Their
talents are understood, their issues are identified and addressed and
there is an integrated effort to help them to be successful.
Matt was
a bright kid. He could take things apart, put them back together and
he could carry on a conversation above grade level -- but in 2nd grade,
the wheels came off.
His mother thought he was Gifted.
His teacher suggested he might have Dyslexia.
The school said they did not Test for Dyslexia and then mom read about the Twice Exceptional Student who ...
Is
gifted -- but has a learning disability. These kids are called twice
exceptional and often have many skills that boggle the mind. They
often:
- Are incredibly good at puzzles, remembering places
they have been, and learning when taught in a visual and experiential
way - where their questions are listened to, respected and answered
- Operate well below their potential when it comes to working memory and processing speed
- Skip words and lines when reading
- Have difficulty paying attention to that which is boring
- Have large vocabularies, but have difficulty with
the sight words (why, what, if, however, etc.) and pattern recognition
-- remembering words they have previously "learned".
We believe it is very helpful to understand your child's gifts and challenges:
Two good websites are the Gifted Development Center, where Dr. Linda Silverman and her team share their perspective and the 2-E Newsletter
Understand
that schools often do not understand the 2E Learner, and you want to
pursue the designation of both Gifted and a Learning Disability --
where appropriate. You want to work with professionals who understand
how to help the Twice Exceptional Student succeed.
Mira
Halpert M.Ed. has 4 children -- two of whom are twice exceptional
learners. Mira developed and directs the 3D Learner Program (R), which
can help the 2E Student. For more information go to 3D Learner
and call Mira at 561-361-7495