Twice Exceptional

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My dd is 8, just finished first grade and we just did a neuropsych evaluation of her. We have learned that she is extremely smart and also has an attention disorder. We don’t have the final report yet but this is what the psychologist explained. I was speaking with a friend who has older kids and she told me this is called Twice Exceptional. I hadn’t heard that term and wonder what others who have kids who are twice exceptional might be able to share?

My DS has ADHD-inattentive, some reading processing & tests 'gifted.' Similar experience to some others where the gaps between where he has some deficits/limits and what where he is on areas of strength are even more noticeable, pronounced, and frustrating for him. I think the biggest value of having the testing done is to be able to recognize how you can help provide support in the areas needed - for the areas where the are challenged and to not be held back in the areas where they can excel. Doing the neuropsych testing was invaluable for being able to understand how to support my kid, and also how to make him understand his brain works in certain ways, where he might have to learn xx differently than some kids (in both ways) which helps get out of the 'i'm stupid' etc trap to some degree. I also have a husband who is bright (ie. tested 'gifted' as a child) and has ADD, and grew up in an era without all the recognition or potential accommodations -- and I'd say the best thing you can do to help a kid with ADD is to work on managing some levels of organization, routine, and mindfulness.

And, just to note also as some others have, testing 'gifted' doesn't automatically translate into some markers of success or achievement, just like ADHD is not a 'sentence' of any kind.

Exactly- I think it's important to stay balanced and humble- I recall being very focused on my son's intellect when he was younger because his academic/intellectual milestones were out there by years. Over time, I have learned that there are a lot of indicators of success- diligence, follow through, emotional and social intelligence, resilience and taking intellectual risks, etc. Peers who are exceptionally bright but probably don't have DS's intellectual gifts but possess these critical qualities and are smart enough to achieve what they want to on top of it- strike me as highly capable. It's given me a new appreciation of how intellect is one influencer of success-- but how my son would have benefited equally, perhaps more, from a stronger social/emotional or twice exceptional program at school.
There was even a recent thread where a mom asked why her son wasn't invited to the gifted program at his school, and she listed his qualities of maturity, confidence, and leadership-- while these qualities don't indicate intellectual gifts, it amazed me how dismissive other parents were of personal traits that will take this kid far in life. When child *is* intellectually gifted, but struggles with these other skills, it's abundantly clear how important these other skills are- soapbox, I know, but some perspective on twice exceptional.

Apologies for the grammatical errors! I'm a terrible self-editor.