Twice-exceptional (2e)
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A twice-exceptional student is both gifted or highly able in some areas and has a disability that affects learning in others.
Topic: Disability categories and conditions
In plain terms
A 2e student might reason far above grade level but read slowly due to dyslexia, or be a strong writer with ADHD that makes starting work hard. Strengths can hide the disability, and the disability can hide the strengths, so these students are often overlooked for both services. High grades or test scores do not by themselves rule out eligibility.
How it shows up in an IEP
IEPs should name strengths as well as needs and target the specific skill gaps, while keeping access to advanced work. Some 2e students have both an IEP and a gifted education plan, depending on the state.
Example
A fourth grader reads at a high-school level but cannot produce more than a paragraph in writing. The IEP adds a written expression goal and speech-to-text, and the student stays in the advanced reading group.
The rule
Rules vary by state. Check your state's regulations and your district's procedures.
Related terms
- Specific learning disabilityA specific learning disability is a disorder in a basic learning process that affects listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling or math.
- ADHDADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) is a neurodevelopmental condition with patterns of inattention, hyperactivity or impulsivity.
- Eligibility determinationEligibility determination is the team decision, made after an evaluation, about whether a child has a disability under IDEA and needs special education.
- AccommodationAn accommodation changes how a student learns or shows learning, without changing what the student is expected to learn.
- Specially designed instruction (SDI)Specially designed instruction is teaching adapted in content, method or delivery to meet a student's disability-related needs.
On IEP Atlas
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