Embracing Twice-Exceptional Learners: A Picture Book & Website For Classroom Awareness

Abstract

Twice-exceptional students—those who are both gifted and have a learning or developmental disability—are often overlooked in schools. Many educators are trained to recognize learning challenges but may not realize that a student with a disability can also be highly gifted. As a result, these students often go without the support they need to thrive academically. Our project aims to address this issue by creating a children’s picture book designed for students in Kindergarten through third grade, along with a companion website filled with resources for educators. The picture book will tell the story of a twice-exceptional child, highlighting their daily experiences, challenges, and strengths in a way that young readers can relate to. The goal is to help students see themselves in the story while also fostering understanding among their peers. Meanwhile, the website will serve as a resource for teachers, providing information on identifying twice-exceptional learners, strategies for supporting them in the classroom, and insights from experts in the field. To make our project as authentic and impactful as possible, we plan to conduct interviews with parents, teachers, and twice-exceptional students. Their real-world experiences will help shape both the story in the book and the guidance offered on the website. This project is deeply personal to us as future educators, especially since one of us is concentrating in gifted education. By combining research with storytelling, we hope to spread awareness about twice-exceptionality and provide tools that will help teachers better serve these unique learners. Our ultimate goal is to create something that will not only inform but also inspire meaningful change in how twice-exceptional students are recognized and supported in schools.