Understanding ADHD and Twice Exceptionality – with Lisa Zaretsky CSW, LMSW, NYS Certified Teacher

While Twice Exceptional is not a medical diagnosis; it’s a very useful concept that can explain individuals that exist in the paradox of having both profound gifts as well as significant challenges or disabilities. A gift is when an individual has a significant strength distinguished from one’s peers; this can be in art, music, academics, athletics, gaming, general intelligence, etc. Twice exceptional individuals are identified because of the substantial discrepancy between their gifts and challenges. However, this asynchrony is not always obvious, as either the strengths or challenges can mask the other(s), or they can appear to cancel the other out, leaving the individual to appear “just average”. Despite appearances, 2e individuals almost always feel the discrepancy, within themselves, even if they can’t explain it. This usually leads to certain themes in their lives that contribute to being misperceived, misunderstood, feeling “less than”, social, emotional issues, and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. ADHD is often a lifelong challenge. While both research and treatment options to manage ADHD have made major strides, 2e individuals with ADHD typically find that ADHD coincides with their gifts. Each can overshadow one another which leads to misdiagnosis, the identification of just the ADHD, the identification of only the gift, or the ADHD and the gift disguising one another.