2E means twice exceptional. Gifted and talented/learning disabled (GTLD) is also a way of refering to people with a very high IQ (usually above 130) and also has a specific learning disability (SLD) such as speech and language processing issues, dyslexia, memory challenges, etc. 2E includes people with other neurological issues such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other executive function challenges. 2E is the more common term although some children were identified as GTLD as early as the mid 1970’s.

How does 2E show up in adults?

While no one knows exactly how much of the population is 2E, most estimates are in the 1-2% range. In practice, this means very few people are able to recognize and understand what it is like to be 2E. Few school systems have the capacity or ability to recognize the 2E student. It is even harder to identify the 2E adult.

The intellectual gifts can hide the learning challenges or the learning challenges can hide the intellectual gifts.

Almost all 2E people hold some pain around the disconnect between their intellectual abilities and learning weaknesses.

The 2E person might have hated school but thrives in the workplace excelling in difficult projects, but they still feel vaguely unsatisfied and sense they haven’t achieved equal to their abilities. They fail to get credit for the work they do. The 2E adult has frequently figured out how to get around their challenges,

Often the 2E person will ‘create their own job’ within a system or by being self-employed. If the 2E person is not yet diagnosed, they might be wondering why it’s impossible to write an email but they are the person people come to for solutions to the hardest problem.

Alternatively, the 2E person might have made it through school because their strengths have outweighed their challenges. When they get into the workplace, they suddenly find that it’s not enough. They struggle at the entry level work, become bored, and perform poorly.

What I find about the 2E adult is they have extraordinary potential: they can thrive.

Characteristics of a 2E adult:

think abstractly
some can see both the specific and big picture, seeing an entire system and the interconnected parts.
capacity for creative and elegant solutions
focus intently on projects that interest them (and sometimes miss the larger context).
can be highly sensitive: aesthetically, food sensitivity, sensations, noise, e.g.

and they also may:

be forgetful: miss appointments, send out unedited emails, e.g.
have difficulty making their point
be unfocused and/or unproductive
be underemployed or unemployed
have executive function challenges (adhd, inhibition control, difficulty switching tasks, e.g.)

2E people often have low self esteem and be stuck in their career or life in general.

Some 2E adults were identified as children and so they know their diagnosis but don’t understand it. I help these already identified see how their brain works differently so they can capitalize on their strengths.

When I first began working with GTLD students, the mantra was: “What’s easy is hard. What’s hard is easy.” It takes a long time to understand what this means on the individual level. Usually the hard stuff doesn’t come until the person is an adult while the easy stuff is all of K-12 education.

The Davidson Institute does a nice job describing 2E K-12 students here:

https://www.davidsongifted.org/gifted-blog/twice-exceptional-definition-characteristics-identification/

What are the characteristics of twice exceptional children?

Twice exceptional kids may display strengths in certain areas and weaknesses in others. Common characteristics of twice exceptional students include:

Outstanding critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Above average sensitivity, causing them to react more intensely to sounds, tastes, smells, etc.
Strong sense of curiosity
Low self-esteem due to perfectionism
Poor social skills
Strong ability to concentrate deeply in areas of interest
Difficulties with reading and writing due to cognitive processing deficits
Behavioral problems due to underlying stress, boredom and lack of motivation

Check out this article from the Davidson Institute on twice-exceptional characteristics for more traits and characteristics.

How does 2E show up in adults?

Almost all 2E people hold some pain around the disconnect between their intellectual abilities and learning weaknesses.

Often the 2E person will ‘create their own job’ within a system or by being self-employed. If the 2E person is not yet diagnosed, they might be wondering why it’s impossible to write an email but they are the person people come to for solutions to the hardest problem.

Alternatively, the 2E person might have made it through school because their strengths have outweighed their challenges. When they get into the workplace, they suddenly find that it’s not enough. They struggle at the entry level work, become bored, and perform poorly.

What I find about the 2E adult is they have extraordinary potential: they can thrive.

think abstractly

some can see both the specific and big picture, seeing an entire system and the interconnected parts.

capacity for creative and elegant solutions

focus intently on projects that interest them (and sometimes miss the larger context).

can be highly sensitive: aesthetically, food sensitivity, sensations, noise, e.g.

and they also may:

be forgetful: miss appointments, send out unedited emails, e.g.

have difficulty making their point

be unfocused and/or unproductive

be underemployed or unemployed

have executive function challenges (adhd, inhibition control, difficulty switching tasks, e.g.)

2E people often have low self esteem and be stuck in their career or life in general.

Some 2E adults were identified as children and so they know their diagnosis but don’t understand it. I help these already identified see how their brain works differently so they can capitalize on their strengths.

The Davidson Institute does a nice job describing 2E K-12 students here:

https://www.davidsongifted.org/gifted-blog/twice-exceptional-definition-characteristics-identification/

What are the characteristics of twice exceptional children?

Twice exceptional kids may display strengths in certain areas and weaknesses in others. Common characteristics of twice exceptional students include:

Outstanding critical thinking and problem-solving skills

Above average sensitivity, causing them to react more intensely to sounds, tastes, smells, etc.

Strong sense of curiosity

Low self-esteem due to perfectionism

Poor social skills

Strong ability to concentrate deeply in areas of interest

Difficulties with reading and writing due to cognitive processing deficits

Behavioral problems due to underlying stress, boredom and lack of motivation