Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional 2E kids in full time Gifted Education

kitkat24, our ds wa not enrolled in a full-time gifted program at the same age, but we did consider the full suite of programs in our district - full-time HG vs regular classroom vs charter/etc vs private, and chose schools based on which school we felt would provide the best support in terms of supporting us as parents - I'll explain in a minute.


I think that you'll find the answers to this question are going to vary down to individual schools, whether they are gifted schools or not. So much is dependent upon school staff when it comes to implementing services and following accommodations under an IEP. The first school our ds was in was *tough* in terms of having a culture of not accepting that ds could be either exceptionally bright or challenged in a way that needed remediation and accommodations. We advocated until we turned blue and we got him an IEP - and then found we were spending all of our time at odds with the school because his IEP services weren't being implemented. The thing is - the school had a very cool curriculum that should have worked (in theory) for an HG child, but it wasn't a school culture that was open to kids who had struggles. Is that going to be true of all HG/etc schools? Absolutely not! Neither is every neighborhood school going to be a best-choice solution for kids with LDs. It just all depends on the individual school - school staff and school culture.

This is something I feel really strongly about - because it was the area I feel our ds often lost out on, and also the area that was the most helpful for ds. He needed to be educated at the level he was intellectually capable of being at. He was bored to tears when in classes listening to discussions that weren't at his level, weren't deep, and marched along slowly. And that's what was often happening in the classes where he was strong. In the classes where he needed help (written expression in his case) - he responded *the best* to remediation - when it was at an appropriate intellectual level. I would not keep a child out of a gifted program simply because they are 2e. I *would* keep them out if I felt school would be a struggle for advocacy for the 2nd e or he/she wouldn't get help with their 2nd e, but I wouldn't make the decision out of worry that the work would be too difficult. The work will be difficult in their area of challenge no matter what the level - and you need to give them the write level of intellectual input to make it interesting enough to be meaningful, and then progress happens in working on LD challenges.


The best thing you can do now is to network - ask as many parents as you can find who have experience with IEPs at this school. Do you have a local parents advocates group? Ask them what they know of the school and services there etc.



I can't answer for your dd, but the more support and services my ds received, the better life went all around - he needed the support. In the early years it can often seem like the remediation takes over and there's little left to put toward strengths, but all those gains that are being made now will most likely help your dd be able to leave services behind as she makes gains and moves on into high school and then on and beyond into becoming a successful capable adult.

I'd also add - help her now with as much as you can - because it's going to be tough to predict what will happen as she enters the teen years - some of the kids with challenges I've known have been more reluctant to try additional therapies/etc as they get older. OTOH, some kids like my ds also become open to therapies etc as they become older and more aware. There's just no way to know at 10 how that will all work out. I'd say all along, do everything you can in the moment. You won't have to look back and wish, hey, why didn't I do that then.

Best wishes,

polarbear