The Foreign Service Journal, June 2013

92 JUNE 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT sionals describe students who are both as “2E” or “twice exceptional.” (Another term for this is GT/LD, which stands for “gifted and talented/learning disabled.”) Too often parents, educators and society expect the gifted child to be able to fend for himself or herself. After all, they’re bright, right? They should be able to just get on with it. But consider this: If the average IQ is 100 points, a child with one standard deviation of 15 points would have an IQ of 85 points or 115. Two standard devia- tions would be 70 or 130. Clearly, we would educate the student with a 70 IQ differently, so why would we ignore the unique needs of the student with a 130 IQ? An additional factor is how best to meet the social and emotional needs of It can be difficult to find the right level of mental health or counseling support at many posts, so the special education allowance also supports therapeutic schools and programs as an option. the highly gifted. Often they have dif- ficulty relating to their peers—whether it involves everyday conversation, social- izing or sharing age-appropriate jokes. As a result, many exceptional students also face social isolation, which can be a risk factor for mental health and behavioral issues. Teens with learning differences need to find not only learning support, but activities where they can feel suc- cessful. Bidders with an exceptional children, should contact each school, present the documentation you have defining your child’s special needs, and then determine whether it can meet those needs. I rec- ommend contacting the special educa- tion coordinator or school counselor as a first step. A phone call will allow