Needs-based assessment of twice-exceptional gifted students: The S&W-Heuristic

Burger-Veltmeijer, A.E.J. (Agnes)¹, Minnaert, A.E.M.G. (Alexander)^2
1ABV, practice for child & youth psychology, Pasqualinistraat 8, 5622AW, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
²University of Groningen, Grote Rozenstraat 38, 9712TJ, Groningen, The Netherlands

 

Submission type

Oral only

Scheduled

Sinzendorfzaal, 26-09-2016 - 26-09-2019, 11:00 - 12:00

Keywords

twice-exceptional, needs-based assessment, Strengths & Weaknesses Heuristic, psycho-educational needs, giftedness, ASD, learning and developmental problems

Summary

 

Due to various causes, misdiagnoses and missed diagnoses occur rather frequently in gifted students with co-occurring learning- or developmental disorders. Moreover, psychologists may find it difficult to determine the psycho-educational needs of these so called Twice-Exceptional (2E) gifted students. Therefore, 2E-students often fall between two stools when it comes to appropriate education. In this presentation, we will demonstrate how the Strengths and Weakness Heuristic (S&W-Heuristic) can be of added value in case of assessments of 2E-students. This S&W-Heuristic was developed to assess students with (suspicion of) the co-occurrence of giftedness and autism in a needs-based way. Subsequently it was made applicable to students with (suspicion of) 2E in general. The S&W-Heuristic may help psychologist and educationalists to understand the contradictory psycho-educational needs of individual students with (suspicion of) 2E, and more systematically determine appropriate interventions. It may reveal hitherto camouflaged strengths or weaknesses in underachieving smart students. In this presentation the audience will be encouraged to reduce the problem of misdiagnoses by shifting their mindset from a classification-based to a dynamic, needs-based operational definition of 2E.

 

 

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