Twice Exceptional Students
Students who are identified as "twice-exceptional" may have learning disabilities that mask their giftedness. These students may require different identification methods and program modifications to reach their full potential. It should not be assumed that students with disabilities cannot participate in gifted and talented programs. The National Association for Gifted Children has published a position statement regarding the twice-exceptional students.
Parent Resources:
2E Students: Who they are and what they need
Parent Resources from Renzulli
Tips for Parents: Parenting your Gifted Child with ADHD
This Tips for Parents article is from a seminar hosted by Megan Foley Nicpon, Ph.D. She discusses parenting the gifted child with ADHD, touching on key issues such as: Psychological testing, medication, and behavioral and educational interventions to consider.
Davidson Institute for Talent Development 2008
Behavioral and educational interventions to consider:
All Students
1. Implement a reward system for trying and maintaining organizational tools, such as assignment notebooks.
2. Involve your child in establishing motivators for positive behaviors. We all benefit from motivators. I am a runner, and I love to run. But, I work full-time and have two kids. Time is limited and I am tired a lot, so exercise seems to be the first to go. So, I typically register for a few races each season to keep me motivated to get myself out there to run. It is a motivator for me because I am competitive and want to perform well. The key to a successful reward program is finding out what is motivating.
3. Point out the positive behaviors that are exhibited, and emphasize the benefits of studying and obtaining good grades.
4. Consider structuring unstructured time. Have your child work with an aide to establish goals for the unstructured time – e.g., what parts of my homework will I accomplish during this unstructured time? Having your child participate and make his/her own goals will be important. Have these written out so that he/she can see them during the time.
5. Let your child break up his/her homework time into smaller chunks where he/she is “rewarded” with a 10 – 15 minute break after working for a set period. Of course, this system would need to be monitored initially, but hopefully with praise and positive results he/she would develop this method as a positive way to get his/her work done as he/she enters more independent environments (college or career). Sometimes setting a timer or having your child use a digital watch where he/she can self-monitor behavior helps regulate time on and off task.
Older Students
1. Approach the use of an organizational tool as a very “adult” thing to do, not something that is demeaning or for “dumb” people. Consider having a professional talk to your son/daughter about how he/she uses organizational tools to his/her benefit.
2. Normalize organizational tools – they are not for “stupid” people; rather, they can help “de-clutter” the brain of gifted people to allow for more creative activity to take place.
3. For middle school and high school gifted students with ADHD, this is the age where students typically don’t want to appear “different” or like they have any special needs. So, providing accommodations that are within a “normal” environment will likely be the most successful. This is also a time where students seem to have increased pressure for social status, and sometimes academics can be negatively affected by this shift in attention and focus. Normalizing the need to be social while emphasizing the need for attention to school, and rewarding this behavior, would be helpful.