I would also like to thank the staff at the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development for their guidance and encouragement during the conceptualization and recruitment process. A special thanks to the individuals who participated in this study and the parents and guardians who provided support. A very special thank you to my family. To my parents, who patiently waited for me to find new books in the library, embraced my curiosity, and taught me to find balance. To my brother, who has taught me degrees are only part of wisdom. To my graduate school and internship families, Meg, Kevin, Michelle, Emily, Nicole, Kristin, Chuck, Liz, Candice, Kate, and Destiny, the best of companions on this educational journey. To my best friend, LaNeisha, the best support and person I could ever have hoped to befriend during the first day of orientation and now count as family. And to Josh, who patiently supported me through years of long distance and many evenings of laptop dates. I feel so blessed to be on this journey with you. Without you all, none of this would have been possible. Thank you a thousand times over! iv ABSTRACT Current gaps in knowledge about twice-exceptional youth relative to those with only one exceptionality (e.g., high ability or ADHD) include how twice-exceptional students perceive their friendships (Foley Nicpon et al., 2010). Some researchers have found friendship qualities to be less positive for youth with ADHD (Humphrey et al., 2007), yet others have found friendships to be rated more positively by gifted youth (Field et al., 1998). The current investigation sought to determine how friendships are perceived by twice-exceptional youth compared to peers with ADHD or high ability or achievement, and those with average ability or achievement and no diagnosis. Participants included 65 youth (35 boys, 33 girls) in middle school. Participants completed the Friendship Qualities Scale (Bukowski et al., 1994), in addition to a demographic questionnaire completed by parents. A repeated-measures ANOVA design was utilized to compare friendship quality ratings based on ability or achievement and ADHD diagnosis, as well as gender. Participants with ADHD, regardless of ability or achievement, reported significantly less companionship, help, and security with a best friend than those without a diagnosis. Boys were observed to report significantly less closeness with a best friend than girls. Implications of the current findings for counseling psychologists in the areas of practice and theory include considerations of how youth are socialized based on societal beliefs about gender and disability. Additionally, recommendations for treatment considerations, particularly for twice-exceptional youth, may include strengths-based interventions to support areas of strength to help accommodate difficulties. v