Supporting twice-exceptional students
Twice-exceptional students are those who have high ability and also have a disability. Disabilities include learning difficulties, physical disabilities, and disorders that impact sensory, social and emotional processing, such as autism and Attention Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder (ADHD). High ability and disability are not mutually exclusive.
Twice-exceptionality in students can be difficult to identify. This is because high ability and disability can camouflage each other. This can happen in the following ways:
- Ability masks disability. The student achieves at the expected level, but not to the level they are capable.
- Disability masks ability. The student achieves below expected level, and there is a focus on intervention or remediation.
- Disability and ability mask each other. The student achieves at expected level and does not receive extension or additional support.
Due to their diverse learning needs, twice-exceptional students may have a Student Support Group established, where the school, parents/carers, the student, and other relevant agencies such as allied health professionals, collaboratively plan supports to meet their needs.
There is no one profile for twice-exceptional students and adjustments will need to be individualised for each student. Students may have an uneven learning profile across subjects, with significant strengths in some areas and challenges in others. For example, a student may excel in writing but require support with mathematics. Some students may have uneven skills within a broader skill set. For example, a student may excel in reading but require support with making inferences from texts.
Some twice-exceptional students may require support for executive functioning and metacognition. Tools like checklists, templates, visual aids, and assistive technology can help with organisation and time-management. Twice-exceptional students may require an adapted workload, more time to complete tasks, or assistance from Education Support staff or a member of the wellbeing team.
These supports may be documented via an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Depending on the nature of the disability and the associated tier of disability inclusion funding, twice-exceptional students may require a Disability Inclusion Profile (DIP).
Taking a strengths-based approach to the learning and development of twice-exceptional students is important. Teachers may need to respond to day-to-day changes in a student’s capacity. Establishing processes for regular communication with parents or carers is important to support these students.
Further guidance and resources can be found at:
Reviewed 11 August 2025