Transition and Students With Twice Exceptionality

Abstract

Twice exceptional is one of the terms used to describe students who have giftedness and a disability. This is a small heterogeneous population of individual learners who are underserved in special, gifted, and mainstream education settings. Despite the availability of research on transition for students with disabilities there is little research or literature available on transition for students who experience twice exceptionality (2E). This paper provides a review of the literature available on 2E, taking a lifespan perspective and a school transitions context for students experiencing 2E. Finally the synthesis of 2E and transition highlights a potential way forward in the research across special, gifted, mainstream and inclusive education to transform student profiling, identification and transition. Transition as a Multilayered and Discontinuous ProcessThere has been a shift in research over the last 20 years towards understanding transitions as multi-layered processes that involve multiple discontinuities (Petriwskyj, Thorpe & Tayler, 2005). Wider and more inclusive perspectives on transition allow us to be better informed on the variety of experiences over time for individual learners.Transitions can be understood as specific processes occurring during particular life course turning points. These processes are linked to changes in physical development, roles and relationships and require certain adjustments depending on the environment and the individual nature, culture and resilience of the person. This is the context for the following discussion on transition, students experiencing 2E and the expanding conceptualisations of giftedness and disability. Transition and Students WithTwice Exceptionality 2

Moving to secondary school for children with ASN: a systematic review of international literature

“…While these are both literature‐based, only Hughes et al () state that they carried out a systematic literature review. Both focus on one specific aspect of the transition to secondary school, with Hughes et al () considering the impact of transition on children’s psychosocial development, and Prior () focusing on children with ‘twice exceptionality’, as defined above. The current article therefore makes an original contribution to the existing body of literature through focusing on the wider population of children with an ASN and the preparation for and process of the transition to secondary school.…”

“…Two literature reviews that focused on the transition to secondary school for children with ASN were identified (Hughes et al, 2013;Prior, 2013). While these are both literature-based, only Hughes et al (2013) state that they carried out a systematic literature review.…”

“…This is defined as having ‘a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made’ (DfE, ), and as such limits the scope of support that may be recognised as being required for some long‐term needs, since it is necessary for an identified learning difficulty or disability to be present. Prior (), who draws on the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, ) in stating that children who have ‘twice exceptionality’ – that is, giftedness and a co‐existing disability – should be included within this population, also aligns with the wider Scottish conceptualisation of ASN, which recognises giftedness as a separate ASN.…”

Hidden in Plain Sight

“…Lack of recognition of the three participants’ areas of learning strength was a finding common to research studies on academic provision for twice-exceptional learners (Foley Nicpon et al, 2011; Schultz, 2012; Willard-Holt et al, 2013). Transfer to high school presents new opportunities for individuals to be identified for specialized learning programs and opportunities (Prior, 2013). Student engagement is critical to motivating students to achieve at school, influenced by many factors including the perceived relevance and appropriateness of the opportunities available and, as such, “engagement is malleable by the actions of teachers” (Gibbs & Poskitt, 2010, p. 12).…”

“…More critically for vulnerable learners, there were “limited or no opportunities to develop awareness of their strengths and abilities” and these students were therefore “at risk” (p.2) during this time. A more recent review of the international literature (Prior, 2013) found little research aimed specifically at investigating the experiences of twice-exceptional students during transfer. However, more generalized research suggested that education professionals should focus on providing vulnerable learners with individualized assistance during the transfer process to improve educational outcomes (Ministry of Education, 2010; Wylie et al, 2006).…”