The twice-exceptional individual is a complicated mixture of giftedness and disability.

To be identified as twice-exceptional implies one is gifted.

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                              In Australia Gagné's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent (DMGT) is used                               to define giftedness. In this model, ten percent of any age group is identified as                                     having outstanding natural abilities in one or more of four domains of knowledge:                                 intellectual, creative, socio-affective and sensorimotor. 

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                              Giftedness can thus be identified via many approaches and criteria, all of which                                     compare the individual to others of the same chronological age. The opinion of                                     suitably qualified people should be sought but there are some indicators:​  

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                                             an IQ test performed by a recognised psychologist – A Wechsler                                               Intelligence Scale for Children WISC), a Stanford-Binet, a Wechsler Preschool and                                 Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI)

                                             a series of awards in a field recognised by a professional registered                                           organisation– for example Gymnastics Australia, Water Polo Australia Ltd,                                               Australian Parkour Association, St John Ambulance Australia, Hand knitters Guild,                                 etc       

                                            certificates of achievement, above that expected for age, from external                                     assessments – for example music, chess, writing awards,

                                            certificates, awards or references indicating involvement in social, charitable, voluntary ventures which imply an advanced social or entrepreneur skill, 

                                            recognition in newspapers or other public documents of a level of service beyond age expectations,

                                            medals for events won in competitions that have governing bodies, 

                                            pieces of art, writing, mathematical solutions that are recognised as being in advance of age by professionals who can genuinely assess such items,

                                            publication or performance of an individuals piece of work,

                                           the creation of a unique solution, piece of work, business, organisation in the public domain, etc.

 

 

                                                              Gagné’s DMGT recognises that each area of giftedness is                                                                    subject to the power of Chance - an external force which can                                                                      optimise or destroy the outcome at any time. Gifts develop into                                                                visible talents because of the effects of intrapersonal drive and                                                                  environmental experiences upon the gifts. Motivation is an essential                                                        strength in the movement from a natural ability to a formed talent. 

                                                       Identifying the disability of twice-exceptionality is much more                                                                    clearcut but at times no less daunting. The Disability Discrimination                                                          Act (1992) and the Disability Standards for Education (2005), are mandated across Australia. A disability is recognised as being one that is described in the current Diagnostic Statistical Manual [DSM] (American Psychiatric Association, 2022) or the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (World Health Organisation, 2024). As such it is funded and integrated into all aspects of all education department’s policies and practices. 

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However, the blatant discrepancies between services and funding available for students with disabilities, and the gifted students, results in a perceived inequality that parents of twice-exceptional students find hard to accept, especially if their child’s giftedness and creativity seem to be inhibited by a medication the school deems necessary for the teachers to accept and interact with the disability. With the teacher’s lens focusing on only one aspect of the twice-exceptional student, frequently the disability, the need for advocacy and counselling to assist self-efficacy becomes more critical to compensate for the negative impact upon the young person. Using a deficiency, deficit model, makes the struggling student, and consequently their family, be viewed as a failure to fit into an education model that is believed to be adequate for everyone’s needs. Adding to this a global emphasis on Euro-American definitions and criteria for giftedness, teachers and bureaucrats in the southern hemisphere may ignore any alternative differences in

abilities and strengths found in their populations. To demonstrate

their status some twice-exceptional students may undergo the rigour

of testing and receive reports but change in provisions and

acceptance is impossible unless professionals recognise the

significance of the emotional and social damage upon a young

person if the content is ignored, or worse, publicly scorned. The

family will find themselves having to advocate for recognition of their

young person’s needs.

 

Knowledge is powerful and appropriate. 

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