I am trying to put together a list of schools that would be supportive for twice-exceptional learners (different kids so different strengthes and challenges). This is just a starting point place to look. Do you have an recommendations? In liberal arts?, engineering?, the sciences? Thanks.
Thatās a pretty big- and vague- ask. It really, really depends on the exception. For example, an environment that suits a Gifted + ADHD student might not suit a Gifted + ASD student at all.
That goes to the āsupportiveā part also. A Gifted + OCD student may need some very specific supports; a Gifted + Dyslexic may not need the same level or type of support.
And that doesnāt even touch the individuality of a given student: the environments they thrive in, their academic strengths & weaknesses, etc.
Can you say more about what you are looking for in particular?
I do not have one student in mind, just looking for schools that offer higher levels of support (in a variety of areas) for very bright students.
I had to look this up - a ātwice exceptionalā student is a student that is both gifted and has a learning or developmental disability.
I agree with collegemom3717 is that this question is nearly impossible to answer. It depends on the individual student and their needs and preferences. A student who knows they may need additional support might want to contact the Office of Disability Services or the equivalent at the college and ask about support there, and then perhaps ask to be put in touch with some students who could provide perspective.
You may want to check out University of Denverās program for neurodiverse learners: https://www.du.edu/studentlife/learningeffectiveness/ and I believe that Arizona State is supposed to have a good program as well for this.
My son is a twice-exceptional student, and heās looking at colleges from Loren Popeās book, Colleges That Change Lives. These are all liberal arts colleges which are small enough to offer a fair level of support for students with learning differences.
Iām with you, 2e! That was the approach taken with my 2e son #1 and itās worked well enough that he has just started his senior year at Lawrence University. His issues: ADHD, ASD + anxiety disorder. One of his first friends at LU was also on the spectrum. Being at a tiny school solves a lot of issues right off the bat. That said there are some tiny schools (top/elite LACs?) that would have been too much of a pressure cooker environment for him.
Iāve heard tales of super bright kids who have crashed and burned at those types of schools and I suspect a lot of these kids have āunderlying issues.ā LU has a āstudent academic successā office and I believe they do get notified if a student is MIA/not attending class or failing. Support automatically reaches out to the student and tries to help before the situation becomes dire. If the students fails a class they are required to meet with SAS and devise a plan for recovery.
There have been times Iāve wondered if he did the right thing by not applying to more competitive schools, but thereās no point accepting an offer from one if you canāt make it to the end! So at the end of the day I am happy with this choice. Thereās a wide range of students at these CTCL schools and depending on the program, they seem to feed at top colleges For grad school, so in my mind this has been a best of both worlds scenario. Itās been challenging enough that he almost dropped the ball freshman year, but not so challenging that he became utterly paralyzed. Thatās the sweet spot IMHO. He also received generous merit aid from all of the CTCL schools he applied to. My younger son has dyslexia so I am jumping back in to their for round two. Heās a very different person with different interests (more STEM to his brothers arts/humanities) but there seems to be a CTCL school for everyone.
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