Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classroom

“A good resource for district and building administrators to use with all staff members to continue conversations and begin imple­menting some simple strategies to develop a deeper understanding of who students are as individuals and learners.”—School Administrator

“This is a reader-friendly text that has lots of tools teachers can utilize easily and purposefully. It clears up misconceptions teachers may have about 2e students and provides teachers with the tools to serve the needs of these students academically and socio-emotionally.”—MiddleWeb

“Emily Kircher-Morris has provided an exemplary resource for educators that clarifies who 2e learners are and how best to meet their instructional and support needs. Practitioners, college students, and researchers will appreciate the practical, research-based information provided in this text. Most impressive are the tools for educators and the student vignettes that appear throughout the book that bring the world of diverse 2e students to life. I highly recommend this text to educators and advocates of twice-exceptional, gifted, and other cognitively diverse students. Well done!”—Joy Lawson Davis, Ed.D., award-winning author, expert scholar in diversity and equity in gifted and advanced learner programs

“Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today’s Classroom is going on my list of recommended reads for all teachers. It’s loaded with practical, actionable advice that can be used by educators and parents trying to navigate the often-troubled terrain of educating a twice-exceptional child. The tables, charts, and case studies make it an engaging read, and it covers so many possible scenarios that it will have broad appeal to those in the field. I found myself nodding in agreement many times, and readers will love the respect and feeling of camaraderie that shines through every page.”—Lisa Van Gemert, M.Ed.T., founder, Gifted Guru

“As someone who received a formal diagnosis of ADHD at thirty-seven years old, thirty years after being identified as a gifted and talented student in Brooklyn, NY, I am deeply grateful for Emily’s efforts to shine a light on how to serve students like me who think a bit differently. By focusing on ‘progress, not perfection,’ she has created a practical, yet powerful way to bring new partners into this mission and push the rest of us to deepen our understanding of the challenges and benefits of twice-exceptionality and to recognize the boundless untapped potential in students who are told they are defective because their brilliance diverges from the norm.”—Colin Seale, Founder and CEO of thinkLaw and author of Thinking Like a Lawyer: A Framework for Teaching Critical Thinking to All Students
 
“Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today's Classrooms is a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to understanding, supporting, educating, and serving twice-exceptional students not only in the classroom, but also in life. Emily Kircher-Morris has combined her decades of teaching and counseling with her own invaluable life experience to provide a road map for understanding the complexities of twice-exceptional profiles and how they show up in classrooms. This book is filled with strategies for capitalizing on strengths while improving the motivation, organization, and engagement of twice-exceptional learners. We will be recommending this guide to all of our clients.”—Dan Peters, Ph.D., licensed psychologist, co-founder and executive director, Summit Center

“Every teacher of the gifted needs this book! Emily Kircher-Morris has done a fantastic job of combining research and practice to provide doable supports for twice-exceptional learners. Her strength-based approach puts the learner first by getting them involved in the process. She masterfully covers the whole child from understanding the diagnosis to supporting them socially and emotionally. You are sure to find practical tools and strategies mapped out in all the chapters. She includes templates, methods, and techniques to ensure our 2e students find success.”—Richard M. Cash, Ed.D., educator of the gifted, author, and consultant, nRich Educational Consulting, Inc.
 
“Emily Kircher-Morris draws from both experience and research in putting together this strikingly practical toolkit. Packed with case examples, information, and strategies to support the many types of 2e learners, this book is a great addition to any parent or educator’s library.”—Edward R. Amend, Psy.D., clinical psychologist, The Amend Group, Lexington, KY

“Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today’s Classroom is a book that every educator needs, whether they teach special education or general education. It not only offers a structured, insightful look into learners who are so often overlooked, but also practical tools and actionable advice alongside compelling stories of and from twice-exceptional students. These stories, along with Kircher-Morris’ professional and personal understanding of the topic, bring the subject to life in a compassionate and relatable way. As a 2e learner myself who was never identified as a child, I was brought to tears by seeing myself reflected in the pages―and knowing that educators now have a resource to understand and support students like me.”―Amanda Morin, Associate Director of Thought Leadership & Expertise, Understood, and author of The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education
 
“Emily Kircher-Morris has crafted an invaluable resource, full of insights, strategies, tools, and resources that will guide every 2e advocate in supporting our twice-exceptional learners. Her poignant student stories remind us to look beneath their ‘masks of disability’ and ‘masks of giftedness’ in order to recognize and serve their unique needs—both academic and social-emotional. I just wish this practical guidebook had been available when I was coordinating gifted education, because it goes a long way toward normalizing neurodiversity. And all of us can benefit from her words of wisdom: ‘Try. Tweak. Transform.’”—Deb Douglas, M.S., director, GT Carpe Diem Consulting, and author of The Power of Self-Advocacy for Gifted Learners and coeditor of Empowering Underrepresented Gifted Students
 
“Teaching Twice-Exceptional Children in Today’s Classroom is a must-have resource for parents and educators. Filled with both information about twice-exceptional students and strategies to address multiple exceptionalities, this resource provides educators with specific ways to support diverse learners immediately. Armed with this resource, educators will be in a much better position to meet the needs of all gifted children, from academic to social-emotional needs and beyond.”—Christine Fonseca, licensed educational psychologist, consultant, and author of Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students