Omdal, Stuart N.
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Special Education, Special Education Student Work
Twice-exceptionality is the phenomenon of a student with one or more disabilities who is also gifted and talented. Identification of twice-exceptionality is difficult and only recently has there been a greater awareness of the needs of twice-exceptional students. There is empirical research about twice-exceptionality but little research exists on how twice-exceptional individuals perceive and attribute meaning to their lived experiences. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the experiences of one university student identified as gifted and learning disabled to understand how personal experiences influenced his identity development, his perspectives on teaching and education, and, ultimately, his career choice. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) psychosocial challenges, (b) delayed identification, (c) masking effect and school achievement, (d) the importance of support, and (e) motivation for career choice. Individuals with twice-exceptionality often face unique psychosocial challenges including social isolation, low self-esteem, and feelings of worthlessness. Identification and support are often delayed for these individuals as their disability can mask their giftedness and vice versa; each condition affects their school achievement. These challenges affected the study participant; his personal and academic experiences illustrated the impact identification and support had on his education as well as his future goal of becoming a teacher. A key motivating factor for his career choice was to address the needs of future students with twice exceptionality. Findings of this study suggested an interrelationship among the five themes and stressed the critical importance of identifying and supporting students who have unique learning needs.
gifted and talented, learning disabilities, preservice teacher, special education, Teacher Motivation, twice exceptional
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