Gifted & Twice-Exceptional (2e) Tutors in Chicago & the Suburbs

Research suggests that somewhere between 2.5% and 36% of gifted students are twice-exceptional, with 17% being a frequently cited figure. Twice-exceptional students are often overlooked because their strengths can mask their learning challenges—or their learning challenges can mask their strengths. Without the right support, these students may become disengaged from learning, underachieve academically, experience frustration, or begin to doubt their own abilities.

Understanding some of the typical challenges is the first step toward giving gifted children the environment they need to truly thrive. Read on to learn and explore why personalized tutoring with Chicago Home Tutor may be the right fit for your gifted or twice-exceptional child.

Jump to a Section

1. Understanding Gifted and Twice-Exceptional (2e) Learners 

2. Signs Your Child Could Benefit from a Gifted or 2e Tutor

3. How we Approach Gifted & Twice-Exceptional Tutoring

4. Why Families Choose Chicago Home Tutor 

5. Gifted and 2e Tutoring FAQ

6. Get Started with Gifted or Twice-Exceptional Tutoring Today

Gifted students are, in their own right, a type of diverse learner. Gifted students often learn quickly, think deeply, and make connections beyond what's typically expected for their age. They may excel academically, show exceptional creativity, or develop advanced interests in particular subjects. However, giftedness is not a free pass to an effortless school experience; rather, it comes with its own distinct set of challenges that, when left unaddressed, can hold a child back just as significantly as any other learning exceptionality. 

What Does 2e Look Like?

Some gifted students also have a learning challenge or diagnosed learning difference. These students are known as twice-exceptional, or 2e. Twice-exceptional students can have a wide range of co-occurring learning differences alongside their giftedness, which may at times disguise it beyond recognition. Some of the most common combinations include:

• ADHD: A 2e student with ADHD may have a remarkably advanced understanding of the world around them but struggle significantly with attention, impulse control, managing behavior, or executive functioning challenges like organizing and planning.

• Dyslexia: A child with dyslexia and giftedness may struggle to read and write (decode and encode) written words while simultaneously demonstrating exceptional higher-level thinking and comprehension when material is presented verbally. The gap between what they understand and what they can produce on paper can be striking and puzzling.

• Autism: A 2e child with autism may have highly developed areas of knowledge and interest while also navigating challenges with emotional regulation, social connection, or sensory sensitivities. Their profile can vary significantly from one setting to the next, thus making consistent support difficult to provide.  

• Speech and Language Challenges: A gifted child may have sophisticated ideas and reasoning but struggle to express them clearly, either in speech or in writing. This disconnect between what a child thinks and what they can communicate can be misread as a lack of understanding rather than a language processing challenge.

These are just a few examples. The possible combinations of giftedness and learning differences are as varied as the children themselves, and no two 2e students ever look exactly alike.

How Common Is It? 

Estimates vary widely, and pinning down an exact number is part of the challenge. The wide range isn't a sign of poor research but reflects the genuine difficulty in identifying them. 

Giftedness can mask a learning difference, because a bright child may find ways to compensate for their challenges so well that no one even notices them. At the same time, a learning difference can mask giftedness, because when a child is struggling, it can be hard to see how capable they actually are. Both can fly under the radar for years, leaving the child without the support they need for either learning difference.

Many gifted learners experience strengths and challenges that exist side by side. Every child is unique, and no list can capture the full range of experiences gifted students have. But behind these individual differences, there are common patterns that tend to show up across gifted/2e students as a group. If you've noticed any of these signs, your child could benefit from individualized support.

• Perfectionism: Perfectionism and giftedness frequently go hand in hand. Gifted students often have a heightened awareness of what's possible in the world and in themselves, and many have grown up hearing adults praise them for how smart or capable they are. Over time, this can quietly set the stage for intense perfectionism. These students may hold themselves to extraordinarily high standards, avoid challenges, give up quickly when things get hard, have rigid ideas about what success looks like, or live with a persistent fear of failure, worrying that a single mistake means letting themselves or the people who believe in them down.

  But there is no escaping the fact that mistakes are an essential part of learning. When a child is unwilling to attempt something unless they're certain they'll get it right, genuine growth is inhibited.

  Tutors can help students embrace mistakes as part of the learning process, develop resilience, and build strategies for approaching uncertainty with greater confidence. 

• Asynchronous Development: Asynchronous development refers to uneven development across different areas, and it's one of the most common and misunderstood characteristics of gifted and 2e learners. Asynchronous development can also show up as uneven skills within academics itself. A gifted student might hold sophisticated, almost adult-level conversations about complex topics but struggle to decode words on a page. Another might grasp advanced mathematical concepts intuitively while having difficulty keeping track of basic computation steps. 

  For some gifted students, intellectual ability outpaces social and emotional maturity. This disconnect can be confusing for peers, teachers, and parents who see a highly capable child struggling in ways that don't seem to add up. Personalized tutoring addresses the whole child, supporting areas of struggle while continuing to nurture natural strengths.

• Under-Stimulation: Gifted students often need greater intellectual challenge than traditional schooling can provide. When school content moves too slowly or doesn't stretch a gifted child's thinking, boredom can set in, which can manifest in unexpected ways. Some children may act out or seek stimulation in disruptive ways. Others withdraw, becoming disengaged or flat in ways that can resemble depression.  Either way, a child who isn't being challenged may develop a negative relationship with school and learning that becomes harder to undo over time.

  Personalized tutoring can appropriately stimulate advanced learners by providing enrichment opportunities and learning experiences that encourage students to explore topics with greater curiosity.

• Executive Functioning Challenges: Being intellectually gifted does not automatically mean a child knows how to learn. Executive functioning skills (the skills to plan, organize, manage time, follow through on tasks, and regulate emotions) are built through practice and struggle. When academic work has always come easily, a child may never have had the opportunity to develop these skills in part because they never really needed them.

  As content gets more demanding, these gaps can become significant. A student who breezed through elementary school without ever having to study may suddenly find themselves overwhelmed, not because the material is too hard, but because they've never learned how to approach hard material. Executive functioning challenges can also show up alongside the emotional intensity common in gifted learners, making it harder to manage frustration, transitions, or open-ended tasks. 

  An executive functioning coach can help students develop real-life skills needed to manage learning itself

• Lack of Support Options or Programming: One of the most frustrating challenges for gifted students and their families isn't about the child; rather, it's about the system. Not all schools have robust gifted programming in place, so the pathways that exist for other students with learning differences may not be readily available to others.

Many parents are surprised to learn that an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for gifted students isn't available unless the child also qualifies under one of the federal disability categories. In Illinois, like in most states, gifted students do not qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) because giftedness is not recognized as one of the 13 disability categories under federal law. Unless a child is twice-exceptional (meaning they are gifted and also have a learning disability, ADHD, or another diagnosed difference), they may not be entitled to any formal individualized support at school. Even in districts where gifted programming exists, limited funding and staffing can mean that services are inconsistent or insufficient. Families are often left to navigate this on their own.

Gifted and twice-exceptional students need support that's built around who they are. Effective support starts with truly understanding a child. When you work with Chicago Home Tutor, we take the time to hand-pick the right tutor for your child, someone who understands their specific combination of strengths and challenges and who can build the kind of trusting, individualized relationship where real progress happens. Here’s what we do differently:

• Understanding Your Child’s Unique Learning Profile: Effective support starts with truly understanding your child. But parents of twice-exceptional students often hear conflicting messages which can be confusing—not only for the student, but for the adults trying to support them. This is why we work collaboratively with your child's school and psychologist if needed, combining school reports, gifted child assessments, psychologist recommendations, and our own observations to build a clear picture of where your child is thriving and where they need support. From there, we develop a targeted plan designed specifically for them: a plan that addresses challenges, builds on strengths, and helps even out the kind of uneven skill profiles that are so common in gifted and 2e learners.

• Expert One-on-One Instruction: This is where Chicago Home Tutor truly stands apart. Our team includes reading specialists, learning behavior specialists, and tutors trained in Wilson Reading and Orton-Gillingham (two highly regarded, evidence-based approaches for supporting students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences). Many of our tutors hold more than one area of expertise and bring years of experience working with students who have complex, layered learning profiles.

  But it's not just about credentials. When you work with Chicago Home Tutor, we take the time to hand-pick the right tutor for your child, someone who understands their specific combination of strengths and challenges and who can build the kind of trusting, individualized relationship where real progress happens.

• Building Strong Executive Functioning Skills: Knowing a lot and knowing how to learn are two very different things, and for many gifted students, the latter is where the real challenge lies. Our tutors are experienced in executive functioning coaching and can help your child build the skills that make independent learning possible. This includes developing organizational systems and routines, practicing time management, strengthening working memory, building coping strategies for frustration and overwhelm, and tackling longer-term planning and task follow-through. These are skills that will serve your child well beyond any single subject or school year.

• Interest-Driven Enrichment: When school isn't moving fast enough or going deep enough, gifted students can disconnect, and that disengagement can lead to a host of other challenges and missed opportunities. Our tutors can work with your child to pursue advanced concepts connected to their coursework, dive into areas of passionate interest, or explore entirely new domains of learning. The goal is to rekindle a love of learning by meeting your child where their curiosity already lives and then expanding from there.

Gifted and twice-exceptional students deserve more than a tutor who can explain the material. They need someone who genuinely understands how they think, learn, and experience the world. At Chicago Home Tutor, supporting complex learners is what we're built for.

Chicago Home Tutor was founded by a school psychologist with deep expertise in learning differences and child development. That foundation shapes everything we do, from how we assess each student's unique profile to how we select the right tutor to how we design sessions that actually work for that individual child. We understand that no two students are alike and that twice-exceptional students in particular require someone who can hold their strengths and challenges in mind at the same time without losing sight of either one.

Our team includes certified learning behavior specialists, reading specialists, and educators with extensive formal training and real classroom experience. Many of our tutors are trained in Wilson Reading and Orton-Gillingham, two of the most well-regarded, evidence-based approaches for supporting students with dyslexia and other language-based learning differences. Our team also has deep experience supporting students with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and other neurodiverse profiles. Most of our tutors hold expertise in more than one of these areas. We are knowledgeable, patient, and skilled at building the kind of trusting relationship where a complex learner can finally feel understood.

We take your child's safety seriously. Every tutor on our team undergoes thorough background checks, reference screenings, and in-depth interviews before working with any student.

And we come to you. Whether your family is in Lincoln Park, Hyde Park, Oak Park, the North Shore, Naperville or anywhere in between, we offer in-person tutoring in the setting that works best whether that’s your home, a local library, or another convenient location. We also hand-pick the right tutor for your child based on their specific learning profile, so you're never left guessing whether it's a good fit.

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Does my child need gifted testing or a formal gifted identification before tutoring?

Many parents ask how to get a child tested for giftedness and if it’s even necessary. While formal evaluations can provide valuable information, those can take a long time to schedule and aren't required to begin tutoring. Many families reach out because they've noticed their child isn't being challenged, seems unusually frustrated, or shows a combination of exceptional strengths and unexpected struggles. We can work alongside existing school evaluations when available, but we can also help students who are still in the process of understanding their learning needs.

When should we start tutoring for a gifted or twice-exceptional child?

If you've noticed that your child seems bored, disengaged, frustrated, or isn't being well-served by their current school environment, there's no reason to wait. The same is true if your child has been identified as twice-exceptional and is struggling to get adequate support through their school. Early intervention tends to produce the strongest outcomes both academically and in terms of a child's relationship with learning. The longer you wait, the harder it gets to reverse patterns of disengagement, avoidance, or eroded confidence.

How often should tutoring sessions happen?

The right frequency depends on your child's specific needs, goals, and your family's schedule. For students working on foundational skill gaps, such as a 2e student with dyslexia working on reading through Orton-Gillingham or Wilson, two to three sessions per week often produces more consistent progress. For gifted students seeking enrichment or executive functioning support, one to two sessions per week is typically a good starting point. During your free consultation, we'll work with you to design a plan that fits your child's needs and your family's life.

Who are your tutors?

Our tutors are licensed educators, many holding Master's degrees and specialized certifications in learning and behavior. Our tutors have advanced training in evidence-based methods and experience supporting students with a wide range of learning profiles, including gifted learners, twice-exceptional students, and children with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, and anxiety. Many tutors hold expertise in more than one area, which is especially valuable when working with 2e students whose needs don't fit neatly into a single category.

Because our tutors live and work in the Chicagoland area, they also have firsthand familiarity with local school systems, gifted programming, and academic expectations, which means the support we provide is grounded in the real environment your child navigates every day.

Can you help with more than one area of need at a time?

Absolutely. And for many gifted and 2e students, that's exactly what's needed. A twice-exceptional student might need multisensory reading support through Orton-Gillingham alongside executive functioning coaching to help them manage their workload. A gifted student who is bored in math class might benefit from enrichment in advanced concepts while also working on the organizational skills to handle more complex, open-ended problems. Our tutors are experienced in addressing multiple areas of need within a cohesive, personalized approach, so your child isn't getting a patchwork of disconnected support. They're getting a tutor who sees the whole picture.

How long until we see results?

Every child is different, and progress rarely looks the same from one student to the next. Many families notice early shifts like increased engagement, excitement in being challenged, or a child who starts to feel more understood within the first few weeks. More lasting changes in skills, habits, and confidence typically develop over several months of consistent, individualized support. We'll work with you along the way to track progress and adjust our approach as your child grows.

Can tutoring work alongside my child's school or gifted programme?

Absolutely. We often work alongside classroom teachers, school support teams, and existing accommodations or enrichment programs. Our goal isn't to replace your child's gifted kids program at school but to complement it by offering the individualized instruction that's difficult to achieve in a traditional classroom.

If your gifted or twice-exceptional child isn't getting what they need, whether that means more challenge, more understanding, or more targeted support for a learning difference, we're here to help. At Chicago Home Tutor, we specialize in hand-picking the right specialist to understand your child’s specific needs, even when there are multiple needs to consider and support in our tutoring sessions. Schedule your free consultation today and take the first step toward getting your child the individualized support they deserve.

We make finding the right match as easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Schedule your consultation with our learning behaviour specialist: We’ll discuss your child's goals, strengths, challenges, and family availability.

2. We find a gifted/2e tutor: Thoughtful matching takes 2-5 days to find the answer to your “gifted tutoring near me” search

3. Begin personalized, “built-for-me” academic support: Your child starts being challenged according to their true potential

References:

• https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1042007

  Reis, S. M., Baum, S. M., & Burke, E. (2014). An Operational Definition of Twice-Exceptional Learners: Implications and Applications. Gifted Child Quarterly, 58(3), 217–230. 

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional

  Brody, L. E., & Mills, C. J. (1997). Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities: A Review of the Issues. Journal of Learning Disabilities.