What Accommodations Are Twice-Exceptional People Entitled to?

“I spoke to the school, but they said my marks are too good for adjustments…”

“Her teacher says he’s ‘old-school’ and doesn’t teach the way her paediatrician suggests.”

Unfortunately, I hear this sort of thing all the time in my practice. Twice-exceptional students are often treated as an anomaly – too gifted to be given learning support, or too disabled to be included in gifted programs – and thus fall through the cracks. Instructors and institutions can be resistant when grades don’t seem to indicate that the student is struggling, or if the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Learning Support Plan (LSP) contains recommendations for teaching methods or activities that they lack confidence in, or are unfamiliar with and feel they don’t have time to learn.

The bottom line is that if you or your child has an officially diagnosed disability, the school and its staff are legally obligated to provide reasonable adjustments as recommended by their medical professional, regardless of performance in assessments or class or IQ score. This is true whether the disability is physical, mental health-related, psychosocial (like ADHD or autism), a learning disability (like dyslexia or dyspraxia), or any other condition that meets the legal definition of the term ‘disability’. While those of us who are involved with the 2e community know that the two can be deeply intertwined, the law – and often also school or system policy – treat a person’s giftedness and their disability as two completely separate things.

The exact wording in the Disability Standards for Education (2005) is that a student with disability is entitled to “access education in the same manner as students without disability” through (among other things) the provision of “reasonable adjustments”. Of course, the key word here is “reasonable”, defined by the DSE as “balanc[ing] the interests of all parties affected.” Reasonable adjustments must not impose undue financial hardship on the school – for example, requiring a small private school to spend tens of thousands of dollars to train every single teacher in sign language to support a selectively mute student is not going to be considered reasonable. The accommodations must also preserve the integrity of the task or course – so asking to be given the question for an unseen essay ahead of time for a student with anxiety is not an adjustment supported by the legislation.

However, even considering these parameters, there are still a lot of adjustments that could be considered reasonable. Two of the most common and easy-to-access accommodations for students, which are also available for the HSC, are small group supervision and rest breaks (usually five minutes per half-hour of writing time) in exams. In class, fidgets, movement breaks, time-out cards, the use of noise-cancelling headphones when working, and preferred or allocated seating (including next to friends, or as part of a whole-class seating plan to avoid drawing attention to the student) are also frequently granted. In cases of school refusal (sometimes called “school can’t”)  or if the student is finding having a large number of subjects overwhelming, some schools will permit students to “opt out” of certain subjects to facilitate reduced attendance or to allow extra time on core subjects, but it’s important to note that many subjects are technically compulsory up to a certain year level.

Regardless of the school’s beliefs or policies, or teacher or Faculty preferences, remember that reasonable adjustments MUST be granted for disability – it’s not up to the individual or institution’s discretion, no matter what.

So what can you do if your child’s school won’t “play ball”? My first recommendation would be to work out why this is. Does the school have a policy that would seem to exclude the provision of these accommodations? Does the teacher feel that the accommodations are unnecessary? Or do they lack the knowledge or confidence to teach a 2e person? Understanding the teacher or school’s perspective and motivation can go a long way to resolving these sorts of conflicts amicably. Bridges’ Suite of Tools is a collaborative process that works with the student’s teachers, as well as the parents and of course the student themselves, to produce a practical, strengths-based and talent-focused plan with multiple practical strategies to use both inside the classroom and out of it. This addresses issues of teacher confidence and knowledge, and also often goes a long way towards developing the school’s understanding of the need for the accommodations and ways in which their policies could be made more neuroaffirming. 

Alternatively, many of these issues can be prevented in the first place through judicious school choice. With so many options on the market – all of which are trying to promote an idealised image of their educational environment – it can be hard to know what to believe, or which is the right fit for your child. Speaking honestly with parents and students in prospective school communities – through family friendships and connections or neighbourhood community events rather than at school open days – can help to clarify things, or alternatively an educational consultant can use their contacts, and professional experience and judgement, to assist.

Whatever approach you choose, it’s important that every 2e person learns their rights and how to advocate for themselves effectively. As the late, great Australian disability activist, Stella Young, once said, “You get proud by practising.” Wherever practicable and age-appropriate, 2e kids should be involved in conversations and decisions about both their gifts and their disability, as learning to manage them both effectively will be vital in paving the way for their long-term success.