Identification of Twice-Exceptional Children
Twice-exceptional children were first identified as a special group in the 1970s, and nearly seventy thousand students have been classified as 2e since that time (Bracamonte, 2010). Despite the fact that researchers have been aware for decades that children can simultaneously possess learning gifts and disabilities, many schools are unaware of how to identify those students or what they need in order to be academically successful. A nationwide survey of school districts begun over a decade ago found that many school districts have neither identification procedures nor appropriate programs in place for 2e children. For the most part, “identifying students for gifted programs and identifying them for special education programs continue to be mutually exclusive activities” (Bracamonte, 2010).
Identifying a child who is both gifted and disabled is more challenging than identifying one with only a single exceptionality. As previously stated, twice-exceptional students display the attributes of both gifted learners and those with disabilities. Because of this, identification of 2e students is especially difficult as their strengths and weaknesses may disguise each other; these conflicting attributes create a unique learner that does not fit the profile of a gifted learner or one with disabilities. It is not uncommon for “students who demonstrate a substantial discrepancy between performance and ability [to be] diagnosed as learning disabled” (Baum & Owen, 2004, p. 11). Another issue is that teachers and school administrators are not typically trained to recognize the characteristics of a gifted child or one with a non-physical disability, much less one that has the traits of both.
Researchers have not isolated one attribute that can be used to identify a child as twice-exceptional, but they have developed a profile of indicators. These indicators include, but are not limited to, the following:
§ High performance on school screening tests for giftedness;
§ Poor performance on local/district assessments of student progress;
§ High scores on certain subsets of the Weschler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC), including spatial testing and pattern recognition;
§ Lower scores of WISC measures of processing and memorization (Bracamonte, 2010).
Clearly, inconsistency between classroom performance and standardized test results can be a strong indication of twice-exceptionality in learners. When trying to identify students that might meet the criteria for twice-exceptionality, researchers in gifted and special education have suggested certain considerations and the use of particular assessment methods. First, educators are advised to use a variety of tests, reports, and referrals for identification of students’ needs for gifted or special education services rather than relying on only formal assessments. Teachers should also make note of any significant discrepancy between a student’s classroom performance and assessments with that of standardized test results. When formal assessments and standardized tests are used, a combination of the scores should not be used for evaluation because “combining scores allows lower scores to depress the total score, thereby disqualifying students with strengths from gifted programs” (Virginia Department of Education, 2010, p. 9).
Identifying a child who is both gifted and disabled is more challenging than identifying one with only a single exceptionality. As previously stated, twice-exceptional students display the attributes of both gifted learners and those with disabilities. Because of this, identification of 2e students is especially difficult as their strengths and weaknesses may disguise each other; these conflicting attributes create a unique learner that does not fit the profile of a gifted learner or one with disabilities. It is not uncommon for “students who demonstrate a substantial discrepancy between performance and ability [to be] diagnosed as learning disabled” (Baum & Owen, 2004, p. 11). Another issue is that teachers and school administrators are not typically trained to recognize the characteristics of a gifted child or one with a non-physical disability, much less one that has the traits of both.
Researchers have not isolated one attribute that can be used to identify a child as twice-exceptional, but they have developed a profile of indicators. These indicators include, but are not limited to, the following:
§ High performance on school screening tests for giftedness;
§ Poor performance on local/district assessments of student progress;
§ High scores on certain subsets of the Weschler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC), including spatial testing and pattern recognition;
§ Lower scores of WISC measures of processing and memorization (Bracamonte, 2010).
Clearly, inconsistency between classroom performance and standardized test results can be a strong indication of twice-exceptionality in learners. When trying to identify students that might meet the criteria for twice-exceptionality, researchers in gifted and special education have suggested certain considerations and the use of particular assessment methods. First, educators are advised to use a variety of tests, reports, and referrals for identification of students’ needs for gifted or special education services rather than relying on only formal assessments. Teachers should also make note of any significant discrepancy between a student’s classroom performance and assessments with that of standardized test results. When formal assessments and standardized tests are used, a combination of the scores should not be used for evaluation because “combining scores allows lower scores to depress the total score, thereby disqualifying students with strengths from gifted programs” (Virginia Department of Education, 2010, p. 9).