Gifted Children with Special Needs

Just being, educating, or parenting a gifted child is tough.  But some gifted children have other special needs - also know as Twice Exceptional gifted children.  These children may be gifted and ADD, gifted and dyslexic, gifted and just about any physical or learning disability you can imagine (and probably a few you can't).

Visit Twice Exceptional for articles and resources for all twice exceptional gifted kids.  Read What Does It Mean to Be Twice-Exceptional (2e)? and it's 2e References and Resources.  Then visit these detailed pages for information on specific second exceptionalities...

AD/HD is a tough one - some gifted children are diagnosed as ADD or ADHD instead of gifted, because they have difficulty sitting still and listening to the things they taught themselves years earlier.  Other children really are gifted and ADD.  The hard part is telling the difference. 

Asperger's Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism also appears more often in the gifted population than statistics might suggest.

Auditory Processing (APD) can be misdiagnosed as AD/HD. 

Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia are often misdiagnosed as underachievement among gifted children.  

Nonverbal Learning Disabilities... not quite Aspergers, but very complicated!

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) can co-exist with other twice exceptionalities. 

Sensory Integration (SI) may be across a fine line from "normal" gifted Sensitivities.

Visual Processing children with perfect visual acuity (20/20 vision) may still have problems with tracking, teaming, visual motor integration, and other vision components.

2e = Exceptional Squared! a laundry list of role models for us all!

Technology can often be used to facilitate twice exceptional children, reducing or eliminating the differences that might otherwise prevent them from participating in gifted education programs.  2E Products offer assistance products for twice exceptional children.  2E Books offers books on every aspect of twice exceptional children.

Individualized Education Profiles (IEPs), offers information on the Individualized Education Profile that is available as a resource in some states and provinces, and available more often for twice exceptional gifted children.

An Anomaly: Parenting a Twice Exceptional Girl and If Gifted = Asynchronous Development, then Gifted/Special Needs = Asynchrony Squared provide parent's perspectives on the Twice Exceptional gifted child.  Enabling Our Children is another parent's story, a story of being told that a child isn't Twice Exceptional, but lazy, when she's not!  And Enabling details not only the problem, but offers support and solutions.  Fitting In and Speaking Out is a boy's speech to his class, about his Asperger's Syndrome - don't miss any of these great articles!