How to Support Twice-Exceptional Students
What does it mean to be twice-exceptional?
Twice-exceptional students, also referred to as “2e” students, are both cognitively gifted and neurodivergent or have a learning disability. Examples of neurodivergence or disabilities include ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and more.
Twice-exceptional students really are exceptional — they’re remarkably creative, insightful, deep thinkers capable of incredible achievements when given the right support. It’s often said that twice-exceptional students grow up to be adults who change the world. This comes as no surprise to teachers who have had them in the classroom!
What challenges do twice-exceptional students face?
Twice-exceptionality can be very difficult to identify because gifts often mask disability, and disability often masks giftedness. For example, a student with dyslexia may be very cognitively gifted, and capable of excelling in school due to impressive critical thinking and problem-solving skills, but their dyslexia ultimately masks their giftedness because it’s leading to reading comprehension issues. Conversely, a student’s autism spectrum disorder may go undiagnosed because of their high performance in school, leaving them without the important support they need to thrive.
Many twice-exceptional students also face an array of social and emotional challenges. When their giftedness is not identified, they may feel bored in school and disengage or have low self-esteem because of a focus on their disability. When their neurodivergence isn’t identified, they may face anxiety about maintaining high performance in school and feel confused about what makes them different. Many twice-exceptional students have sensory processing differences that make school environments challenging and navigate both perfectionism and motivation issues.
This article from Davidson Institute, an organization focused on gifted students, offers more characteristics and helpful profiles of 2e learners:
In part due to masking and identification challenges, twice-exceptionality is still an evolving concept in education. Many educators haven’t yet heard of it, and much of the information currently available is geared toward families, who often find themselves in a position to advocate for awareness and support for their children. Some students’ twice-exceptionality is identified by a neuropsychological evaluation. Once neurodivergence and giftedness are identified, schools and families work together to craft an IEP that addresses the students’ complex needs and helps them reach their full potential.
How can educators support the twice-exceptional students in their classrooms?
Understanding twice-exceptionality is an important start. As neurodivergence is more commonly understood and accepted in the classroom and beyond, we can be hopeful that more twice-exceptional students will be identified for support. Teachers can help simply by learning about twice-exceptionality, adopting a strength- and asset-based approach, keeping an open mind about what giftedness looks like in the classroom, and — what all teachers already do best — knowing, truly seeing, and valuing their students for who they are.
While we have much more to learn about effective practices for 2e learners, there are some practices educators can adopt to support these students (many of which are already present in classrooms today!) Here are just a few examples:
Give Students Agency
We know that prioritizing student voice and choice is a strong motivating factor and boosts engagement. For twice-exceptional students, opportunities to exercise agency in their learning are particularly helpful. Some 2e students will be deeply motivated to learn when allowed to connect a task to a topic of special interest. Opportunities to make choices about their learning may also be reassuring and refreshing to students who have been through a long identification process (IEPs can be stressful for kids, too!) or have suffered from low self-esteem because of their neurodivergence.
Balance Praise and Redirection
Ryan Tahmaseb, an educator and parent of a twice-exceptional child, wrote this helpful article for Edutopia on tips for teachers to support 2e students. He encourages teachers to aim for a 4:1 praise-to-redirection ratio:
“Because of their area(s) of disability, 2e students are often quite accustomed to criticism from adults. Not only that, but these students are usually well aware of their deficiencies and extremely frustrated with themselves for not being able to measure up. A 4:1 ratio of genuine praise to direction can help build much-needed confidence in 2e students while also showing them that you see them as worthy of praise.” — Ryan Tahmaseb
Make Room for Creativity
When possible, consider how you can offer students room to explore concepts in a sandbox-style environment. Many 2e learners are remarkably creative problem-solvers who may approach tasks in unexpected ways. Offering them room to work at their own pace in their own way also gives teachers the chance to observe these learners’ behaviors and preferences. Some researchers also believe that game-based learning can be a powerful option to challenge and engage 2e students. However, twice-exceptional students also need explicit instruction, and some may thrive with plenty of structure.
Incorporate Movement and Multimodality
Breaks for movement throughout the day can help 2e students manage anxiety and refocus. (This special educator turned kids’ yoga instructor suggests quick yoga breaks). Multimodal learning is also important for 2e students. An alternative to the pervasive myth of learning styles, multimodality involves having the learner engage simultaneously or in close sequence with the material using two or more of their sensory modalities, which can be particularly valuable for students with sensory and processing differences.
Explicitly Teach Social and Emotional Learning
Social and emotional learning (SEL) should be explicitly taught and embedded into instruction. Explicit teaching can help 2e students learn to identify, understand, and regulate their emotions, which is often challenging for them and can be a barrier to learning. Support in relationship skills and social awareness can also help 2e students connect with their peers. Of course, fostering an inclusive classroom environment is key. For more on social and emotional learning — both explicit and embedded — see:
Differentiate Instruction and Design for All Learners
Educators may notice that many of the strategies on this list are beneficial for neurotypical students, too. That’s the beauty of concepts like Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Learner Variability, which reinforce that there is no such thing as an “average” learner. By understanding and embracing differences among student abilities, preferences, and backgrounds across all learners, not just special populations, then by designing learning experiences that accommodate those differences, we can reach every learner with the best support for their needs, not just the twice-exceptional ones.
Partner with Families in Advocacy
Finally, advocacy is critical for twice-exceptional learners. Due to the difficulties in identifying their abilities, so many go unnoticed. Parents and families often pick up on the subtle nuances of their child’s behaviors and emotions and embark on a diagnostic journey with lots of medical and school professionals, lots of paperwork, and lots of stress. For many families of 2e children, the concept of neurodivergence may be new. Managing the structural supports of an IEP, in addition to the parenting challenges that come with raising a 2e child, is overwhelming. Educators can be partners with families by helping to form a team to rally behind the student. They can also help simply by offering support and education to the family, as much as the family is comfortable (perhaps by recommending books or resources). Advocating for twice-exceptional learners with a district is important work that families can’t do alone.
For more on neurodivergent students, students with special needs, and key concepts like Learner Variability and SEL, see:
