Twice Exceptional Students by EUN Partnership aisbl

Aura, Romania

2023-09-18 14:57:21 UTC

twice exceptional students are special. they have a great power of concentration on topics of interest to them and are much more conscientious.

Edita, Lithuania

Edita_ — 2023-09-18 17:13:46 UTC

Encountering a potentially twice-exceptional student, I'd employ a holistic approach. First, careful observation and assessment are key. Open communication with the student, collaboration with parents, and professional evaluation would follow. An individualized plan, emphasizing strengths and addressing challenges, would be crafted. Additionally, social and emotional support would be provided, with regular monitoring and adjustments. Continuous professional development is essential to better identify and support these unique learners.

Miguel, Portugal

2023-09-18 17:15:49 UTC

Allison's experiences as a twice-exceptional student challenge the conventional understanding of giftedness and disabilities. Her story emphasizes the need to consider both strengths and challenges in identifying and supporting such students.
To better identify and support twice-exceptional students in my teaching context, I would adopt a comprehensive assessment approach, develop individualized education plans (IEPs), and use differentiated instruction. I've encountered similar students before, and my response involved collaboration with special education professionals and the implementation of strategies like extended time, alternative formats, and fostering self-advocacy.
In essence, recognizing and nurturing the unique blend of talents and challenges in twice-exceptional students requires a balanced and tailored approach to help them thrive academically and personally.

Vasiliki Dogani

2023-09-18 18:06:19 UTC

special activities, design thinking.
Make questions at class encouraging them

Aurora, Slovenia

aurora_calvet — 2023-09-18 18:15:06 UTC

I love this story. Allison was lucky to had a mother that was searching and searching. It is very difficult for parents and for teachers. If you are from a small village you only have one school and one teachers... and you don't get any of this support.

Minodora, Timisoara

minodoragiuchici — 2023-09-18 18:33:39 UTC

This story made me think off all my students with special treatment, all the ”problematic” students. I don t know if I meet twice-exceptional students in my classroom but I certainly can be more carefull about the abilities of my students.

Agnieszka, Poland

amuc — 2023-09-19 06:54:56 UTC

I find it new and interesting that the traits that the teachers sometimes notice in their students (like poor handwriting) may actually be a 'symptom' of being a twice-exceptional. It definitely takes a lot of time, effort and cooperation between parents, teachers, school administration, psychologists to support a student in such a situation.

Jorge Conde, Portugal

2023-09-19 09:47:29 UTC

Have you ever encountered a student who might be twice-exceptional?
Since last year, there is a student in one of my classes who is mildly autistic. In the beginning, I thought he would be stressed in the classroom or could not concentrate on learning English. As time went by, I understood he absolutely loved it. He's one of the top students. I did not disregard his needs as I gave him different activities, exercises, and ways to develop his skills, especially the social ones. This made me realize that there is something special in that student. Sometimes he's the only one who understands my dark humor and laughs a lot.

Maria, Greece

2023-09-19 15:17:58 UTC

I once had a very "difficult" student in the spectrum of autism who was extremely smart but had lots of the standard autistic behaviors. With a lot of patience at the beginning, both from me and the class, who were very supportive, this student gradually come to terms with the rest of the class and could function with less difficulty. We made adjustments in the way and managed to go on. However, it was a very powerful and quite hard experience.

Esra, Turkey

2023-09-19 16:15:30 UTC

I have a student who is both gifted and dyslexic. I provide him videos not written texts. We speak about the activity and then he creates the material or product I want. Not giving him texts and make him struggle works in my classes. He feels comfortable therefore he is more creative.

Dr.Njoud.Jordan

ajloun_rose — 2023-09-19 16:41:13 UTC

from my experince as a teacher in gifted schools in Jordan. better identify and support twice-exceptional .students in my teaching context, I adopt a comprehensive assessment approach, develop individualized education plans (IEPs), and use differentiated instruction. I involved collaboration with special education professionals and the implementation of strategies like extended time, alternative formats.

Mariana, Romania

m_gaiu — 2023-09-20 06:53:39 UTC

We need to be extremely observant in order to identify the special educational needs of our students and thus make the most of their potential.

Vasiliki Kalantzi

2023-09-20 14:33:57 UTC

A true story... many people could share similar experiences. A mother can understand and feel the needs of her child more than anyone else. Alice was very lucky to find the support she needed from her school

Despoina, Greece

2023-09-20 16:06:02 UTC

I have met a student who I suspect is twice-exceptional I am currently his teacher. I find it very challenging to cater for his needs as I have to consider the bigger picture and take all the class into account. However, I try to give him as much freedom as I can, so that he can express himself.

Alex, Italy

2023-09-20 17:02:59 UTC

I met a boy who is evidently a twice-exceptional student. I taught him for three years and I was well aware he was really talented, although he lacked motivation. I tried my best to earn his trust and make him shine as a student. Sometimes, I think adolescents need to feel teachers are willing to get in touch with them and listen to them. Unfortunately, the subject I taught didn't meet his interests. He knew he was good and that he could have worked harder but he simply didn't care.

Carmen García, Spain

2023-09-21 14:29:47 UTC

It has been a fantastic story. I didn't know about these twice exceptional students! It is amazing that there are programmes specialized on them.

v.dogani

2023-09-21 16:12:14 UTC

they are gifted and no one understand them

ANNA, GREECE

2023-09-21 17:07:38 UTC

It' s the first time i hear about Twice Exceptional Children. I thought there were only gifted children or only children with autism. Now I'm learning that these two can coexist.

Vasiliki, Greece

2023-09-21 17:18:08 UTC

I was happy to read that Allison got what she needed and moved on. I didn't even know there was the term "twice-exceptional students".
It's a pity that in Greece, as far as I know, there aren't such supportive classes.
And how am I supposed to give exceptional teaching to such students having in mind also the other ones in class?
I avoid giving different activities since this would lead to isolation perhaps. But I do try to build self esteem. I support my students' social skills having them work in groups.

Brana , NMacedonia

bibrana — 2023-09-22 11:04:33 UTC

Te critical point is identification, so that we actually know how to act and prepare developement academic plans and social strategies .With no navigation it could very challenging .

Anna P., Greece

2023-09-22 16:02:17 UTC

I believe that cases where giftedness is combined with learning difficulties or ADHD need special attention, as misinterpretation is very likely: that is, teachers and parents cannot easily understand how it is possible that a child so "smart" cannot cope with relatively simple requirements (spelling etc.) or cannot concentrate etc. Such weaknesses are often seen as a choice (indifference, laziness) of the child, so that they lead to confrontation with the child. It certainly needs a lot of understanding and specialised treatment.
(I also agree particularly with Edita's post...)

Renata, Slovenia

renata_jakic — 2023-09-22 17:11:10 UTC

I might have one without even realizing it. I see the challenge in the fact that teachers lack awareness about twice-exceptional students.

Sofia, Greece

spoulioti — 2023-09-23 05:48:57 UTC

When I read about twice exceptionalism I thought that maybe my daughter belong to this group of people. She is on the spectrum and she was able to do additions of 3-digit numbers from the kindergarten years. And not only that. I didn't know about twice exceptional children. And I am glad I took this course so I can learn more and help her flourish. In my classroom I will be very carefull to recognise these features in my students. Unfortunately, I don't thinlk that in Greece we have a program for twice exceptional children. If someone knows something else I would like to know.

Milena

2023-09-23 11:30:13 UTC

I might have had a twice-exceptional student in the past years, but sadly they continued on unrecognized. In this case, as seen from the journal, the collaboration among the parents, the teacher and the school is very important. Individual approach and differentiated instructions are necessary.

Marija, Croatia

marcagrh — 2023-09-23 18:03:09 UTC

I might be having a twice- exceptional student in my third grade. He has a form of ADHD but speaks English great. His behaviour has improved- he doesn't interrupt the lesson that much any more- but I somehow think there is so much more in him. The problem is that his mind wanders- he speaks to himself loudly while playing the game known only to him. Then there is a fact that I only spend 90 min weekly in that class. In my case, I feel that those students do not receive proper attention and support from the school services. I would mind some support either.

Visnja, Croatia

visnjavezmarovic — 2023-09-23 18:03:29 UTC

I really think that Allison was very lucky to live in an organized state where administration does its job and tried to help. In Croatia there are many twice exceptional students but they are required to learn tradittionally and in formal schools. School system is pretty bad here.

Araceli, Spain

alopezma — 2023-09-24 08:50:19 UTC

I've never heard before about twice exceptional students and I am really glad I have come across Allison's story as it will help me identify students with dual exceptionaliites.

ANA, SPAIN

anarociolucas — 2023-09-24 17:28:47 UTC

In my country, we have many laws related to all kind of students and we take into account all our students necesities. The laws are there although we need more professional staff to be able to develop them. Maybe in the future...

Kerim, Turkiye

2023-09-24 19:22:37 UTC

Twice exceptional students are really hard to define. After parents, we teachers must do best to reveal their gifts. I am happy with Alison's experience.

Amaya, Spain

2023-09-24 21:51:03 UTC

I haven't had in my classroom diagnosed as twice-exceptional students. Yes, I have had students with different talents and some type of disability or syndrome (Asperger's, ADHD, dyslexia, etc.) that now that I think about it, their intellectual abilities may have been masked by the diagnosed syndromes and we may have focused more on those aspects of their education. It has opened my eyes to a new concept of twice-gifted and now I will pay even more attention to detect these exceptional cases.

Ana

anne_marie_ins — 2023-09-25 18:28:21 UTC

It's the first time I heard about twice exceptional children.

Ekaterina Ashikyan, Bulgaria

eashikian — 2023-09-26 08:41:46 UTC

So far in my practice, I have not had a case of twice-exceptional children, or at least I have not recognized them as such. In Alison's story, her parent is actually a key factor. I think that I am convinced once again how important and working the relationship between teacher-child-parent is.

Monica, Romania

arotariteimonica — 2023-09-26 17:36:03 UTC

It is the first time I have heard of such a concept. Personally I have never encountered such a situation.

Irene, Greece

milirene4 — 2023-09-26 17:54:36 UTC

Many years ago i had a student in my classroom who was very talented. At the age of 6 he knew many things about history and physics. He was really perceptive and could talk about everything he was interested in. At the same time he was dyslexic and couldn't read and write well. During the lesson he was yawning and his attention was constantly distracted.

Fabio, Italy

2023-09-26 18:32:51 UTC

I have never met twice-exceptional students. However, in light of what we have learned from Allison's story it is reasonable to think that in our teaching practice we actually encounter children who need our sensitivity and our ability to provide adequate stimuli

Bettina, Germany

2023-09-27 18:50:28 UTC

Reading this article made me nod my head: Yes, sounds familiar. Many of our students struggle with being twice exceptional and it is not only a challenge for them, but also for their teachers.

Ana, Portugal

2023-09-28 18:30:40 UTC

The possibility of twice exceptional students existing was unknown to me until last year. My own son was diagnosed with double exceptionality, but not by the school. I started to investigate the subject further and try to understand if my students had similar cases. What happens is that students are diagnosed only because of their difficulties and their exceptional area, if it exists, ends up being forgotten.
But I remember at least two cases.
A 13-year-old student, diagnosed with dyslexia, who could not read and had difficulty writing. I chose to place another student next to him, just to read. The boy revealed that he had excellent reasoning, he was exceptional at mental calculation and began to carry out non-adapted assessments, just reading statements, and obtained excellent results. He was never evaluated for giftedness.
The other case was a student with bad behavior, diagnosed with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, who did not take the material in class. I chose to ignore this behavior and approached him trying to increase his self-esteem. In my classes he participated, only orally, and responded correctly to the questions asked, always being one of the first to solve problems that involved more reasoning. He carried out the assessments and had excellent results. One way to motivate him was to investigate mathematical curiosities and more complex problems. He also never tested for giftedness.
Schools, teachers and inclusive education teams need to be more aware of the existence of these students, so that the difficulty is not allowed to drown out the exceptionality.

Lidija, Croatia

2023-09-29 11:04:50 UTC

I have never met such a student, but I ma not sure if I missed one. This is a very difficult job for a teacher or school to recognize. That's way the key is the collaboration of the parents and teachers - parents will be the first to recognize the giftedness and the disabilities and they have to be open to work with the teachers.

Ruth, Ireland

2023-09-29 20:59:19 UTC

I found it particularly interesting to consider that students' giftedness may mask their disabilities. I can definitely think of students who would fit this profile.

Alfonsina, Italy

2023-09-30 19:30:52 UTC

I've never had, in my classroom, a student that was diagnose as twice-exceptional, but for sure I met some students with disability but also with some talent. I think that, especially for these student, it's really important to support them trying to enhance their skills and talents, in order to give them opportunities educational success and fulfillment in adult life.
In Italy we don't have special classes (like the one Allison is attending), they're not allowed by law. But I think that we've others good ways to support these students.

Nefeli, Greece

Nepheli_S — 2023-09-30 20:33:00 UTC

Last year I had a student on the Autism Spectrum but also with impressive knowledge, skills and diverse interests. We approached the psychologist and the school's social worker in order to inform the student's family about it. However, his family belongs to a low socio-economic group, faces various difficulties and found it difficult to meet his needs.

Ioanna, Greece

myetwinningclass — 2023-10-01 20:35:31 UTC

First time I came across a twice exceptional student was about 10 years ago. He was a 3rd grader then and he also faced dyslexia and dysgraphia. I remember him focused on his drawings, which were really marvellous, but it was impossible for him to focus on the lesson. I was young then and I got frustrated every time his mum was telling me that he had a high IQ score. I couldn't perceive it. Ten years later, this boy - as a high school student- managed to save a few people during one of the most disastrous fires in Athens. I don't know if I had had him as a student now, whether I would be able to help him in learning. Unfortunately the educational system makes you lose the point of this fantastic job: to help children and not to race for finishing the year schedule.

Elpida Semertzidou, Greece

2023-10-02 09:16:55 UTC

Special activities, Making Questions

Iva, Croatia

2023-10-02 20:08:42 UTC

There is a student who is highly gifted but also has emotional and behavioural disorders. I have to say that it was extremely difficult in the beginning for me but also for him. But little by little, with a lot of help from our pedagogue I've learned ways to help him express himself. The key point for him is not to pressure him into something he doesn't want to do, always offer him a range of activities to choose the ones he likes, be open to discuss things, allow him to have a "time-out" when needed...

Aleksandra, Serbia

2023-10-04 13:11:25 UTC

I haven’t heard about this term before, and probably such children are not so lucky to be perceived and taken care of as those from Scottsdale. But the good news is that people are now aware of this phenomenon which brings new perspective for these children.

Anabela, Belgium

2023-10-04 14:01:02 UTC

I believe that is the biggest challenge in responding to giftedness: identifying 2e pupils. The difficulties/disabilities mask the exceptional abilities in other domains. Teachers are not aware and trained to do so. And in big classes with multiple learning profiles it is even more challenging. There is a lack of conditions, namely time and knowledge to respond adequately.

Olja, Serbia

2023-10-04 18:29:27 UTC

This term is still not recognised in our school system, which is a pitty. There are probably lot of twice exceptional students, but there is no special education for them in my town. We should all reconsider that it is high time to make some changes

Iolanda,Italy

2023-10-05 09:04:47 UTC

I've never heard a diagnosis of double exceptionality before. Furthermore, Allisson's special class would be banned in our country. I believe that the full potential of these students can be hidden behind the diagnosis, labeling them as 'problem' students. Fortunately, we teachers are becoming increasingly aware of their talent and intellectual brilliance, which should be supported and helped to flourish. It would be helpful for their self-esteem and well-being at school.

Emiliana, Italy

emiliana_rufo — 2023-10-05 15:10:50 UTC

First time I have heard about twice exceptional students.

Tina, Croatia

2023-10-05 19:17:49 UTC

I have never heard about twice exceptional students and yes we have problem to identify them.

Amanda, Kosovo

2023-10-07 06:56:41 UTC

This student was lucky. I have heard about (and am) twice exceptional students. While it was nice for the students in this district, I don't see this additional classroom as a feasible option for any school in the areas I have taught in Europe. These schools struggle to have qualified teachers, suffer from a lack of funding, and the teachers aren't paid well enough to do anything extra (in my opinion) even if they want to.

At my school, we serve these students in class, but while we are the best option for many families, we are not professionally trained in twice exceptional children and are probably underserving these children.

Melita, Croatia

2023-10-09 09:08:32 UTC

I didn't have a student like that. It is a serious job for a teacher to recognize such a student, and also important is the cooperation of everyone in the system, from teachers, parents, professional servant. Having such a doubly exceptional student is a big challenge.

Lucica, România

lucy87ot — 2023-10-09 19:34:32 UTC

I read the story, Alisson was lucky. The term twice exceptional is new to me.

Marina, Portugal

2023-10-10 15:33:13 UTC

I thinks people tend to look to twice exceptional students from the disability point of you and they have to struggle, sometimes, to "prove" their exceptionality.

Cecilia - Italy

ceciliamancini — 2023-10-11 16:05:01 UTC

I have never heard of twice exceptional students, for us they are students with "special needs", because we put the emphasis on the need and not on labeling the student with one term or another. Every child. on the other hand, it has its specificities.

Silvana,N.Macedonia

sk437179 — 2023-10-11 19:52:35 UTC

This is the first time I've heard about twice exceptional students. Alison was very lucky to support the environment in which she lives by opening such a class. I believe that in every country there should be an urgent awareness raising among people about the existence of such students and the obligatory introduction of classes that will work with such students with a special program adapted to developing their talent.

Dijana, Croatia

2023-10-12 09:33:03 UTC

As I read the article I can think of some of my students as twice exeptional. But, also, in our system they are labeled as the students with disabilities and are focused in their special needs. It is sad that we do not have special programmes for twice- exeptional students in our country.

Tanja, Slovenia

2023-10-13 19:12:42 UTC

in our area such children are not recognized like gifted and talented, it usually gets stuck on special needs and deficits, so the system don't even realize how talented they are. Allison was lucky in her place

Georgiana,România

2023-10-15 13:33:54 UTC

I don”t heard about twice exceptional students. I think exist the problem in a identify them.

Rocío González,Asturias, Spain

magnus179s — 2023-10-15 16:42:22 UTC

I have never heard about the term twice exceptional students . As I was reading the article some of my students came to my mind. I have met bright students with dyslexia and bright students on the Austism spectrum. It is difficult to help them, teachers need help and collaboration from special needs teachers.

Nesrin, Türkiye

nfkurt3333 — 2023-10-16 18:51:17 UTC

I am in a science and art center where gifted people are. It is very interesting indeed. I have students with two diagnoses. I agree with masking. I see that they shine on some relevant issues and sometimes they have emotional and focus problems on very small events. The more I work with them, the more I understand that they are very special.

katyfour_ne — 2023-10-16 20:24:20 UTC

I prefer talking of multi exceptional!

delbravos — 2024-03-02 14:44:59 UTC

The article is interesting. I am reflecting on the fact that in Italy we work with a unique class in which we have a lot of diversity at the same time. The problem of some gifted is the lack of attention (gifted+ADHD) which makes it very difficult for teachers to grasp the giftedness which remains in the shadows compared to the problems in relations with others. I think that multitasking and ovrestimulations, in these cases, could increase the problem.