Twice-Exceptionality and the End of the School Year

Katie Schabilion, PhD, NCSP
Supervisor of Psychological Services, Belin-Blank Center Assessment and Counseling Clinic

The end of the school year is quickly approaching, and we wanted to share a few tips for easing your twice-exceptional child’s transition to summer and planning ahead for next fall.

1. The switch from highly structured school days to totally unstructured summer days can be jarring and lead to challenges. Try to offer some structure during summer days by loosely planning times for independent play, group activities, outings, and meals so that the child can anticipate how their day will go.
2. To alleviate anxiety about summer plans, enlist the child’s help in the planning process. Let them have a say in events or activities and involve them in logistics planning (e.g., dates/times, how to get there, etc.) as much as possible. Academic skills can also be nurtured through this planning, by involving the child in reading about travel destinations, writing itineraries or reflections about their experiences, and calculating costs and determining a travel budget.
3. If the child will be changing schools for the next school year (e.g., advancing from elementary to middle school), ask their school team if it is possible to take a tour of the new building and meet some of the staff who may work with the child. This may be more feasible to offer during the spring of the current year, while teachers are still on contract, than during the summer, when many teachers are away from school and many school buildings are undergoing cleaning or construction projects.

If you are still looking for summer plans for your 2e child, the Belin-Blank Center is offering two 2e-specific events, in addition to our standard summer programs. The 2e Neuroscience Day Camp for current 8^th through 10^th graders is returning for its second year on June 12, 2023, and parents can sign their children up by completing this survey. The 2e Summer Academy for current 9^th and 10^th graders (and their parents!) will take place on June 13 and 14, 2023, and parents can learn more and sign up at belinblank.org/2esa.