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Doubly exceptional children are gifted but also have learning disabilities, which can be overlooked or misunderstood. These children may struggle with recognition, achievement, and failure, and their unique needs require support from educators, parents, and professionals who can celebrate their natural gifts while addressing their learning disabilities.
Doubly exceptional children are gifted children who also have learning disabilities. They present a unique challenge in education and child rearing, as many people are not used to the idea that a person can be gifted while also being disabled. One of the most common problems that doubly exceptional children face is lack of recognition, meaning their unique needs are not addressed. When that happens, a twice-great kid can fall through the cracks and fail to realize his or her full potential.
Indeed, learning disabilities are not uncommon in people who are unusually gifted. For example, a child may be an extremely talented reader, but may lack math and logic skills, or a child may be able to compose a symphony, but is unable to write his or her name. Some disabilities are actually linked to talent tendencies, as is the case with conditions like Asperger’s Syndrome, dyslexia, and autism.
Twice exceptional children can present themselves in a variety of ways. In some cases, the child’s gifts can compensate for the learning disability, essentially hiding the disability. In this situation, a twice-great child may find schoolwork easy or even boring until he or she encounters a major obstacle, in which case the learning disability manifests. This can be seriously detrimental to the child, as they may not receive early support to deal with the learning disability, and the child may also struggle with difficulties, learning to let go of things that are too hard because everything else is too easy.
In other cases, people may focus so much on a learning disability that they miss out on the gifts of a twice-great child. This often happens to dyslexics, who have difficulty reading and writing as children. A dyslexic may be diverted into a different educational path that does not allow the student to develop other skills, with dyslexia seen as a crucial disability that needs to be addressed.
Many twice-exceptional children struggle with achievement and failure, and a child who fails to perform as expected may be struggling with a learning disability. If, for example, a child demonstrates strong reading and writing skills but poor listening comprehension, it could be a sign that the child has a hearing impairment or is unable to concentrate on material being presented orally. A twice-great child may also become bored or restless with material that is too easy, which can lead to a decline in performance.
Educators and parents are starting to recognize doubly exceptional children and their unique needs. Because these children often challenge tests used to grade children, it is important for parents of such children to support their children to ensure they get the education they need. Discussing a child’s situation with a teacher is a good way to start, and it can also help to utilize the services of doctors, psychologists, and other professionals who can address learning disability by celebrating a child’s natural gifts.
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