Twice Exceptional Students

An exceptional student is defined as any child who requires special instruction or related services to take full advantage of an educational program. Exceptionalities can be physical, mental, emotional, social, or educational. Students with disabilities along with gifted students are considered to be exceptional, gifted students are known as “twice exceptional” or “2e”. These children are considered exceptional both because of their intellectual gifts and because of their special needs. Gifted student’s learning needs can
It is common for twice exceptional students to find school frustrating and deal with low self-esteem. Twice exceptional students have been categorized in three ways; students who are gifted but also have subtle learning disabilities,

Gifted students can suffer from self-esteem issues from bullying. This can lead to a child with depression and a lack of confidence. 2e learners may face difficulty making and/or keeping friends. In order to boost a child’s esteem and assist in the friend making process, the child can connect to his or her peers through sports and outside activities. Twice exceptional students may also face guilt for having intellectual gifts that their peers do not possess. Teachers with gifted students can help a child with this problem by asking them to volunteer to assist a fellow student in an area they may be struggling in. On the other hand, some gifted students may struggle with perfectionism. This can be an issue for a student because in striving for perfection can be time consuming, tiresome, and in extreme cases, bad for one’s health. Along with perfectionism comes unrealistic expectations. Twice exceptional students have a tendency to be harsh critics of themselves. To deal with perfectionism and unrealistic expectations, parents should avoid correcting every small mistake the child makes. Many gifted learners struggle with organization and attention. These students may become frequently distracted and have messy work spaces. Teachers and parents can encourage organization by using written charts and calendars to aid in tracking the student’s homework assignments and progress. Gifted students may come off as energetic children but they often become exhausted quicker than their peers. Parents should make sure their child is eating well at home and at school as well as getting enough