Twice exceptionality, or 2e, is the recently-coined term for the intersection of learning disabilities (LDs) and giftedness in an individual. Typically, these learning disabilities encompass ADHD, ASD, and/or specific learning disorders such as dyslexia. Because giftedness may obscure or compensate for a student’s academic struggles, and because institutional fixation on disability may overshadow intelligence, twice exceptionality is often missed by teachers and other authority figures in a child’s life. Given the ongoing difficulties of screening for twice exceptionality, it is likely that many 2e students have gone unidentified throughout most of their academic careers, without receiving the accommodations that would most benefit their studies. Furthermore, 2e adults whose schooling predated widespread awareness of twice exceptionality are more likely to have been diagnosed later in life. The twin prongs of identification and intervention for 2e youth make up the bulk of studies in the field. Today’s 2e youth are better-identified, better-studied, and better-supported than any previous generation, but 2e adults remain an understudied population. In addition to the difficulties and contradictions inherent in twice exceptionality, late identification and lack of support are likely to have negatively impacted twice exceptional adults, both in and out of the classroom. The present study will examine the ability of 2e adults to effectively cope with stressors in their lives, as well as their current level of life satisfaction. Approximately fifty or more 2e adults will be recruited through email and social media, and via the disability department of a small liberal arts university. Participants will be asked about their diagnostic histories and their experiences with higher education, and will then complete the Satisfaction With Life Scale (Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S., 1985) and Coping Self-Efficacy Scale (Chesney, M.A., Neilands, T.B., Chambers, D.B., Taylor, J.M., & Folkman, S., 2006). Data will be collected and analyzed in March and April 2017. We hypothesize that there will be a relationship between the age of identification as twice exceptional and adult quality of life, operationalized by Satisfaction with Life and Coping Self-Efficacy. Additionally, we will explore the relationships between specific diagnoses and these variables, as well as factors of race and gender. This study will provide information on an underserved and understudied group, and we hope it will provide a deeper understanding of the needs and strengths of this population.
Twice exceptional (2e) | Education | Research Starters | EBSCO Research
<p>Twice exceptional (2e) refers to individuals, particularly students, who exhibit both exceptional abilities and disabilities. These learners may show outstanding talent in areas such as academics, creativity, or leadership while simultaneously facing challenges in areas such as reading, attention, or social interaction. Identifying twice exceptional individuals can be complex, as their strengths may obscure their weaknesses, or the focus may be disproportionately on one aspect of their abilities. This duality often leads to under-recognition, with many 2e students navigating educational systems without appropriate support.</p> <p>The concept of twice exceptionality gained prominence in the late 20th century as educators began to understand that high intelligence does not always equate to high performance across all areas. These individuals may struggle with neurobiological conditions like dyslexia, ADHD, or autism spectrum disorder, which can complicate their learning experiences. Traits such as perfectionism, sensory sensitivities, and uneven development further illustrate the unique challenges faced by twice exceptional learners. It is essential for educators and caregivers to recognize and nurture both the strengths and needs of these individuals to foster an inclusive and supportive learning environment.</p>
Understanding Twice-Exceptional (2e) in Adulthood
What Does “Twice-Exceptional” Mean, and How Does it Affect Adults in Professional Settings?
From gifted to high potential and twice exceptional: A state-of-the-art meta-review
Despite the abundant literature on intelligence and high potential individuals, there is still a lack of international consensus on the terminology and clinical characteristics associated to this population. It has been argued that unstandardized use of diagnosis tools and research methods make comparisons and interpretations of scientific and epidemiological evidence difficult in this field. If multiple cognitive and psychological models have attempted to explain the mechanisms underlying high potentiality, there is a need to confront new scientific evidence with the old, to uproot a global understanding of what constitutes the neurocognitive profile of high-potential in gifted individuals. Another particularly relevant aspect of applied research on high potentiality concerns the challenges faced by individuals referred to as "twice exceptional" in the field of education and in their socio-affective life. Some individuals have demonstrated high forms of intelligence together with learning, affective or neurodevelopmental disorders posing the question as to whether compensating or exacerbating psycho-cognitive mechanisms might underlie their observed behavior. Elucidating same will prove relevant to questions concerning the possible need for differential diagnosis tools, specialized educational and clinical support. A meta-review of the latest findings from neuroscience to developmental psychology, might help in the conception and reviewing of intervention strategies.
Lived experience of twice-exceptional adults
How educational programs can support the development of gifts and/or exceptional talents and the challenges faced by Autistic twice-exceptional students.
The 2e Advantage: A Systemic Guide for Understanding & Unlocking Twice-Exceptional Talent in the Modern Workplace
In today's competitive landscape, overlooking talent is a critical error. Twice-exceptional (2e) and neurodivergent individuals represent a significant pool of often untapped potential, possessing unique strengths alongside specific challenges.
ADHD and giftedness: a neurocognitive consideration of twice exceptionality
Current models of cognition and behavioral diagnosis emphasize categorical classification over continuous considerations of function and promote the "differential diagnosis" of various conditions according to observational criteria. However, an overemphasis on a purely behavioral, categorical approach to understanding human function fails to address the comorbidity of different disorders and does not include a consideration of overlapping levels of function, from "pathological" through "normal," to "gifted" or exceptional. The frequent co-occurrence of "gifted" and "pathological" function is thus difficult to understand from a corticocentric and purely behavioral and observational point of view. This article reviews "giftedness" in relation to the diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, coexistence of which is termed "twice exceptional." It additionally considers problems in assessing these functions using current neuropsychological tests and methodologies that are presumably based upon a corticocentric model of cognition.
Living With the Gift of Giftedness: An Exploratory Study on the Well-Being of Intellectually Gifted Adults
While it is now argued that intellectual giftedness is not causally associated with well-being, the individual and environmental determinants associated remain empirically underexplored. Trying to fill this gap, this study investigated potential risk and protective factors on the well-being and mental health of 219 Canadian intellectually gifted adults. Exploratory transversal analyses were conducted between 11 determinants frequently evoked in the literature on intellectually gifted individuals and hedonic well-being (positive/negative affect; ∝ = .85-.87; satisfaction with life; ∝ = .88), eudemonic well-being (existential crisis/meaning in life; ∝ = .76-.87; interpersonal connection; ∝ = 92) and psychopathologies. Results show that twice-exceptionality and lower socioeconomic status are risk factors for the development of psychopathologies, while being married/in civil union and having a higher perceived level of potential achievement are protective factors for hedonic and eudemonic well-being. Results are discussed in light of previous knowledge about gifted individuals.
Successful People With ADHD Superpowers
Explore stories of successful people who have harnessed their ADHD superpowers to achieve greatness.
The Missed Neurodiversity: advocate for recognition and resources for gifted individuals - BC Association of Clinical Counsellors
Note: This article includes additional questions and answers and supplementary resources from the Member Profile interview with Debbie Clelland, RCC, published in the Fall 2021 issue of BCACC’s Insights magazine. “When […]
Understanding Without Defectiveness:
Why Autistic Self-Ignorance Is Interference, Not Failure
Geniuses with Autism & Asperger's | Hidden Talents ABA
Discover 15 inspiring figures with Autism or Asperger's, showcasing their contributions and resilience throughout history.
How the hypercuriosity of ADHD may have helped humans thrive | Aeon Essays
ADHD isn’t merely a dysfunction. It’s best understood as an impulsive motivational drive for novel information
How the hypercuriosity of ADHD may have helped humans thrive | Aeon Essays
ADHD isn’t merely a dysfunction. It’s best understood as an impulsive motivational drive for novel information
Longitudinal Socio-Emotional Learning Intervention for Autism via Smartglasses: Qualitative School Teacher Descriptions of Practicality, Usability, and Efficacy in General and Special Education Classroom Settings
There is considerable demand for special education services for the over half a million students with autism in the United States. While assistive technology may augment educational services, its implementation is often prevented by a number of practical and attitudinal barriers. These barriers are especially pertinent for the newest and thus least familiar digital systems, such as computerized smartglasses loaded with specialized software modules. Computerized smartglasses are a technology that has already been shown to have an ability to deliver educational interventions through augmented reality. With this in mind, we sought to understand how school educators received and assessed the practicality of a smartglasses-based educational intervention in a single-subject study. The intervention was designed to aid with attention and social educational learning in autism. The intervention was delivered twice a day during a two-week study on a 13-year-old student with autism who was attending a mainstream middle school in Massachusetts. Three different school educators delivered the intervention: the student’s general education teacher, special education teacher, and paraprofessional. Educators recorded their attitudes, the practicality of the technology, and its impact on the student and their classroom through the use of a digital log and a series of in-person interviews. Overall, the school educators experienced a positive view of the smartglasses. The smartglasses intervention was found to be logistically practical to implement, easily usable by both the educator and student, and not time-consuming to learn or implement. Educators also identified the experience as being fun for the student, and felt that the student demonstrated improvement in his verbal and non-verbal skills. There were no adverse effects on the other students or the classroom, and the technology did not result in a distraction. These findings suggest that social skills interventions delivered by smartglasses may be practical, useful, and may lead to improvements in social communication skills. Further research on smartglasses may help to clarify the future role for augmenting special education in students with autism.
High intelligence: A risk factor for psychological and physiological overexcitabilities
High intelligence is touted as being predictive of positive outcomes including educational success and income level. However, little is known about the difficulties experienced among this population. Specifically, those with a high intellectual capacity (hyper brain) possess overexcitabilities in various domains that may predispose them to certain psychological disorders as well as physiological conditions involving elevated sensory, and altered immune and inflammatory responses (hyper body). The present study surveyed members of American Mensa, Ltd. (n=3715) in order to explore psychoneuroimmunological (PNI) processes among those at or above the 98th percentile of intelligence. Participants were asked to self-report prevalence of both diagnosed and/or suspected mood and anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and physiological diseases that include environmental and food allergies, asthma, and autoimmune disease. High statistical significance and a remarkably high relative risk ratio of diagnoses for all examined conditions were confirmed among the Mensa group 2015 data when compared to the national average statistics. This implicates high IQ as being a potential risk factor for affective disorders, ADHD, ASD, and for increased incidence of disease related to immune dysregulation. Preliminary findings strongly support a hyper brain/hyper body association which may have substantial individual and societal implications and warrants further investigation to best identify and serve this at-risk population.
Just a professor standing in front of BlueSky demoralized because exams my students used to get a mean of 83% on prior to 2020 are now failed in large numbers. It seems that their ability to APPLY concepts to new contexts/domains has all but disappeared. I love these students & I am worried.
