{"id":208,"date":"2019-05-15T15:38:26","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T15:38:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/growingmindspsych.com\/blog\/?p=208"},"modified":"2020-02-14T18:22:11","modified_gmt":"2020-02-14T18:22:11","slug":"twice-exceptional-children-who-they-are-and-why-we-need-to-talk-about-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/growingmindspsych.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/15\/twice-exceptional-children-who-they-are-and-why-we-need-to-talk-about-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Twice-Exceptional Children: Who They Are and Why We Need to Talk About Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cIs\nmy child gifted? Is my child delayed? What is<\/strong> my child?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGifted\nand ADHD, how can it be both?\u201c<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These,\nand similar questions were asked by parents of children who were\neventually identified as twice-exceptional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twice-exceptional children are a misunderstood and under-identified group of children. Many educators, professionals, and parents are not familiar with this term and do not understand the challenges and experiences of these children. It \u201ccan feel so overwhelming that you do not know where to start,\u201d stated a parent of several twice-exceptional children. The first step in helping this group of children is to understand what it means to be twice-exceptional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What\nDoes \u201cTwice-Exceptional\u201d Mean?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A twice-exceptional child is a child identified as being gifted and talented while also having one or more of the following challenges: a learning disability, a neurodevelopmental disorder, a social-emotional difficulty, or a mental illness (3). Unfortunately, there is no widely accepted definition of what it means to be twice-exceptional (2), in part because researchers can’t agree on how to define and measure giftedness. The second obstacle to defining twice-exceptionality is that learning disabilities, mental illness and social-emotional difficulties can encompass and manifest as a very wide range of developmental challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giftedness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the National Association for Gifted Children, a gifted child<\/a><\/em> is defined as \u201ca child who has an ability that is significantly above the norm for their age group, in one or more of the following areas: intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership, or in a specific academic area\u201d (8). As stated by an administrator of a school for gifted children, \u201cthese kids’ capabilities outsize their bodies.\u201d Because of their high intellectual ability, gifted children often develop unevenly \u2013 for example, their cognitive capabilities surpass their social or emotional skills. This mismatch in skills and abilities is referred to as \u201casynchronous development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenges\nin Development <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As\npreviously mentioned, a twice-exceptional child is a child who is\ngifted and<\/em>\nexperiences developmental or emotional challenges, such as a learning\ndisability, a neurodevelopmental disorder, or a mental illness. A\nlearning disability is defined as \u201ca disorder in one or more\nbasic psychological processes that may manifest itself as an\nimperfect ability in certain areas of learning, such as reading,\nwritten expression, or mathematics.\u201d (7)\nDyslexia, or specific learning disorder in reading, is one example of\na learning disability, while ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder are\nexamples of neurodevelopmental disorders that can impact both gifted\nand non-gifted children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\nsocial-emotional difficulty refers to a\n\u201ccondition in which behavior or emotional responses of an\nindividual are so different from generally accepted norms, that they\nadversely affect that child’s performance.\u201d (6) Many children\nexperience social emotional difficulties at some point during their\nlives, yet for some it may have a negative impact on their academics,\nfriendships, and home life. If a social-emotional difficulty\npersists and affects a child’s ability to function on a daily basis,\nit may meet criteria for a mental illness. Depression or\ngeneralized anxiety disorder are examples of mental illness that\naffect gifted and non-gifted children alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nis an abundance of information on specific learning disabilities,\nsocial-emotional difficulties, and mental illness. However, what is\nless understood is how these challenges interact with giftedness and\nhow they manifest in gifted children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complex\nInteractions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nis a misconception among some people that gifted children are immune\nto challenges (5). One parent of a twice-exceptional child described\nthis misconception in the following way: \u201cPeople think that gifted\nchildren are the ones who can sit quietly and learn and do everything\nby themselves. Today we would think of someone being like Hermione\nGranger, someone who is constantly learning by herself and taking\ninitiative to do more.\u201d In reality, gifted children may be more\nvulnerable than their typical peers. This vulnerability can be\npartially explained by asynchronous development (4). A 10-year-old\ngirl may concern herself with great societal problems, like\nhomelessness or world peace; yet not have the emotional skills to\ncope with the feelings that these problems bring up. An 8-year-old\nboy gravitates towards peers that are several years older than him,\nbut has to socialize with same-age peers in the classroom, and feels\nlike he does not fit in. These types of internal and external\nmismatch makes gifted children prone to experiencing social-emotional\ndifficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nNational Education Association estimates that 360,000 of students in\nthe U.S. qualify to receive the label of twice-exceptional (1);\nhowever, this is most likely an under-estimation. Despite being\nexceptionally bright, gifted children may have learning disabilities\nthat impact their ability to do well in school. In the early grades,\nthey are often able to compensate for their learning challenges,\nwhich leads to a delay in recognizing the problem. For example, a\ngifted girl who struggles with reading may memorize a book and appear\nto read fluently; thus her reading disability goes unnoticed for some\ntime. As gifted children become older and the workload increases,\noftentimes they can no longer compensate successfully, prompting\nteachers and parents to finally recognize and address the problem. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another\nroadblock to properly identifying a twice-exceptional child is the\nmisconception that a child cannot be gifted if they have behavioral\nor attentional challenges. For example, people may think that a\nchild who cannot sit still and finish an assignment could not\npossibly be gifted. On the other hand, giftedness can sometimes be\nused as a justification for problem behavior. For example if a\ngifted child is acting out — kicking his classmates, arguing with\nthe teacher \u2013 people may think this is solely because he is bored\nor under-stimulated in the classroom. In reality, the child could\nhave a true behavioral or emotional difficulty that needs to be\naddressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nfirst step in meeting the needs of a twice-exceptional child is to\nproperly identify the child as being both gifted and having a\nparticular developmental or emotional challenge. One parent of a\ntwice-exceptional child encouraged parents to get a thorough\nneuropsychological evaluation: \u201cnot only does it help you\nunderstand your child, but the report also gives you the vocabulary\nto discuss this topic with teachers.\u201d Once a child has been\nproperly identified, parents can start the process of addressing his\nor her unique needs. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting\na Twice-Exceptional Child<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although\nlittle research currently exists on how to best support\ntwice-exceptional children, based on our conversations with parents\nand educators, one of the most important factors is finding a\n\u201cgoodness of fit,\u201d between the educational environment and the\nchild. \u201cFinding the right environment and staff helps make for a\ngreat year,\u201d stated a parent of twice-exceptional children. With\nno federal mandate to provide services for gifted children, states\nand towns have to choose how to allocate limited resources within\ntheir education system. Massachusetts, where Growing Minds is\nlocated, is last in the country in providing funding and programming\nfor gifted students. Schools do not always have the resources or the\nknowledge needed to address the complex needs of twice-exceptional\nchildren. Parents that we interviewed talked about their children\nhaving to change schools, sometimes more than once, in an attempt to\nfind this \u201cgoodness of fit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another\nimportant step in supporting twice-exceptional children is helping\nthem understand how they learn best. Once the child has a solid\nunderstanding of her own learning style, she can use that knowledge\nto build on her strengths and to accommodate for her weaknesses. \nWith this self-awareness, the child can learn to advocate for her\nneeds. \u201cWe need to teach children to take ownership of their own\nand others’ needs without fear and shame, so that they know\nthemselves and can self-advocate,\u201d stated an educator of gifted and\ntwice-exceptional children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While\nwe can teach children to become more self-aware and to advocate for\nthemselves, we also need to educate professionals about the complex\nlearning profiles of twice-exceptional children. As stated by one\nof the parents we interviewed, \u201cyou have to GET the child in order\nto meet their needs, but their needs are unpredictable.\u201d In order\nto truly GET these children, more research has to address the needs\nof this population, and more training should be made available to\neducators and other professionals. As stated by an administrator of\na school for gifted children, in order to address the needs of\ntwice-exceptional children, we need to \u201cinquire to understand with\nan open heart and a humble mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n