A twice-exceptional, or 2e, child is both gifted or highly capable and neurodivergent or living with a disability, such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia or anxiety.
Have you just been told that your child is – or is suspected of being – ‘twice-exceptional’? How about ‘gifted’ or ‘highly capable’ as well as ‘neurodivergent’ or ‘has additional needs’? Or maybe they have a ‘spiky profile’? If you’re in a public school in New South Wales, you may have heard ‘high potential/gifted student with a disability’. With so many different terms floating around, it can get very confusing!
The term ‘exceptional’ has historically been used to describe extremely bright students, and the second point of ‘exceptionality’ comes from their unique brain wiring – hence ‘twice-exceptional’. First coined by James Gallagher in 1988, ‘twice-exceptional’ is the standard international term in education, so it’s the one that I use in my practice.
The first exceptionality, giftedness, is a hotly debated topic. Traditionally, who is ‘gifted’, and what counts as ‘giftedness’, has been, like many things in our society, heavily influenced by our own social and cultural biases.
Because of these issues, best practice in gifted education, especially when assessing students who are suspected of being twice-exceptional, is to consider students to be gifted if they test among the top 20% of the population in terms of IQ.
This identification can be done formally through an IQ test administered by a neuropsychologist (the Raven’s Progressive Matrices and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children or WISC-V are considered the gold standards for students suspected of being twice-exceptional), or sometimes more informally through teacher observation, grades, and/or performance in standardised tests such as NAPLAN. Generally, multiple pieces of evidence should be used to support gifted identification, not a single assessment.
The second exceptionality, neurodivergence, which is broadly defined to include mental health considerations, essentially means that a person’s brain works a little differently from the way that our society labels ‘normal’.
It’s important to note that these differences are not just negative – neurodivergent people can be more creative, perceptive and/or detail-oriented in their work depending on their condition, as well as having the traditional challenges associated with the label.
Neurodivergence includes a wide variety of conditions, but the most common among young people include:
Legally, neurodivergent people are covered under the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act, which defines disability as (among other things)
“a disorder or malfunction that results in the person learning differently… [or] that affects a person’s thought processes…emotions or judgment”
So neurodivergent people can be labelled ‘disabled’ as well, although not all neurodivergent people identify with this term due to its traditional negative associations. (I personally do identify as disabled due to my neurodivergence, because I see it as a neutral thing rather than a deficit – if you’re curious as to why, you may find it useful to look into the disability pride movement.)
While it may seem counter-intuitive, twice-exceptional students aren’t always at the top of their class! However, they’re not always obviously struggling at school either. Generally, twice-exceptional kids fall into one of three categories, as identified by my mentor and former professor Susan Baum:
Regardless of how twice-exceptional students perform at school, they require – and are legally entitled to – accommodations for their disability, as well as extension of their gifts and talents, to ensure that they are supported throughout their schooling journey.
Even if twice-exceptional students are performing at or above grade level, they are unlikely to continue to do so throughout their educational journey without both these accommodations to ensure that they do not exhaust themselves, and appropriate extension work to avoid boredom and disengagement as well as often significant damage to their confidence due to the lack of recognition of their talents.
If you believe your child may be twice-exceptional, some practical next steps may include:
Choosing the right school fit for the child is essential, as is ensuring that they develop a level and means of executive functioning that allows them to flourish. Susan Baum and the team at Bridges Academy, a world-leading school exclusively for twice-exceptional students in Los Angeles, California, have also developed a Suite of Tools that, when properly administered, can be used to develop a bespoke support and extension plan in concert with the school and parents to help these unique young people achieve their potential.
Some students also benefit from subject tutoring to support them in areas of weakness or extend them in areas of strength – or, ideally, both! – especially if they are not getting what they need at school. Finally, it’s vital that students learn to advocate for themselves to ensure that they continue to receive the accommodations and extension that they require throughout their education – and their life.
It’s important to remember that these students are not ‘deficient’ or ‘lacking’ in some way – they’re just different. A twice-exceptional diagnosis does not preclude a person from living a full and happy life – indeed, with the right support, twice-exceptional people can do extraordinary things due to their incredible talents and unique way of seeing the world!
Twice-exceptional people can thrive across creative industries, technology, academia, leadership and many other fields when their strengths are recognised and appropriately supported. The key is ensuring that they have what they need to truly flourish.
Understanding whether your child may be twice-exceptional can help you advocate for the right combination of support and academic extension. Contact our team to discuss assessments, school support or personalised guidance for your child.
Exceptional Like Me, led by Dr. Olivia Evans, provides specialised, neuroaffirming support for gifted and twice-exceptionality (2e) individuals. Combining elite academic qualifications with her own lived experience, Dr. Evans offers a unique strengths-based approach through educational consulting, neurodivergent coaching, and specialised tutoring.