{"id":120824,"date":"2020-10-29T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=120824"},"modified":"2023-03-08T09:43:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T09:43:56","slug":"2e-kids-twice-exceptional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/2e-kids-twice-exceptional.htm","title":{"rendered":"2e Kids – Do You Have a ‘Twice Exceptional’ Child?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By: US Department of Education<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n

Know your child is exceptional? But others can\u2019t<\/strong> see it because of a learning difference<\/a>? Or does your gifted child struggle in ways hidden by their talents? It\u2019s time to learn about 2e kids.<\/p>\n

What are ‘2e kids’?<\/h2>\n
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Twice exceptional children, or \u20182e kids\u2019, are outside the norm in two areas <\/strong>for their age range. They are on one hand gifted, but on the other hand have a learning or developmental challenge to deal with.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Unfortunately, one exception can often hide the other, and means<\/strong> your child may not get the support he or she needs. <\/span><\/p>\n

Gifted children can<\/strong> compensate in ways that hide their learning challenges. Or the educators and adults around them are so dazzled by the child’s smarts, they don’t even think to ask if the child is struggling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And children with learning differences<\/a> can feel too frustrated or<\/strong> misunderstood to try and their gifts are overlooked. Or they can not be given the opportunity to show their unique genius as it isn’t covered by their school’s curriculum.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is ‘twice exceptional’ a thing here in the UK?<\/h2>\n

\u00a0‘Twice exceptional’ is a term popular in America and<\/strong> around in educational circles since the 1990s. But in the UK it’s more commonly called ‘dual exceptionality<\/strong>‘ or even ‘multiple exceptionality<\/strong>‘.<\/p>\n

The charity Potential Plus UK estimates<\/span> <\/a>that up to 10 per cent of children with high learning potential have a unique educational need. Up to 5 per cent of children identified with learning challenges also have a high learning potential.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Examples of 2e kids in action<\/h2>\n

An example is a child recognised as extremely gifted, or even burdened with the label <\/strong>\u2018genius\u2019. They are often easily bored, rarely finish what they start, and tend to daydream instead of listen in class.<\/p>\n

If they are lucky, they might get recognised as also having<\/strong> attention deficit disorder (ADHD)<\/a> and be offered support. Otherwise, it can be seen as part of their unique genius, and can go overlooked until it sabotages<\/a> their potential and they become an\u00a0 underachieving adolescent<\/a> or adult.<\/p>\n

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photo by: Belinda Fewings<\/p><\/div>\n

Or a child could have dyslexia and dyscalculia, struggling with<\/strong> both reading and maths. They might be seen as \u2018unintelligent\u2019. Meanwhile, later down the line\u00a0 it\u2019s recognised they are highly gifted with understanding complex issues and explaining concepts.<\/p>\n

A study on children<\/span><\/a> with dyslexia published in\u00a0the Gifted Child Quarterly\u00a0<\/em>found 19 per cent of dyslexic students to be highly gifted in verbal reasoning.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Or perhaps your child is seen as autistic.<\/strong> Their brilliance with building complex structures isn’t recognised as it’s not something done in the classroom. They aren\u2019t recognised as actually gifted, or it brushed off as ‘part of their autism<\/a>‘.<\/p>\n

How do I know if my child is gifted?<\/h2>\n

Having a high IQ<\/a> doesn\u2019t always equate to excelling at school. Some children who are gifted find <\/strong>traditional ways of learning boring, so \u2018zone out\u2019. They hand in messy, half-hearted assignments. Or their minds might think in very creative<\/a>, wide ways that simply don\u2019t match traditional learning.<\/p>\n

And being gifted can take forms other than being intellectual.<\/strong> It can include creativity, perception, and highly attuned motor skills.<\/p>\n

Your child might might:<\/p>\n