Creating a Toolkit for Identifying Twice-Exceptional Students

Abstract

Best practices in the identification of the twice-exceptional point to the use of multidimensional assessment that outlines specific areas of strength and concern. Students who are twice-exceptional remain a misunderstood population in schools, thus making identification that much more difficult. The purpose of this study was to review the extant literature in the field of twice-exceptional studies and to design a plan for identification to be used by school districts. This article reports on Project O2E, a state-funded collaboration program that resulted in a toolkit for identifying students who are twice-exceptional. Also included in this article is a discussion of issues raised during the implementation of the toolkit.

Counseling Considerations for the Twice-Exceptional Client

“…Nevertheless, as the term twice‐exceptionality becomes more common in gifted education (Foley Nicpon, Allmon, Sieck, & Stinson, ), it continues to be relatively unfamiliar in other fields, including counseling (Foley‐Nicpon, Assouline, & Colangelo, ). Often, a lack of understanding of twice‐exceptionality may obstruct identification and service provision (Morrison & Rizza, ). That is, to intervene or accommodate, one must first understand what the problem is.…”

“…There is no single definition of twice‐exceptionality (Morrison & Rizza, ). Indeed, individuals with high cognitive ability who also have physical disabilities (e.g., cerebral palsy) or sensory deficit (e.g., visual impairment, deafness, hard of hearing) are also twice‐exceptional.…”

“…Some students who fall under the umbrella of twice‐exceptionality may have high overall ability and low academic achievement, others may have high achievement and ability with social and emotional concerns, and still others may have artistic or leadership talents with social and communication deficits. However, all will show differences between “potential and achievement” (Morrison & Rizza, , p. 63) that require attention to address the areas of strengths and vulnerabilities.…”

“…This assessment process should encompass quantitative (e.g., standardized assessment results) and qualitative (e.g., clinical interview) components and provide a set of recommendations for mental health professionals to consider. From a school‐based perspective, this entails inclusion of gifted educators and counselors in the identification process who understand how test data manifest among twice‐exceptional youth and who can examine both standardized and nonstandardized (e.g., interviews, rating forms, work samples) data that demonstrate students' talent domains and areas for growth (Foley‐Nicpon et al, ; Morrison & Rizza, ). Typically, twice‐exceptional students exhibit exemplary verbal and nonverbal reasoning abilities and reading and math achievement with less well‐developed writing, working memory, and processing speed skills; adaptive skills, social skills, and behavioral control are often considered underdeveloped.…”

The influence of perfectionism on mental health in gifted and twice-exceptional students

“…The presence of perfectionist tendencies may also impact how clinicians proceed with therapeutic work. Children who are perfectionists might be more resistant to the use of cognitive or behavioral strategies due to concerns about perfectionism within treatment (Mitchell, Newall, Broeren, & Hudson, 2013). In a study of 67 children with anxiety, Mitchell and colleagues (2013) found that while cognitive-behavior therapy initially showed positive outcomes with both self-and socially-oriented perfectionism, self-oriented perfectionists had less positive long-term outcomes.…”