Unmasking Twice Exceptionality (2e): Why Bright Kids Struggle—and How Parents Can Help

A twice-exceptional (2e) child can be both highly gifted and face real learning challenges at the same time

Twice-Exceptional Kids: How to Identify and Support Gifted Children With Learning Challenges

Some kids can build robots out of recyclables or riff on black holes—yet melt down over three lines of homework.

If this sounds familiar, your child may be twice exceptional (2e): gifted and also have a learning or developmental difference such as ADHD, dyslexia, or autism.

When strengths and weaknesses mask each other, kids don’t get the right support.

“Smart doesn’t mean easy. A 2e child is both capable and stretched thin—and they need plans that honor both, ” shares Dr. Anya Scolaro, Psy.D., Clinical Director of Aspire Psychotherapy and specialist in diagnosing and supporting 2E kids.

What Does Twice Exceptional (2e) Really Mean for Giftedness?

Twice-exceptional (2e) describes gifted children who are exceptional in both directions: they may excel in reasoning and talent but also have a disorder or learning disabilities that impact daily functioning. Their development is often asynchronous—soaring in one area while lagging in another.

This uneven profile is why parents sometimes see brilliance in one moment and deep struggle in the next. For example, a child may devour science books but refuse to write a paragraph at school.

Parents and schools often miss gifted students with 2e profiles for three main reasons:

• Giftedness can compensate for weaknesses, so they appear “fine” until the workload spikes.

• Some children—especially girls—use advanced language and social strategies to mask differences.

• Uneven strengths and weaknesses confuse adults (“brilliant but won’t write,” “social but misses cues”).

For more background, see the Davidson Institute’s parent resources on twice exceptionality.

Signs That May Help You Identify a Twice-Exceptional Child

Parents often notice contradictions that don’t add up in school reports. You might hear praise for your child’s talent alongside daily parenting stress at home. Signs can include:

• Big ideas but small or inconsistent output

• Laser focus on passions, avoidance of other tasks

• High cognitive reasoning scores but lower processing speed or working memory

• Meltdowns or shutdowns when tasks feel unclear or overly rigid

• Doing “fine” at school but exhausted, anxious, or emotionally overwhelmed at home

If several of these resonate, it may be time to ask about a psychological assessment for 2E profiles.

Why Twice Exceptional Students Are Overlooked in Schools

Schools focus on benchmarks, but gifted students with disabilities often hover at “good enough” and slip under the radar. Here’s why:

• On-grade-level illusion: Meeting minimum standards can hide real struggles.

• Masking and camouflaging: Kids—especially girls and AFAB youth—may hide symptoms or sensory differences until stress builds or anxiety builds.

• Uneven skills: A child ahead in math but behind in writing may be mislabeled “lazy” instead of 2E.

Research spotlight: National data show students with disabilities are less likely to be identified for gifted programs, even when their ability clearly qualifies them.

For more, read Child Mind Institute’s overview of 2E kids.

Giftedness, ADHD, and More: Understanding 2e Kids With Learning Challenges

Parents often wonder: Is my child gifted, ADHD, autistic—or some mix?

Here’s a quick comparison you can scan:

Motivation

• Giftedness: Curiosity, logic

• ADHD: Seeks novelty, low inhibition

• Autism: Prefers predictability, self-directed tasks

• Twice-exceptional: High reasoning + distractibility or rigidity

Attention

• Giftedness: Laser focus on passions

• ADHD: Starts tasks but derails

• Autism: Steady on self-chosen routines

• Twice-exceptional: Deep focus + executive weaknesses

Social Style

• Giftedness: Selective but reciprocal

• ADHD: Outgoing, blurts out

• Autism: Surface fluency, misses cues

• Twice-exceptional: Advanced vocab but reciprocity gaps

Demands

• Giftedness: Negotiates for logic/choice

• ADHD: Begins, then wanders off

• Autism: Avoids non-preferred or sensory-heavy tasks

• Twice-exceptional: Brilliance + “won’t do it” battles

Parent takeaway: You don’t need to pin your child into one disorder category. If you see both giftedness and real struggles, that’s enough reason to ask about identification of twice-exceptionality.

How to Get a Quality Neuropsychological Evaluation for Twice-Exceptional Students

A strong assessment should highlight both strengths and weaknesses, so your child’s abilities aren’t underestimated. If you’re in New York City or larger New York, consider comprehensive psychological testing to clarify whether your child’s profile reflects giftedness, ADHD, autism, or learning disabilities.

What to Ask for in a Neuropsychological Evaluation

When seeking an evaluation, parents should make sure these areas are covered:

• Separate strengths and weaknesses: Request reasoning scores (like GAI on the WISC-V) alongside full intelligence (IQ) testing.

• Academic testing: Reading, writing, and math, so gaps are clearly identified.

• Executive function profile: How your child plans, organizes, and remembers.

• Adaptive and emotional and behavioral skills: Tools like the Vineland-3 show independence and coping.

• Cross-setting input: Teachers help identify issues that may not appear at home.

Parent tip: Ask the evaluator to explain results in plain language and connect them to school functioning—not just numbers on a chart.

Dr. Anya Scolaro’s Role
At Aspire Psychotherapy, Dr. Anya Scolaro, Psy.D., is an expert in giftedness and twice-exceptional neuropsychological evaluation. She collaborates with schools and families to ensure evaluations lead to individualized accommodation and support plans that honor both strengths and weaknesses.

School Supports That Actually Help Twice-Exceptional Students

Once a child’s profile is clear, the next step is building supports. 2e learners do best when schools use a dual-pathway approach: acceleration for talent and enrichment, paired with accommodations for challenges.

Supports to Ask For:

• Instruction: Acceleration in strong subjects; structured teaching in weaker areas.

• Accommodation: Extra time, typing/dictation, graphic organizers, sensory supports.

• Task framing: Preview steps, co-create checklists, give choices.

• Placement myth-busting: Gifted children can be in a gifted program and have an IEP/504.

Research spotlight: Programs that combine enrichment with targeted support are most effective.

Takeaway for parents: Enrichment without support is exhausting. Accommodation without enrichment is demotivating. Twice-exceptional children need both.

What Parents Hear vs. What’s Really Happening With 2e Kids

Parents are often told a simple label for behavior—“oppositional” or “perfectionist.” The reality is usually more complex:

What Adults Say

“Talks out of turn.”

“Oppositional.”

“On grade level, so no services.”

“Perfectionist meltdown.”

What’s Really Happening

Racing thoughts or ADHD impulsivity

Overwhelm, demand anxiety, or sensory overload—not defiance

Compensation and masking hide disability until workload spikes

Fear of failure; child needs chunking, pacing, and self-compassion strategies

Why Early Identification and Emotional and Behavioral Support Matter

Girls and AFAB (assigned female at birth) youth are more likely to camouflage differences and be overlooked, especially if they’re bright and verbal. This means twice-exceptional kids can go years without the right support.

Why this matters: Prolonged masking is linked to anxiety, depression, and burnout. When giftedness hides learning challenges—or when disabilities overshadow talent—children may internalize shame or push themselves until they break down. Early identification helps parents and schools intervene before stress escalates into long-term mental health struggles.

2e kids are also more vulnerable to specific emotional and behavioral challenges, including:

• School anxiety: Many children hold it together in class but fall apart at home. Read more in our blog on school anxiety.

• Social anxiety: Even socially fluent gifted children may fear peer rejection when their differences are exposed.

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): It’s not uncommon for twice-exceptional kids to develop compulsions or rigid routines as a way to cope. Learn about our ERP therapy for OCD.

• Phobias: From eating and vomiting fears to fear of animals or storms, phobias can layer on top of learning challenges. Exposure therapy for children and teens can help.

• ADHD-related stress: Executive function struggles often drive conflict and self-doubt. CBT for ADHD helps kids build concrete coping tools.

Support may also include therapies outside of psychology, such as speech and occupational therapy, which build communication and sensory regulation skills that directly impact school success.

The good news? When children are identified early, parents and schools can individualize supports that protect well-being while honoring giftedness. For some families, this means combining anxiety therapy or LGBTQ-affirming therapy with structured interventions like speech, OT, or classroom accommodations.

Parent takeaway: Early evaluation doesn’t just clarify learning challenges. It also helps your child access social and emotional support systems that prevent anxiety, depression, and burnout later in life.

Parent Checklist: Could My 2e Child Be Twice-Exceptional?

If you’re unsure, here’s a quick self-check many parents find helpful. Your 2e child may show:

• Big ideas but uneven school output

• Laser focus on passions, avoidance of certain tasks

• Very high cognitive scores with lower processing speed or working memory

• Meltdowns or shutdowns when tasks feel unclear

• Doing “fine” at school but exhausted or explosive at home

If several ring true, ask for a neuropsychological assessment—and bring this list with you.

Support for 2e Kids in New York Schools

While twice exceptionality is recognized everywhere, New York families often face unique challenges. Many schools in NYC and across New York State are still learning how to identify and support 2e children.

That’s why a comprehensive psychological evaluation in New York can make such a difference: it helps schools see both strengths and weaknesses clearly.

Frequently Asked Questions: How to Help Your Child With Twice-Exceptional Learning Challenges

How do I know if my child is twice exceptional?
Look for a mix of advanced abilities and struggles—big ideas but small output, meltdowns despite high reasoning, or “fine” at school but exhausted at home.

Can my child be in a gifted program and have an IEP or 504 plan?
Yes. Twice-exceptional children often need both enrichment and accommodations. Being gifted does not cancel out the need for support.

Why does my gifted child melt down over homework?
Homework can expose weaknesses in executive function (planning, organization, working memory). Even brilliant kids can struggle.

What kind of testing identifies twice exceptionality?
A comprehensive psychological or neuropsychological evaluation includes reasoning, academics, executive function, and adaptive skills. Many parents also pursue ADHD testing in NYC when attention concerns complicate the picture.

Where can I get a twice-exceptional evaluation in NYC?
At Aspire Psychotherapy, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and in the Hudson Valley, Dr. Anya Scolaro provides evaluations for gifted students, twice-exceptional kids, and children with learning disabilities. Dr. Scolaro and the behavioral experts at Aspire also provide ongoing support for 2E kids with in-person and telehealth appointments available across New York, New Jersey and Delaware.

Get a Psychological and Neuropsychological Evaluation to Support Your Twice-Exceptional Child

At Aspire Psychotherapy, we understand the unique challenges and strengths of gifted and twice-exceptional children. Families come to us when they see their child excelling in some areas but struggling in others, unsure how to untangle the puzzle.

Dr. Anya Scolaro, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist specializing in giftedness, twice-exceptional (2e) testing, and comprehensive psychological and neuropsychological evaluation. She works closely with both families and schools to ensure evaluations do more than provide a diagnosis—they deliver clear, individualized recommendations for:

• Academic planning and gifted program access

• Accommodations (IEPs, 504s, or private school supports)

• Targeted interventions for ADHD, learning disabilities, or executive function challenges

• Emotional and behavioral supports, including therapy, speech, or occupational services

• Strategies to help children thrive at home, in school, and in social settings

Because parenting a 2e child often brings its own challenges, Aspire also offers Parent Management Training (PMT). PMT helps parents and caregivers learn concrete skills for:

• Understanding their child’s unique profile of strengths and weaknesses

• Responding effectively to emotional and behavioral challenges without escalating conflict

• Building consistency between home and school expectations

• Becoming true partners with educators and therapists so everyone works from the same playbook

Unlike many testing practices that stop at numbers, Aspire’s evaluations provide practical next steps for both school and home. With testing, individualized recommendations, and PMT for caregivers, families leave with a whole-team plan to help their child excel academically, socially, and emotionally.

Learn more about psychological testing at Aspire or book an appointment to start the process.