Article 1
Article 1
research-article2015
Original Article
Beyond Stereotypes
Understanding, Recognizing, and
Working With Twice-Exceptional
Learners
TEACHING Exceptional Children, Vol. 47, No. 4, pp. 216225. Copyright 2015 The Author(s). DOI: 10.1177/0040059915569361
Pedro
217
Definition of Twice
Exceptionality, National
Twice-Exceptional
Community of Practice
The following definition was created
by the National Twice-Exceptional
Community of Practice in 2014:
Twice exceptional (2e) individuals
evidence exceptional ability and
disability, which results in a
unique set of circumstances. Their
exceptional ability may dominate,
hiding their disability; their
disability may dominate, hiding
their exceptional ability; each may
mask the other so that neither is
recognized or addressed.
2e students, who may perform
below, at, or above grade level,
require the following:
Specialized methods of
identification that consider the
possible interaction of the
exceptionalities
Enriched/advanced educational
opportunities that develop the
childs interests, gifts and
talents while also meeting the
childs learning needs
Simultaneous supports that
ensure the childs academic
success and social-emotional
well-being, such as
accommodations, therapeutic
interventions, and specialized
instruction.
Working successfully with this
unique population requires
specialized academic training and
ongoing professional development.
(personal correspondence, May 1,
2014)
Twice-exceptional
students must have a
comprehensive,
individualized, flexible
plan that addresses the
whole child.
Hadleys experience exemplifies
when giftedness is noted at a young
age and nurtured. Twice-exceptional
students like Hadley may be identified
for gifted education programming or
may demonstrate their abilities of
advanced thinking and
conceptualization in classroom
activities. However, it is not unusual
for these students to hit a wall
beginning in middle school or later
when they are no longer able to
compensate with their ability to
memorize material or to verbalize
responses (McEachern & Bornot, 2001).
In Hadleys case, she memorized words
and passages until she could no longer
fake her ability to read and write on
grade level. It is not unusual to hear
adults mistakenly say that a student is
lazy or not trying hard enough
when an apparent mismatch between
skills and performance occurs.
219
Learning
Verbal skills
Reading skills
Organizational skills
Observational skills
Critical thinking/
problem-solving skills
Attention
Curiosity
Creativity
Risk taking
Takes risks
Sense of humor
Maturity
Independence
Indicator
(continued)
220
Table 1. (continued)
Social skills
Leadership
Broad interests
Focused interests
Indicator
Note: Adapted from Comparisons of Characteristics of Gifted Students With or Without Disabilities, by E. Nielsen, D. Higgins, L.
Baldwin, D. Pereles, 2000, unpublished manuscript. Adapted with permission.
Figure 1. Questions to Help Determine Need in the Area of Strengths and Interests
221
Figure 3. Questions to Help Determine the Need in the Area of Social-Emotional Concerns
223
Hadley
224
www.specialedsimplified.com
Scaffolding and differentiated instructions
are used throughout all units to help students
to develop autonomous learning strategies.
All units are designed in a similar manner to
provide the teacher with a simple, transparent outline to cover any standard.
225
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