What is a twice-exceptional student?

Within the field of education, there are many groups of students who are considered at-risk. Within the field of gifted education, a growing focus has been placed on students considered twice exceptional, “which refers to a student who simultaneously possesses a gift and a disability” (Foley Nicpon, Allmon, Sieck, and Stinson, 2011).

What are the most common types of twice-exceptional students? They are those students who are simultaneously gifted and also have a diagnosis of one of the following:

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Specific Learning Disability (SLD), which can take many forms (e.g. dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia) (Foley Nicpon et al, 2011).

Parents are important advocates for twice-exceptional students and are a key ingredient to the success of twice-exceptional students (O’brien and Giovacco-Johnson, 2007; Neumeister et al, 2013).

Interested in learning more? Check out these links:

Four Important Things to Know as the Parent or Teacher of a 2E Student

Resources for Twice-Exceptional Students

Improving Parent-Teacher Conferences for 2E Learners