Strategies for Supporting Students Who Are Twice-Exceptional

Abstract

Students with disabilities have complex learning needs. It wasn't until the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) that federal attention was pointed towards students who are both gifted "and" have a disability. This concept, known as twice-exceptionality, is a difficult concept to fully comprehend as the characteristics of these students can be complicated. Reis, Baum, and Burke (2014) define twice-exceptional (2e) students as those who have simultaneous characteristics of a gifted student and a student with a disability. In this article, the authors identify evidence-based strategies that teachers should consider when supporting and instructing 2e students in the elementary, middle, and secondary grades. After a brief explanation of each strategy, examples of specific classroom applications of these ideas are shared.