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Friday, 19 June 2015

For the Love of Learning: Educating Twice Exceptional Children

June first I had the honor of being part of an incredible panel of experts brought together to discuss Twice Exceptional Children on the show For the Love Of Learning, with LainieLiberti.   It had been a LONG time since I had participated in such an indepth discussion of one of my oldest passions: home schooling and UnSchooling.  It was a tremendous experience.

For anyone out there with "special" kids, children with learning "disabilities" or who question the mainstream educational "cookie cutter" system, this show is a must watch.

love d




For the Love of Learning Episode #18

Show Title:

Educating Twice Exceptional Children

Monday June 1, 2015  8:00 pm – 10:00 pm EST
Tuesday June 2, 2015 1:00 am – 3:00 am BST
Special Guests:

Dr. Melanie Hayes
Susan Baum, Ph.D.
Edward R. Amend, Psy.D.
Dani Arnold Mckenny

For many gifted children, school can be a challenge. But for a twice-exceptional learner, parents and educators,  it can be equally confusing and frustrating.  Twice-exceptional (or 2E) is defined as being gifted or of high intelligence in addition to having a disability of some kind.  Common second exceptionalities are autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attentional disorders (ADHD), behavioral issues, sensory processing disorder (SPD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, central auditory processing disorder (CAPD).

There are no clear-cut profiles of twice-exceptional children because the nature and causes of twice exceptionality are so varied. This variation among twice-exceptional children makes it difficult to determine just how many of them there might be.

Many argue that this population of students “could be considered the most misunderstood of all exceptionalities”. In each situation, the 2E student’s strengths help to compensate for deficits; the deficits, on the other hand, make the child’s strengths less apparent. The interplay of exceptional strengths and weaknesses in a single individual results in inconsistency in performance. They might present any of the three profiles identified by educator and researcher and one of tonight’s panelists Susan Baum:

1. Bright but not trying hard enough
2. Learning disabled but with no exceptional abilities
3. Average.
Tonight we explore the challenges faced by 2E children with a panel of experts who have passionately dedicated their lives to these learners.

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