Abstract
Twice exceptional (2E) students are those with two different exceptionalities: an extraordinary gift or talent and a disability. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) requires individualized transition planning for students with disabilities – including 2E students who qualify for special education services. To prepare for post-secondary education, employment, and independent living skills, this chapter introduces transition services based on the Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 (Kohler et al., 2016) model and assists educators in implementing transition services for twice-exceptional students with disabilities. This chapter also includes recommendations on how to a) coordinate across internal and external resources and services, b) include families and students in the transition process, and c) create a talent development plan within or in addition to an IEP.
TopIntroduction
Twice-exceptional students, also known as 2E students, have been evaluated to have both a disability and identified as having a gift or talent (Baum et al., 2017; Foley-Nicpon et al., 2015; Trail, 2022). These needs include meeting the gifted and advanced levels of students while also understanding the uniqueness of their special needs due to a disability or combination of multiple disabilities (Baum et al., 2017; Foley-Nicpon et al., 2015; Trail, 2022). Educators, parents, and caregivers must consider the complexities of 2E students throughout their development, especially as they transition from a K-12 educational environment to becoming independent adults in either college or the workforce. As students proceed through school, educators must also be flexible to meet the ever-changing needs of their students.
A twice-exceptional young adult or student in a secondary environment will have very different educational, emotional, and social needs than in an elementary environment. All K-12 educators across various content and grade levels have the opportunity to create and implement activities to incorporate students’ career interests, educational interests, and independent living skills. There are, however, specific considerations and legal implications that need to be considered when working with 2E students with a disability in the junior, middle, or high school setting regarding this transition period.
In this chapter, the authors will review:
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Common characteristics and complex needs of twice-exceptional students.
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Laws and regulations surrounding secondary special education transition services.
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Different disability categories and types of hidden disabilities.
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Examples of how educators can support secondary twice-exceptional students to prepare for life after high school
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The five components of the Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 (Kohler et al., 2016): program structures, student development, student-focused planning, interagency collaboration, and family engagement.
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Resources available to assist twice-exceptional children in transition, including talent development plans and online national resources.
TopWhat Is 2E?
In 2022, at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) National conference, the Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAG) voted to approve a revised definition of twice-exceptional, which is defined as:
…individuals’ that evidence both exceptional ability and disability, which results in a unique set of circumstances. Their exceptional ability may dominate, hiding their disability; their disability may dominate, hiding their exceptional ability; each may mask the other so that neither is recognized nor addressed. Additionally, twice-exceptional individuals come from – and are impacted – by all forms of diversity (The Association for the Gifted (TAG), 2020; Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Conference TAG Business Meeting, 2022).
This definition expanded previous definitions to include several intersectionalities, learner variability, and the need for early identification have been highlighted as particularly pertinent to twice-exceptional populations.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Related service providers: A school-based service provider in a specific field of expertise that is available for students with disabilities based on their disability needs that include, but is not limited to, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, nursing services, transportation services, assistive technology, and social workers.
Schedule of Courses: a list, table, or narrative of courses required under IDEA to be developed before high school (or earlier) to ensure that the student meets graduation requirements, the courses align with post-secondary employment or education outcomes, and are in the least restrictive environment (LRE) with students without disabilities as much as possible during the school day.
Hidden Disability: A disability you may not be able to see physically on the outside that can include disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), epilepsy, mental health issues, autoimmune disorders, or neurological disorders.
Internal partners: School or district partners that are paid by the district and work directly with students during the school or contract hours, such as administrators, educators, related services, and support staff.
Individualized transition plan/program (ITP): A specialized and individually designed program within an IEP for a student with a disability that identifies goals and services to prepare for post-secondary education, employment, and independent living skills.
504 Plan: An individually designed education plan for a student with a disability that may not meet the eligibility criteria for special education services but meets the requirements under Section 504 that which include the presence of a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; or has a record of such an impairment (e.g., physician statement); or is regarded as having such an impairment.
Talent development plan: A comprehensive education plan for twice-exceptional learners that focuses on talent development opportunities, targeted remediation, social-emotional support, challenging curriculum, and differentiated instruction.
External Partners: School or district partners that are not paid by the district but can support students through interagency collaboration, such as businesses, employers, higher education institutional representatives, non-profit organizations, and state or local disability services.
Individualized education plan/program (IEP): An individually designed education plan or program for a student that qualifies for special education services that include present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, annual goals, progress monitoring measures, special education, and related services, supplementary aids and services, program modifications or accommodations, frequency, location, and duration of services, and the extent to which the child with a disability will not participate with nondisabled children.
Twice-exceptional: A student or person evaluated to have both a disability and a gift or talent.