Lori J. Flint, Ph.D., flintl@ecu.
edu
Tara L. Jeffs, Ph.D., jeffst@ecu.edu
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
College of Education
East Carolina University
WHO
Contrary to popular belief, being gifted does not
correlate with being perfect, which means gifted
children can have virtually every disability other
children can, except for being mentally handicapped
(MH). Being bright and having a disability frequently
means being painfully aware of your own imper-
fections, and possessing a strong desire to not stand
out for them. When students are intellectually and
academically capable, with numerous strengths, but
also areas where assistance is necessary with either
subject matter or self-regulation to help them
achieve to their potential, we refer to them as being
twice exceptional (2E).
Many students are intellectually and academ-
ically capable, with numerous strengths, yet also
need to learn survival skills to carry him or herself
safely through school and beyond. Interventions for
these and other gifted-and-otherwise-abled children
must factor in that these are people who are gifted
first, so by definition have strengths that can be
harnessed to remediate their relative weaknesses.
WHY
With being gifted often comes a lack of
tolerance for work that is low-level, rote and,
repetitive, and a lack of patience for those who would
intervene with good intentions but boring tasks. And,
because they are children, they like many of the
same things other kids do: cell phones, PDA’s, iPod,
computers, smart pens and the like.
The next point is a tricky one: most gifted
students are like their peers and do not wish to stand
out by seeming different from other students, though
a few will do everything possible to set themselves
apart from the crowd. Knowing a particular child’s
stance on the topic will help students, parents, and
educators make the best possible choices for
assistive technology for a student who is twice
exceptional. The best tools or techniques for a child
with dual exceptionalities are never one-size-fits-all,
but those that, instead, take into account the
particular child’s needs and interests and help them
function in their particular environment with an
appropriate degree of visibility.
WHAT & HOW
Student needs for assistive technology can fit into
two broad categories: self regulation (or survival skills)
and specific subject area needs. Technology can be
used to assist students in either or both of these areas.
No matter what the particular needs, when
working with gifted children with other exceptionalities,
it is particularly important that all interventions be
interest and/or strength-based.
Because gifted schoolchildren grow up to become
gifted adults with the potential to contribute
significantly to society, interventions, tools, and
techniques must also be authentic and readily
translatable to the world in which the student exists,
and not just some contrived SOMETHING to say we did
it.
When we teach survival skills early on, these
become embedded in the person and can be carried
with them into college and then the workforce.
ACCESS vs. BARRIERS
Because we have ready access to multiple levels of
technology, we tend to assume others do, too. But,
before we attempt to fit technological assistance to a
child, we must collaboratively assess the student’s
access to technology. That is, do they have Internet
access? What kind? A home computer? Computer
literate parents? A telephone? Cell or land-line, or both?
A needs’ assessment can help us readily identify which
assistive technologies are and are not viable in a
particular situation.
Because all children have the right to a free,
appropriate public education (FAPE), money should
never be a barrier to assistive technology for any child.
In a perfect world, this is so, but in today’s world, it
frequently is. Knowing what resources are available in
the schools, community, and student’s home can help
remove barriers that might interfere with their getting
the help they need.
For handouts, , and further information, see: http://atdoctor.blogspot.com/
MAKING IT WORK
Successful use of technology to assist twice
exceptional students is not only based in strength,
it also utilizes other principles of Universal Design
for Learning. UDL includes providing students with
multiple tools to ensure success, matching tools
with tasks, distinguishing between compensation
and remediation, and removing barriers to access.
One-size-fits-all is not an option when working
with twice exceptional students. A carefully
designed program of intervention considers UDL,
access to resources, advocacy, student interest and
LOTS of creativity! There is no limit to the ways in
which we can use AT to help gifted children with
exceptionalities, provided we keep a few factors in
mind.
 A team approach is especially pertinent to
successful use of assistive technology with twice
exceptional students.
 Advocacy must be available, especially when
implementing out-of-the-box solutions.
 The most important person on that team is the
student! Why? Because the AT team can
recommend all the technology in the world but if
the student does not choose to buy into it, no
benefits can ever come.
ON THE HORIZON
Flexible student-focused learning centers, micro
devices and ultimate social/learning communities
are on the horizon. In a world where technology
and information move at warp speed, it works to
everyone’s benefit to harness these and direct
them in appropriate and engaging ways, which
means being inclusive for many learners rather
than exclusive to just a few.
Every time responsive educators and
advocating parents push to place technology in
the hands of their twice-exceptional students,
they take one step closer to being relevant in the
21st century. No where but in our schools are
people expected to function with primitive
technologies that not only do not get the job
done, but actually impede progress.
MORE INFORMATION
A Guidebook for Twice Exceptional Students. Montgomery County, MD.
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/ enriched/gtld/docs/
Twice%2520Exceptional.pdf
Baum, S., & Owen, S. (2003). To be gifted and learning disabled:
Strategies for helping bright students with LD, ADHD, and more.
Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
Closing the Achievement Gap for Students Who Are Twice Exceptional:
Preparing Ohio Schools to Meet the Needs of Gifted Students with
Disabilities. Ohio Department of Education. www.ode.stae.oh.us
>Learning Conditions >Gifted Education >Resources and Tools for
Gifted Education.
Iowa Department of Education: Access to assistive technology. http://
www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=572&Itemid=1607
Jensen, E. A fresh look at brain-based education. Phi Delta Kappan, 2008.
http://lz95.org/msn/faculty/jclemens/A%20Fresh%20Look%20at
%20Brain2.pdf
Johnson, L. J., Karnes, M. B., & Carr. V. W. (1997). Providing services to
children with gifts and disabilities: A critical need. In N. Colangelo &
G. A. Davis (Eds.), Handbook of gifted education (2nd ed., pp.
516-527). Needham Heights, MA:Allyn and Bacon.
Kokot, S. J. (2003). Diagnosing and treating learning disabilities in gifted
children: A neurodevelopmental perspective. Gifted Education
International, 17, 42-54.
Morrison, W., Jeffs, T., & Rizza, M. In Montgomery, D. (ed). (2009). Able,
gifted and talented underachievers. UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
Siegle, D. (2005). Using Media & Technology with Gifted Learners. Waco,
TX: Prufrock.
Twice exceptional. http:// www.hoagiesgifted.org/twice_exceptional.htm
Twice exceptional students: Gifted students with disabilities. Colorado
Department of Education. www.cde.state.co.us/gt/download/pdf/
TwiceExceptionalResourceHandbook.pdf
Universal Design for Learning. http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/
Image from http://www.cast.org/research/udl/index.html