High Potential, Real Challenges: The 2e Experience
Some students can debate complex ideas far beyond their grade level but forget to turn in homework. Others devour books yet shut down when asked to organize a long-term project. These students may be twice exceptional, often referred to as 2e.
Twice exceptional learners are both gifted and living with a learning, attention, or emotional challenge. When we focus on only one side of that equation, we miss the full picture of who they are and what they need.
What Does Twice Exceptional Mean?
According to the Child Mind Institute, twice exceptional kids are those who are identified as gifted while also having conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, or anxiety.¹
Their strengths can mask their challenges. Their challenges can mask their strengths. As a result, they are often misunderstood or identified later than their peers.
A child might score high on reasoning tasks but struggle with writing. Another might demonstrate advanced vocabulary yet melt down during transitions. These inconsistencies are not contradictions. They are signals.
Why 2e Students Are Often Overlooked
Twice exceptional students are frequently missed for a few key reasons:
Strengths compensate.
A gifted student with ADHD may rely on intelligence to offset weak executive functioning skills. Grades look fine at first glance.
Struggles dominate.
A student with dyslexia may appear average or below average academically, masking advanced analytical thinking or creativity.
Behavior gets misinterpreted.
Intensity, perfectionism, or emotional reactivity may be labeled as oppositional rather than understood as part of a complex learner profile.
Illuminos emphasizes that executive functioning skills, including planning, organization, task initiation, and emotional regulation, are not measures of intelligence but are essential for success in school.² A student can be highly intelligent and still struggle significantly with these skills.
Common Characteristics of Twice Exceptional Students
While every child is different, common patterns include:
Advanced reasoning or deep subject-specific knowledge
Creativity and strong problem-solving ability
Intense curiosity or hyperfocus
Inconsistent academic performance
Difficulty starting or completing tasks
Heightened sensitivity to criticism
Frustration when performance does not match ability
The inconsistency is often the biggest clue.
How to Support Twice Exceptional Learners
Twice exceptional students need support that honors both their strengths and their challenges.
1. Build on Strengths While Addressing Skill Gaps
Research from the National Association for Gifted Children highlights that 2e students benefit from environments that provide enrichment alongside appropriate accommodations.³
Illuminos similarly notes that motivation strengthens when students experience autonomy, competence, and purpose.⁴ When strengths are recognized and nurtured, students are more likely to engage fully.
This means:
Offering advanced material in areas of strength
Connecting assignments to personal interests
Providing accommodations without reducing intellectual challenge
2. Teach Executive Function Skills Directly
Giftedness does not automatically translate to organization or time management. Many 2e students require explicit instruction in:
Planning long-term assignments
Breaking down large tasks
Managing time realistically
Regulating emotions during frustration
Illuminos explains that breaking down tasks into manageable steps reduces overwhelm and builds follow-through.⁵ Clear structure supports confidence.
3. Normalize Productive Struggle
Twice exceptional students often internalize the idea that being “smart” means things should come easily. When they encounter difficulty, shame can follow.
Teaching resilience helps shift the narrative. Illuminos emphasizes that grit and resilience are built through guided reflection, modeling, and celebrating effort, not just outcomes.⁶ Struggle is not evidence of failure. It is part of growth.
4. Create Consistent Routines
Structure reduces cognitive load. Predictable routines and clear systems allow students to use their mental energy for learning rather than logistics.
Illuminos highlights that routines provide the stability needed for academic success and emotional regulation.⁷ For 2e learners, this consistency can be transformative.
Seeing the Whole Child
Twice exceptional students are not contradictory. They are complex.
When we shift from asking, “Why isn’t this smart child performing consistently?” to “What supports will help this capable child thrive?” we begin to see them more clearly.
Recognizing both giftedness and challenge allows families and educators to create environments where brilliance is not buried under frustration, but supported with the right tools.
Sources
Child Mind Institute. Twice-Exceptional Kids: Both Gifted and Challenged.
https://childmind.org/article/twice-exceptional-kids-both-gifted-and-challenged/Illuminos. How Executive Functioning Helps Kids Succeed and Why It’s Not Just About Intelligence.
https://www.illuminos.co/blog/2024/12/23/how-executive-functioning-helps-kids-succeed-and-why-its-not-just-about-intelligenceNational Association for Gifted Children. Twice Exceptional Students.
https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-parents/twice-exceptional-studentsIlluminos. Understanding Motivation: The Balance Between External and Internal Drivers.
https://www.illuminos.co/blog/2025/1/14/understanding-motivation-the-balance-between-external-and-internal-driversIlluminos. Breaking Down Tasks: A Path to Helping Students Accomplish Big Goals.
https://www.illuminos.co/blog/2024/11/25/breaking-down-tasks-a-path-to-helping-students-accomplish-big-goalsIlluminos. Teaching Grit and Resilience to Middle and High School Students.
https://www.illuminos.co/blog/teaching-grit-and-resilience-to-middle-and-high-school-students-a-guide-for-parents-and-teachersIlluminos. Why Establishing Routines Is Important to Success.
https://www.illuminos.co/blog/2024/7/28/why-establishing-routines-is-important-to-success
