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Privileging the Voices of Twice-Exceptional Children: An Exploration of Lived Experiences and Stigma Narratives

Michelle Ronksley-Pavia, Peter Grootenboer, Donna Pendergast

First Published December 17, 2018 Research Article 

https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353218816384

Article information

 

Article Information

Volume: 42 issue: 1, page(s): 4-34

Article first published online: December 17, 2018; Issue published: March 1, 2019 

 Michelle Ronksley-Pavia¹, Peter Grootenboer¹, Donna Pendergast¹

¹Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia

Corresponding Author:

Michelle Ronksley-Pavia, Griffith University, Parklands Drive, Southport, Queensland 4215, Australia. Email: m.ronksley-pavia@griffith.edu.au

*Accepted under the editorship of Dr. Tracy L. Cross.

This study presents an exploration of the lived experiences of eight twice-exceptional children through their own voices. The narratives reveal a meta-narrative of stigma where identified contextual factors related to discrimination, perceptions of difference, and stigmatized views of disability, giftedness, and subsequently twice-exceptionality. Eight distinct stigma-related themes emerged from the data and each of these is shared. These narratives provide crucial insights into the daily lives of children living with twice-exceptionality in societies where able-bodied and able-minded norms frequently prevail. The study focuses attention on the omnipresent nature of stigma and the importance of cultivating awareness and understanding about twice-exceptionality to address the unique needs of these children. Moreover, policy and practices can be informed by engaging with these children’s experiences so that their needs can be adequately recognized and addressed.

Keywords twice-exceptionality, giftedness, disability, stigma, narrative

Author Biographies

Michelle Ronksley-Pavia is a lecturer and GIER Adjunct Research Fellow at Griffith University, Australia. Her research interests include gifted and talented education, capacity building for teachers and leaders to engage gifted and talented students and those from traditionally underserved populations of gifted learners, and students considered at-risk of educational disengagement.

Peter Grootenboer is deputy director of Griffith Institute for Educational Research and deputy head of School (Research) in the School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University. His research interests include practice/praxis theory, mathematics education, educational leadership, action research, and issues of educational social justice.

Donna Pendergast is Dean and Head, School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University. She has been involved across a number of projects: evaluating middle schooling initiatives, analysis of pedagogies to develop lifelong learning, evaluation of classroom practices using Productive Pedagogies framework, and a longitudinal study of schools’ practices.