For Students with Both Gifts and Disabilities, Choices Are Few
March 2, 2018
By: Solvejg Wastvedt
Source: MPR News
Schools generally organize themselves according to categories: They divide students by age, grade, and often by academic progress or lack thereof. But what about students who don’t fit into those categories?
That’s the problem junior Brendan Olson and senior Joey Firestone faced.
On a recent morning, they sat with about a dozen other students in a classroom at Lionsgate Academy in Minnetonka. The class is specifically for students who are called “twice-exceptional,” meaning they have a disability and qualify as intellectually gifted. Brendan and Joey are on the autism spectrum.
Students started discussing a book about leadership, and Brendan spoke up first.
“I think the main point that it’s trying to get across is your perception of who you are can be highly influenced by people around you,” he said.
Lionsgate’s “twice-exceptional” class aims to teach social and professional skills whose lack might otherwise hinder student accomplishment.