For Parents Particularly: Twice-exceptional Children: Paradoxes and Parenting

The Advocacy Experiences of Parents of Elementary Age, Twice-Exceptional Children

“…Another theme that influenced parents’ advocacy efforts was their loss of confidence in their child’s teachers and school officials. Whether their diminished confidence stemmed from parents not being accepted as a valued member of the multidisciplinary team (Besnoy, 2006; Matthews et al, 2011; Silverman, 1992; Wolf, 1982), parents perceiving that school officials did not understand the masking characteristics of dual exceptionalities (Assouline et al, 2006; Hannah & Shore, 1995; Winebrenner, 2003), or parents’ negative experiences with navigating the advocacy process (O’Brien & Giovacco-Johnson, 2007; Yssel et al, 2010) their eventual loss of faith in the school system was apparent. As parents in this sample became more experienced with the advocacy process, their loss of confidence transformed from a source of discouragement to a catalyst for active participation.…”

“…Currently, there is a dearth of research documenting parental experiences as they advocate for their twice-exceptional children. Existing literature informs parents about the differences between adaptations and accommodations (Weinfeld, Barnes-Robinson, Jeweler, & Shevitz, 2005), advises parents how to form advocacy groups (Matthews et al, 2011), and describes how parents can ensure that their child’s giftedness and disability needs are met (Neumeister et al, 2013; O’Brien & Giovacco-Johnson, 2007; Schultz, 2012; Yssel et al, 2010). The general consensus of existing research is that twice-exceptional students’ giftedness suggests elevated levels of metacognitive abilities, while their disability implies limitations (Assouline, Nicpon, & Huber, 2006; Baum, 1990; Besnoy, 2006; Hannah & Shore, 1995; Neumeister et al, 2013; Winebrenner, 2003).…”

Underrepresented Students in Gifted and Talented Education: Using Positive Psychology to Identify and Serve

“…In general, affective alternative intercessions have been proven effective in promoting both affective and cognitive outcomes for students with ME [46,103,[105][106][107][108]. For example, research indicates that counseling programs for students with ME resulted in improved social skills and self-efficacy [103,109], hope and confidence [108], career planning [103], and recognition of personal strengths and limitations while identifying appropriate coping strategies [110,111]. Also, counseling intervention can be effective at reducing negative school experiences for students with ME [106,112].…”

Psychological interventions for twice-exceptional youth.

“…Despite these struggles, parents noted that they realize their important role in providing for their child's unique needs (Neumeister, Yssel, & Burney, 2013;O'Brien & Giovacco-Johnson, 2007). As such, parents of twice-exceptional children may benefit from additional education surrounding their child's rights in the public educational system, as well as opportunities to develop advocacy skills (Besnoy et al, 2015;Neumeister et al, 2013;O'Brien & Giovacco-Johnson, 2007). O'Brien and Giovacco-Johnson (2007) also recommend striving for inclusivity so that twice-exceptional child's disability status does not interfere with social and academic opportunities.…”

“…In an additional qualitative study examining the advocacy experiences of parents of twice-exceptional students, those interviewed described challenges understanding educational systems and difficulty balancing their child's specific needs at home and school (Besnoy et al, 2015). Despite these struggles, parents noted that they realize their important role in providing for their child's unique needs (Neumeister, Yssel, & Burney, 2013;O'Brien & Giovacco-Johnson, 2007). As such, parents of twice-exceptional children may benefit from additional education surrounding their child's rights in the public educational system, as well as opportunities to develop advocacy skills (Besnoy et al, 2015;Neumeister et al, 2013;O'Brien & Giovacco-Johnson, 2007).…”