Twice Exceptional:
Workshop Series Three
Workshop Purpose and learning Outcomes:
- The purpose of this workshop is to enlighten the faculty on a twice exceptional learner.
- The workshop will focus on characteristics, testing, options, services, and accommodations for the twice exceptional learner.
LETS GET STARTED!
Characteristics of Twice Exceptional Learners
- Examples include: Gifted Students with Physical Disabilities, Gifted Students with Sensory Disabilities, Gifted Students with Asperger Syndrome and the largets subgroup, Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities
- Twice Exceptional children tend to share the following characteristics (IDAHO.gov 2010):
- Multiple interests and talent
- They can see the big picture but tend to miss smaller details (idaho.gov 2010).
- High verbal ability and vocabulary, as well as critical thinking, decision-making skills and are insightful. (NEA.org, 2006)
- develop skills to compensate for disability (NEA.org 2006)
- Have high levels of energy and an unusual imagination
- Lower since of inhibition in expressing ideas and opinions. (IDAHO.gov 2010)
- Academic skills are uneven.
- Frustrated by school and other tasks and are afraid of being wrong (IDAHO.gov 2010)
- Long term and short-term memory issues
- Poor motor skills. They can be clumsy, have poor handwriting,
- Difficulty following instruction
- Unable to control impulses
Twice Exceptional Learners Examples
Testing of Gifted and Twice Exceptional Learners
A. Identification procedures for twice exceptional students are complex and must considered assessment in both giftedness and disability (NEA.org, 2006).
- Multiple data sources are used for gifted program identification including the following:
Avoid combining multiple pieces of data in a single score (NEA.org, 2006) Statewide standard testing
1. Compare expected performance on statewide standardized testing as well as psycho-educational assessments with actual performance using the student’s daily classroom achievement.
2. Authentic assessments are also used in the comparison.
3. Use both formal, which would include standardized tests, and informal, which would include student’s class work, assessments
Conference with families about the student performance outside of the school (NEA.org, 2006).
- The family knows their child better than anyone.
- Language and cultural barriers will usually always come into play
- Be aware that identification is seldom pursued for students whose gifts and disabilities mask on another (NEA.org, 2006).
Services for twice exceptional learners, including LRE
Service options for the twice-exceptional learner are the instructional approaches, settings, and staffing necessary for the delivery of appropriate services.
B. Twice exceptional services must allow twice-exceptional learners to reach their full potential, which can best be accomplished through instruction that targets their giftedness while providing individualized special education interventions.
C. The IEP team must consider the unique characteristics of the individual student when determining the type, level and location of services (doe.virginia.gov, 2014).
Accommodations used for twice exceptional learners
Academic interventions should develop personal strengths and higher order thinking and reasoning skills of twice-exceptional learners (NEA.org, 2006).
- Educators should try numerous paths towards meeting students’ needs such as (NEA.org, 2006):
a) After school programs
b) Mentoring
c) Online learning
d) Interest based independent studies
Helping twice exceptional learners learn to accommodate and compensate for their weaknesses and or disabilities is also important (NEA.org, 2006).
1. One-way to do this is to promote hands-on learning across the students’ learning experiences (NEA.org, 2006).
2. To help the students see the big picture, educators make use of graphic organizers (NEA.org, 2006).
3. Teachers should implement differentiated instruction techniques (NEA.org, 2006).
4. Direct instruction in skills that are affected by the disability.
5. Modifications and accommodations.
6. Bolster autonomy, self-understanding, and self-determination.
Social/emotional issues can accompany students with gifts and disabilities. These can cause social strain and often mask their giftedness. To encourage success, it is important to help students overcome social/emotional issues such as feelings of failure, worthlessness, anger, depression, and isolation (NEA.org, 2006).
1. Create an emotionally safe learning environment (NEA.org, 2006).
2. Offer opportunities to develop health self-concept and envision positive personal future (NEA.org, 2006).
References
Wrightslaw.com (2014). A Guidebook for Twice Exceptional Students-Wrightslaw. Retrieved
from http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf
Idaho.gov (2010). Twice -Exceptional: Students with both gifts and challenges. Retreievd from
http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/gifted_talented/twice-exceptional/docs/2E%20Manual.pdf
NEA.org (2006). The Twice-Exceptional Dilemma. Retrieved from
http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/twiceexceptional.pdf
Virginia.gov (2014). Supporting the Identification and Achievement of Twice-Exceptional
Learners. Retrieved from http://www.virginia.gov/instruction/gift_ed/twice_exceptional.pdf