Discuss and give specific examples of the term “twice-exceptional” learners.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: A student who is gifted may have one (or more) disabilities. These “twice-exceptional” learners constitute a group of children that is frequently misunderstood. A child who is identified as gifted may also have a learning disability, a behavior disorder, a sensory impairment, a physical disability, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHd. . The challenge confronting professionals is to make a diagnosis that is appropriate. This can be a difficult task because one exceptionality may mask another, or the characteristics of the two exceptionalities may be similar. For example, the pupil who has a learning disability but is intellectually gifted will likely perform at an average level, thereby camouflaging the need for gifted services as well as the need for services due to a learning disability. Another frequent problem is thinking the child had ADHD when in actuality the child is gifted and exhibiting high energy and intense curiosity. Gifted children with ADHD are usually labeled as underachieving or lazy long before they are ever labeled as having ADHD. Knowing the characteristics of children who are gifted and talented in any category is the key to recognizing behaviors that reveal gifts and talents in children with and without other exceptionalities.