A Call to Action

Book excerpt: Although twice exceptional students are gradually receiving more recognition and intervention, they are still a grossly underserved segment of the school population. A Call to Action: Identification and Intervention for Twice and Thrice Exceptional Students begins with basic information about twice exceptional students—students who are both gifted/talented and who also have learning disabilities—and provides strategies for how educators can identify these students. It is imperative that classroom teachers provide intervention to address both exceptionalities since these students often score at grade level on standardized tests, the giftedness score lowered by the learning disability raised by the giftedness, resulting in neither exceptionality being addressed because they do not qualify for either of the special services. This book discusses the Informal Reading Inventory, how it should be administered, and how the information provided by this instrument can enable the classroom teacher to meet the special needs of these students. It also presents Stopwatch Spelling, a program that with a fast-paced, confidence-building approach, helps many students overcome a frustrating impediment to becoming proficient readers and spellers. A Call to Action draws upon classroom and clinical experiences, field work, and interviews with twice exceptional students of all ages, parents, and community partners.