: The Journey Toward a Shared Vision.” The article notes that 2e students require “simultaneous supports that ensure the child’s academic success and social-emotional well-being, such as accommodations, therapeutic interventions, and specialized instruction.”
Resources
REEL Palo Alto
REEL supports Bay Area Peninsula 2e kids by providing a bridge between educators and parents. For educators: raising awareness and understanding of 2e kids and providing resources to make school a place they can be successful. For parents: disseminating and creating 2e resources, both online and in person, for advocating for and supporting 2e kids at school.
2e Fact Sheet (printable PDF)
2e News
With a mission to maintain a fruitful conversation among key stakeholders to improve the lives of gifted students with learning differences, 2e News provides readers with high-level information and perspectives about twice-exceptional (2e) education and cognitive diversity.
The 2e Center for Research and Professional Development at Bridges
The 2e Center is a first-of-its-kind multidisciplinary hub where professionals, scholars, and practitioners combine expertise to enhance understanding of the growing population of 2e students.
Belin-Blank Center
Interested to learn more about the “Paradox of Twice-Exceptionality”? The University of Iowa College of Education’s Belin-Blank Center provides free, downloadable resources.
Twice Exceptionality: A Resource Guide for Parents
The Davidson Institute for Talent Development released this awesome, free resource guide covering everything from the definition of 2e to the school experience and advocacy.
Understood
Provides free, well-researched resources and videos to support parents of children with learning and attention issues, including those who are twice exceptional.
Bright & Quirky Summit
Bright & Quirky eases the struggle for bright and quirky kids and parents, helps them self-actualize with the help of experts in the fields of mental health and education, and inspires the hope that new ideas and possibilities bring. The Bright & Quirky Summit 2019 brought together 30 leaders in the field, including Temple Grandin, Dr. Dan Peters, and Dr. Susan Baum.
TECA – Twice Exceptional Children’s Advocacy
TECA seeks to provide parents, educators and professional care providers with research-based information to help them understand and provide appropriate interventions for the social, emotional and academic support of twice exceptional students.