The first time I heard of the term “twice exceptional” was several years ago; and at the time, I had no idea what it meant. I scratched my head, and tried to think what it could possibly mean before researching the topic. It just sounded like a strange way to describe a person: “This person is twice exceptional.” “I am twice exceptional.” “This student needs special services because she is twice exceptional.”

The term “twice exceptional” (sometimes denoted by the symbol ’2e’) refers to individuals who have learning disabilities but are gifted in one or more fields, such as music, art, science, or mathematics. There is no universal definition of the term “gifted,” but many agree that it can mean extremely talented in a particular area or having an unusually high IQ.

“Twice exceptional” is not used to refer to those who may be gifted and physically challenged. Rather, “twice exceptional” is reserved for those who are gifted and exhibit some type of learning, behavioral, social, and emotional deficit. For example, individuals who excel in mathematics and have been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, central auditory processing disorder, dyslexia, schizophrenia, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder may be classified as “twice exceptional.” Thus, “twice exceptional” students are students who need assistance with improving deficits while improving their strengths.

As many academics and practitioners have observed, these twice exceptional students are something of a paradox (see, e.g., Gifted But Learning Disabled: A Puzzling Paradox and Gifted and Learning Disabled: Twice Exceptional Students). On the one hand, they have above average skills in certain areas, but on the other hand, these same students have poor or below average social skills, or severe emotional deficits, or other comparable deficiencies.

Special education services are available for twice exceptional children, but in order to be eligible, evaluations must be conducted and assessments must be made. Once a student has been identified as having a disability (and subsequently found to be twice exceptional), the student may be eligible to receive appropriate supports, such as accommodations and modifications, to succeed in school. Linda Silverman gives a good overview of the identification and assessments in “Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities: Lost Treasures.” To gain further insight, see Mary Ruth Coleman’s “The Identification of Students Who Are Gifted.”

Familiarity with your state’s laws and regulations governing services and programs for the gifted, talented, and twice exceptional is very important. It is best to start with your state’s Department of Education. The New Jersey’s Department of Education, for instance, has a very helpful Frequently Asked Questions about Gifted and Talented Services. There are also state-specific Gifted Children associations that may be able to provide assistance to you and your child. The New Jersey Association for Gifted Children is one such organization.

There is far more information about twice exceptional students and the different ways of educating these students than there were years ago. The internet has been a very important resource for parents of twice exceptional children. These links are worth looking into: Twice Exceptional Children (2e) from Wrightslaw, Twice Exceptional from the Council for Exceptional Children, and Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page. There are also blogs such as 2e: Twice Exceptional Newsletter and Eide Neurolearning Blog.

To find a twice exceptional program for your child, see this interactive map.

© 2010, Matthew Stoloff, Esq.. All rights reserved.

Related posts:

1. Services at Public Expense for Students with Disabilities in Private Schools
2. College Bound Students with Intellectual Disabilities
3. Students with Disabilities and Extracurricular Activities
4. NJ Scholarship Opportunity Act and Special Education

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