Twice-Exceptionality
is the co-existence of a significant strength and a significant weakness in cognitive abilities and/or academic skills. Deficits can occur in attention and executive functioning. For appropriate educational planning and accommodations, it is important that significance is determined by assessment data and normative comparison with same-age peers, both of which are included in comprehensive psychoeducational evaluations, also known as psychoeducational testing.
It is a myth that gifted children cannot have a learning disability or struggle with ADHD. Giftedness and disabilities can mask each other, which is the case for a bright child with a disability or ADHD who is mislabeled as unmotivated or sensitive to frustration. Unfortunately, a bright student with a disability (i.e., twice-exceptional or 2e student) can appear average in the classroom and be withheld from advanced programming in an area of strength.