What is a Twice Exceptional Gifted Student? A student that is
gifted and has one or multiple disabilities Was not recognized
until the 1970s No federal definition to guide identification
Population is hindered because of stereotypes About 7% of the
gifted population falls under this category
Slide 3
Marland Definition of Giftedness Intellectual, specific
academic, leadership, creative and productive thinking, visual and
performing arts, and psychomotor Disabilities covered by IDEA
Physical, language, speech, vision, intellectual, emotional, and
behavioral
Slide 4
Sub GroupsSub Groups Student identified as gifted but not
identified disability Seen as underachieving Student identified as
having a disability but not identified as gifted Strengths go
unnoticed Lack of adequate assessment Not recognized as having a
disability or being gifted Cancel each other out
Slide 5
Strengths Superior vocabulary Highly creative Resourceful
Curious Imaginative Questioning Problem-solving ability
Sophisticated sense of humor Wide range of interests Advanced ideas
and opinions Special talent of consuming interests Trail
(2011)
Slide 6
Challenges Easily Frustrated Stubborn Manipulative Opinionated
Argumentative Sensitive to criticism Inconsistent academic
performance Difficulty with written expression Lack of organization
Lack of study skills Difficulty with social interactions Trail
(2011)
Dual Emphasis- DisabilityDual Emphasis- Disability Challenges
and Remediation, Accommodations and Modifications Specific
Programs/ Tutoring & SPED Teach Compensatory Strategies
Affective Guidance and Counseling Differentiated Instruction Small
Group Direct Instruction Chapman & Kispert (2009)
Slide 9
Peer RelationsPeer Relations Twice Exceptional students may
find it difficult to relate to a specific peer group because they
fall in two categories Bullying may occur from other gifted or
non-gifted students
Slide 10
Family SupportFamily Support Empower student to adapt to
disability Do not rescue, this can lower self-esteem Encourage
positive outcomes Find ways to encourage strengths and areas where
student excel Work collaboratively with school Interventions that
can be carried out at home as well as at school
Slide 11
Teacher SupportTeacher Support Encourage compensation
strategies Organizers or parallel assignment Be aware of bullying
Pair students with others of similar strengths Know that academic
inconsistency may be attributed to fear of failure Be flexible and
challenging to students
Slide 12
School Counselor SupportSchool Counselor Support Address the
class as a precaution to bullying Acknowledge parents concerns
Stress that blame should not be placed Focus on academic, social,
and emotional well-being Advocate for the importance of childs
emotional well- being
Slide 13
What Does a Twice-Exceptional Gifted Person Look Like?
Slide 14
References Beckley, D. (1998). Gifted and learning disabled:
twice exceptional students. Neag Center for Gifted Education and
Talent Development. Retrieved from http://
www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/newsletter/spring98/sprng984.html
Chapman, P. & Kispert, W. (2009). Twice-exceptional students:
gifted students with disabilities (2 nd ed.). Denver, CO: Colorado
Department of Education. Davis, G. A., Rimm, S. B., & Siegle,
D. (2011) Education of the gifted and talented (6 th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Trail, B. A. (2011).
Twice-exceptional gifted children: understanding, teaching, and
counseling gifted students. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press Inc.
