Fiducia TogetherTwice exceptional
A child who is both highly able and has SEND. The two mask each other.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Twice exceptional describes a learner with high ability in one or more areas alongside a special educational need or disability.
Where it applies
Any age. It is one of the most under-identified profiles in schools.
How it works
The masking works both ways: high ability compensates for the difficulty, and the difficulty suppresses the visible ability, so the child produces average work and nothing is investigated.\n\nThe frustration of knowing the answer and being unable to record it is a common source of behaviour that gets misread.
What you can ask for
If a child is articulate and their written work is poor, ask for that GAP to be investigated rather than treated as effort or attitude.
Ask for both needs to be addressed at once — challenge AND support. Removing challenge to focus on the difficulty is a common and demoralising response.
Ask about recording work differently — typing, scribing, voice — while the ability is stretched.
Where to get help
SENDIASS for free local advice, IPSEA and Contact nationally.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.