Understanding Twice Exceptionality (2E)
From SpecialEd, IEPs, 504s, Oh my! Conversations with DCSEAC by DCSEAC
April 13, 2026 · 45 min · Season 1 · Episode 29
About this episode
The episode explores the concept of twice exceptionality (2E) in education with insights from experts and a parent advocate.
Special Ed, IEPs, 504s, Oh My! – Conversations with DCSEAC Episode: Understanding Twice Exceptionality (2E) Guests: Natasha Strayer – Director of Advanced Academics and Gifted Programming, Douglas County School District, Steven Whited – Special Education Coordinator, Chaparral Feeder, Douglas County School District, Aleia – Parent advocate and DCSEAC co-host Episode Summary: In this episode, host Meredith sits down with two district experts and a parent advocate to unpack twice exceptionality (2E) — Topics Covered: What "twice exceptional" (2E) means in Colorado — formal identification requires both gifted services (ECEA) AND special education services (IDEA) or a 504 plan The concept of masking — how gifted students hide struggles (and vice versa), both intentionally and unintentionally Signs parents can look for at home: big splits between school and home behavior, exhaustion after school, high perfectionism, difficulty transferring verbal understanding to written work How to start the referral conversation — begin with the classroom teacher, gifted education facilitator, or special education provider IEP vs. 504 vs. Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) — what each plan does and why…
People in this episode
Host: Meredith
Guests: Natasha Strayer, Steven Whited, Aleia
Topics covered
- twice exceptionality
- gifted education
- special education
- IEP vs. 504 vs. ALP
- asynchronous development
- parent advocacy
Keywords
- twice exceptional
- gifted services
- special education
- masking
- referral conversation
- behavior
- general education
- DCSD
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Douglas County School District, DCSEAC
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