CONTACT:  Jasmine Lyons  (202) 822-7823 

November 1, 2006 

New Guide Helps Gifted Students with Special Needs

NEA and NAGC team up to assist educators, school districts and parents 

CHARLOTTE—Students with special needs are being denied their basic right to a quality public education. In an effort to combat this trend, the National Education Association and the National Association for Gifted Children released a new guide today to help educators, school districts and parents address the needs of twice-exceptional students.

The term “twice-exceptional” refers to students who are intellectually gifted but have special needs or learning disabilities. Some of America’s greatest history makers had learning disabilities, such as Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln and Eleanor Roosevelt.

“We recognize that the needs of twice-exceptional students are not always acknowledged or met,” said NEA President Reg Weaver. “It’s our shared responsibility to ensure that all students, especially those with special needs, are given the tools and resources they need to succeed. With this guide, the education community and parents can work together to meet this goal.”

The new publication, The Twice-Exceptional Dilemma, outlines how to identify twice-exceptional students, delineates the roles and responsibilities of school districts and educators, and suggests accommodations and available resources for addressing the needs of these students.

Many special-needs students have been denied specialized services and activities due in large part to a lack of funding. Despite the promises of lawmakers more than 30 years ago to pay 40 percent of the cost of educating students with disabilities, the federal share of funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is only 18 percent. This translates into a special education funding shortfall of nearly $13.2 billion for this year alone. Without federal resources, states and school districts are forced to cut essential programs.

Experts state that twice-exceptional students are considered gifted, disabled or neither.  Since these students are rarely placed in both categories, it creates a situation where they fail to receive the full support and resources needed.  This illustrates the importance of awareness, knowledge and proper identification guidelines. 

There are six million public school students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 
Twice-exceptional students are estimated to make up nearly six percent of that number.

“Twice-exceptional students are often overlooked because the disability or giftedness can be hidden,” said Nancy Green, NAGC executive director. “This publication provides much-needed guidance to ensure that these students receive the services they need to achieve their full potential.”

###

The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.