Thoughts on Twice Exceptionality
On the first page of 2e Newsletter, readers will find a quote. It changes with each issue. These quotes offer insight into who twice-exceptional children are and what they have the potential to be.
"If parental love and support could combine with teaching excellence, administrative discourse, and the best of research available, we could find answers for our 2e children."
− Kiesa Kay"Too often the strengths and interests of GLD students are either unrecognized, seen but ignored, put on hold, or are irksome because they are the wrong talents for conventional school achievement."
− Susan Baum and Steven Owen"If a teacher can rescue the “hidden student” who has simply been buried under a barrage of never-ending irrelevant assignments, she will see miracles begin to appear."
− Marilyn Leuer"One of the great unrecognized dramas of childhood has been the struggle throughout history, sometimes spectacularly successful and other times dismally unsuccessful, of the unusual learner to find his best place in life."
− Edward M. Hallowell
"…there is also the question of what is the cost to society of not developing the potential of these children. We have to consider the cost in emotional suffering and the cost to society of not having the next Edison."
− Richard Weinfeld"What do we do to them to make them afraid and angry? There should be a conference on what the outside world is like rather than the children. How much is created by the environment and not innate in the child?"
− Annemarie Roeper"If a child is perceived and perceives himself or herself as disabled, that is what he or she will become. If the child’s self-concept is that of a person with both ability and disability, that very belief will both strengthen and assist him or her in overcoming whatever problems exist." − Marlene Bireley
"There is no requirement in education in the United States to focus on the individual. We’re going to lose twice-exceptional kids without having this focus."
− F. Richard Olenchak"Gifted children with learning disabilities who are seen as defective, in constant need of remediation, come to view themselves with shame and doubt….But when those closest to them honor their strengths and believe in their ability to fulfill their dreams, they are able to mobilize their will to succeed against all odds.
− Linda Silverman"In my field we say that change only comes when we become uncomfortable. 2e parents are uncomfortable and are, hopefully, making their schools uncomfortable. It's time for more parents to become so, because education needs to change."
− Melissa Sornik"Perhaps the most innovative thinkers include not only the ones with the greatest intellectual talents, but also the ones who blend that intellect with perceptive dysfunctions that allow them to function beyond the norm."
− Kiesa Kay"Educators who take the time to understand parents’ views of their child more readily recognize a child’s strengths and meet his or her needs. Parents who take the time to understand the teacher’s view of the child as a student more readily recognize a child’s weaknesses and work to develop skills."
− Edward R. Amend"Many of our greatest historical contributors in this world are individuals who would now be labeled LD in the public school system. In many cases, their gifts would have never been spotted and would have been crushed right out of them. Can you imagine?"
− Therese Clifford"The biggest mistake we make in life is to treat everyone equally when it comes to learning."
− Mel Levine".…[W]e should be more concerned with results than with trying to get everyone to learn things in the same way…. In some cases, the conventional educational system may eliminate many of those who have the greatest high-level talents, especially when these talents are predominantly visual rather than verbal."
− Thomas West"…just as we have an obligation to care for those with special hardships, we also have an obligation to do something…to encourage those with special talents. A society that ignores children with the most promise is no better than a society that shuns those with the least."
− Jonathan Last"School for the [2e] student is rarely a positive experience, but for the adolescent learner, it can be a nightmare….[T]hese students have remarkable gifts and talents that need development. When… engaged, their efficacy soars….On the other hand, [they] struggle with simple tasks like organization, writing, spelling, reading, or paying attention. In those times, students find themselves in survival mode fighting to stay afloat."
− Susan Baum, Mary Rizza, and Sara Renzulli (The Handbook of Secondary Gifted Education)"Labels are starting points, not destinations – and certainly not destinies."
− Fernette and Brock Eide"Learning differences are lifelong, and although they may create embarrassment or failure during school years, later on they may be part of personal charm."
− Priscilla Vail"While parents of all children who are not in the mainstream do not have an easy time in our society, the fact that 2e children’s disabilities mask their giftedness, and their giftedness masks their disabilities, makes it incredibly hard to get the “experts” to listen and to understand that you can’t just average the two and say this is an average child."
− Joan Affenit"These amazing children are not deficient; they are different. We would all do better to remember this and learn to embrace these differences for the benefit of us all."
− Cindy Little"In a time when giftedness is not valued in the United States, and exceptionalities are a problem because of high-stakes testing, 2e children have a twice-difficult time being identified, nurtured, and supported in the school system."
− Anonymous response to 2e Newsletter survey"It is a common mistake to take something exceptional as a defect." − Michael Piechowski
"Through a collaborative approach that emphasizes sharing their diverse perspectives, teachers and parents can invigorate the love of learning inherent in twice-exceptional students."
− Daphne Pereles
"I loved feeling special. I hated feeling special."
− Garrison Keillor
"There are no learning disabilities. There are only teaching disabilities. Each child wants to succeed and each child is successful on his own time line."
− Dr. Jane Snider"…I have come to believe that the children with the most phenomenal gifts often have severe deficits and that they compensate for these deficits in novel and unexpected ways."
− Amy Bailey
“‘Fairness’ is not equal, identical treatment; rather ‘fairness’ means that every student receives what he/she needs.”
− Richard Lavoie
Please note that all text, images, and other materials on this website (“Site Content ”) are the exclusive property of Glen Ellyn Media and intended for personal use only. You may not sell, reproduce, distribute, modify, adapt, repost or otherwise use any of the Site Content in any way for any public or commercial purpose without prior written consent of Glen Ellyn Media or the copyright holder. © 2008 Glen Ellyn Media.