Where On the Path Might One of Your Students Fall?

In this group of students, their abilities and disabilities are "masking" each other because they are often using their superior intelligence to compensate for their undiagnosed  learning disability. Their talents often emerge in specific content areas, becoming noticed later in life, but needless to say, they function below their potential since their giftedness is not being adequately challenged nor their learning disability supported.

This might be the largest group of 2e students!  Compensatory strategies that many 2e kids naturally use can mask their gifts or the legitimate learning differences/disabilities they have.

A student who is not identified disabled or gifted may:

• Be achieving at grade level and assumed to have average ability.
• Show areas of difficulty as curriculum becomes more challenging.
• Be viewed as performing within expectations and, therefore, never referred for a special education evaluation.
• Have deflated achievement and standardized test scores due to the disability and may not qualify for gifted education services.
• This group of students is at increased risk of suffering from mental health issues.

They are

Boothe: Idaho State Department of Education. 2010