Have you ever known a bright child or adult who seems lazy, disorganized, over sensitive, lacks social skills? Some gifted people have learning difficulties that make it hard for them to display their true abilities. Children who are gifted in intelligence account for three to five percent of all children. Of those, however, as many as one-fifth may have some kind of learning difficulty — estimates vary greatly.
2e(twice exceptional) refers to the fact that some gifted adults/children are exceptional both because of their strengths and because of their limitations. Coupled with high intelligence, these people/children also may have one or more learning disabilities, attention deficit, autism spectrum disorder, emotional or behavior problems, or other types of learning challenges.
ADD/ADHD is a common misdiagnosis in gifted people. A proper evaluation can assist in creating a plan to address the issues that may come with this “gift”. Anxiety and depression are also commonly found along with a higher IQ. It has been described as a person that is operating on “too many channels”. Creating structure, learning tools to address anxiety and depression and exploring other quirks can make the difference between a gifted person with straight F’s or cannot keep a job or a successful, fulfilled person.