What Experts Know and Parents Need to Know About Students with Gifts and Learning Disabilities in British Columbia: A Review of the Literature and Guide for Parents

Twice-exceptional students, those with both gifts and learning disabilities are a distinctive group of students. These students are often misunderstood and misdiagnosed. They require support for both of their exceptionalities in order to reach their maximum learning potential in school. This project consists of two separate pieces of work. The first section is a literature review that assesses and reports what is currently understood about students with both gifts and learning disabilities. It includes an overview of research and scholarly reviews focused on students with gifts and learning disabilities, and explored the complexity inherent in identifying, assessing and educating twice-exceptional students in British Columbia. The second section is a parent handbook. Concepts from the scholarly literature that are often confusing for parents are presented in less formal terms, along with information that can assist parents as their children make their way through the public school system in British Columbia.