“It was a big surprise to us that he was really smart,” Choi says. His special needs (ADHD and then dyslexia) were identified after he was asked to leave his first preschool for his “behaviors,” which included not being able to sit in circle time.īut it wasn’t until Logan was turning 5 and had his first neuropsychological assessment that his parents realized his potential, when he scored in a very superior range in visual-spatial thinking, including perception, analysis and synthesis. This can translate into excellence in math, science and engineering. This was the case at first with Jenn Choi’s son, Logan, now 14. Then there’s the case of a 2e child who may have issues that overshadow his giftedness. They may eventually be diagnosed with a learning disability if they hit a wall when they reach later grades and expectations rise, or they may never receive the diagnosis and support they need. “When they’re reading, there are words that they don’t know how to decode but they use inferential reasoning and their overall cognitive capacity to kind of figure out what the missing word might be. Zamora, PsyD, a neuropsychologist at the Child Mind Institute. “Let’s take bright kids who have a reading disability,” says Adam S. One reason twice-exceptional kids are in danger of slipping through the cracks is that their schools are set up to help kids meet grade-level academic skills, and they may be on grade level, despite their challenges. In either case, anxiety, depression, a lack of self-esteem and emotional dysregulation can result, leading to behavior problems. If they’re placed in a special-ed program, it may not challenge them, and they may be frustrated and restless. If they’re in a gifted program, they may be floundering in a certain area. Once 2e kids are identified, it can still be difficult to get the supports these children need in school. In some cases, neither the disability nor the giftedness is recognized. Or the special needs can mask the giftedness. Gifted kids can use their strengths to compensate for the special need, and in the process mask their learning problems. They are gifted in some way but they also face learning or developmental challenges.Ĭhildren who are both gifted and challenged can be tough to understand. They’re called twice-exceptional, or 2e, which means that they have exceptional ability and disability. Then there are those with challenges that affect learning: They could have ADHD, dyslexia or dyscalculia, or perhaps they’re autistic or have sensory processing issues. But there are also kids who fit both categories. Some children are highly gifted in areas such as math, writing or music. When 2e kids are identified and supported, they do better in school and have higher self-esteem. The information they gather can then be used to get the child the right kind of support. These can help create a picture of your child’s strengths and weaknesses. The best way to see if a child is 2e is through a neuropsychological evaluation. If a child is extremely good at one or two subjects but behind in other subjects, that might be a sign that they are 2e. There is no universal standard for “giftedness.” It’s often up to individual schools to decide if kids are gifted. Or they might face a lot of criticism from parents and teachers for “not trying hard enough.” Kids who are clearly bright but struggling to keep up might be seen as lazy. When a child’s giftedness or disability (or both) are missed, it can have emotional and behavioral consequences. In either case, anxiety, depression, a lack of self-esteem, and emotional dysregulation can result, leading to behavior problems. If they’re placed in a special education program that’s not challenging enough, they can feel frustrated and restless. If they’re in a gifted program, they may fall short of expectations. Once 2e kids are identified, it can still be difficult to get the right support. This can also go the other way, with challenges hiding a child’s giftedness. Gifted kids may use their strengths to cover their struggles, making learning issues harder to spot. They are gifted but they also face learning or developmental challenges.Ĭhildren who are both gifted and challenged can be tough to understand. They’re called “twice-exceptional,” or 2e, which means that they have exceptional ability and disability. But there are also kids who fit into both categories. Others have learning challenges like ADHD, dyslexia or dyscalculia, autism or sensory processing issues.
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