Twice-exceptional students are more often than not profoundly misunderstood. It is not widely known that a student who is identified as gifted can also have a special need or disability. In the best of circumstances, the gift will mask the disability, and twice-exceptional students can “skate by” by compensating with their area of strength. Too often, the opposite is true, and the disability or learning difference masks the gift. The student may be labeled as a “behavior problem” or the focus will be placed on helping with the disability, but no attention will be paid to the advanced academic needs of the 2e student. Boredom can lead to anxiety and a long list of other issues.
According to NAGC, the National Association for Gifted children, 2e students “can be highly creative, verbal, imaginative, curious, with strong problem-solving ability, and a wide range of interests or a single, all-consuming expertise. However, at school, they may have difficulty keeping up with course rigor, volume, and demands--resulting in inconsistent academic performance, frustration, difficulties with written expression, and labels such as lazy, unmotivated, and underachiever. All this may hinder their excitement for school and be detrimental to their self-efficacy, self-confidence, and motivation.
2e students are bright, quirky, asynchronous, and often neurodiverse. They may have ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, or one or more of several other disabilities. They often require an IEP. They benefit from classes which are grouped by ability, and they do best with meaningful, rather than rote work.
I designed this beanie to build awareness of the 2e community. My hope is that as more people understand what it means to be 2e, that there will be greater acceptance of these wonderful, bright, quirky, unique students and an understanding of how much creativity they bring to the table.