Emotional Needs of Twice-Exceptional Children
Twice-exceptional children have different social and emotional needs than those of regular students. Faced with the challenges and frustrations of overcoming a disability while performing at a higher academic level than the average child, they must work harder to balance the high expectations of their parents, teachers, peers, and even themselves. Twice-exceptional children also appear to have difficulty with social relationships and may feel out of place or as if they do not “fit in”. These children need a strong support system in place to deal with the negative emotional effects of their exceptionalities: anger, resentment, disruptive behavior, fear of failure, fear of success, and low self-esteem.
Counseling, either in a group setting or one-on-one, is frequently recommended to overcome frustrations over the “psychological conflict in academically talented children who have difficulty achieving” (Bracamonte, 2013). Counseling support also shows 2e students that there are others who face similar challenges; this can eliminate feelings of isolation and help them acknowledge and accept their academic challenges.
Twice-exceptional students that have the appropriate support in place are more likely to attain a sense of competence and recognize that they will have to work harder than their peers to achieve the same level of success. According to Strop and Goldman (2002), “By arming these twice exceptional students with ways to compensate for their academic weaknesses, as well as the means to overcome typical emotional issues which can daunt them, they can be freed to achieve, to set high standards, and to succeed academically.”
Counseling, either in a group setting or one-on-one, is frequently recommended to overcome frustrations over the “psychological conflict in academically talented children who have difficulty achieving” (Bracamonte, 2013). Counseling support also shows 2e students that there are others who face similar challenges; this can eliminate feelings of isolation and help them acknowledge and accept their academic challenges.
Twice-exceptional students that have the appropriate support in place are more likely to attain a sense of competence and recognize that they will have to work harder than their peers to achieve the same level of success. According to Strop and Goldman (2002), “By arming these twice exceptional students with ways to compensate for their academic weaknesses, as well as the means to overcome typical emotional issues which can daunt them, they can be freed to achieve, to set high standards, and to succeed academically.”
Are Schools Meeting the Needs of 2E Students?
"While parents of all children who are not in the mainstream do not have an easy time in our society, the fact that 2e children’s disabilities mask their giftedness, and their giftedness masks their disabilities, makes it incredibly hard to get the “experts” to listen and to understand that you can’t just average the two and say this is an average child."
Joan Affenit
Joan Affenit
Effectively meeting the needs of twice-exceptional students requires the combined efforts of parents, teachers (regular classroom, special education, and gifted education), the school administration, and the school district. While there are relatively few statistics at this time about gifted/learning disabled students, the publishers of 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter conducted an online survey of educators, counseling professionals, and parents of twice-exceptional children regarding their support at school. The survey asked the newsletter’s readership to analyze how well schools are serving the needs of the 2e population. Parents were asked to gauge their confidence level regarding their child’s school and teachers in effectively addressing his or her academic challenges. Of the more than five hundred parents that responded to the survey, about half of them felt confident that their child’s school is doing everything it can do to serve their child’s exceptionalities (Glen Ellyn Media, 2007).
Educators, meanwhile, were asked about their preparation in gifted education, special education and disabilities, and instructing students who have been identified as twice- exceptional. They were also asked to indicate their confidence as to whether or not special populations at their school, including twice-exceptional students, were well-served.
The responses indicated that while teachers feel fairly confident in their training for gifted students and disabled students, they lack confidence in their school’s ability to meet the needs of students identified with combined academic giftedness and disabilities, shown in Figure 3 below (Glen Elly Media, 2007).
Publishers of the newsletters feel that the survey results indicate “a group of ‘lost’ children who are misunderstood and underserved” (Glen Ellyn Media, 2007). It is clear that, based on these results, school administrators and teachers need additional training in order to better serve and support twice-exceptional students.
Educators, meanwhile, were asked about their preparation in gifted education, special education and disabilities, and instructing students who have been identified as twice- exceptional. They were also asked to indicate their confidence as to whether or not special populations at their school, including twice-exceptional students, were well-served.
The responses indicated that while teachers feel fairly confident in their training for gifted students and disabled students, they lack confidence in their school’s ability to meet the needs of students identified with combined academic giftedness and disabilities, shown in Figure 3 below (Glen Elly Media, 2007).
Publishers of the newsletters feel that the survey results indicate “a group of ‘lost’ children who are misunderstood and underserved” (Glen Ellyn Media, 2007). It is clear that, based on these results, school administrators and teachers need additional training in order to better serve and support twice-exceptional students.