About This Episode
Season 7. Episode 9.
In this episode of Education Insight, we take a closer look at a group of students who often fall between the cracks of traditional education systems: twice-exceptional learners. These students possess remarkable intellectual strengths while also navigating challenges such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, or other learning differences.
Host Lacey Kendall is joined by Emily Kircher-Morris, a licensed professional counselor, former classroom teacher, host of The Neurodiversity Podcast, and author of Twice Exceptional Learners in Today’s Classroom. Drawing from both her professional work and her own experience growing up as a neurodivergent student, Emily explains how the combination of giftedness and disability can create confusing and sometimes painful school experiences for children.
The conversation explores why highly intelligent students may still struggle with organization, emotional regulation, or social relationships, and why traditional classroom expectations often fail to meet their needs. Emily shares how many twice-exceptional students are misunderstood—sometimes labeled as difficult, lazy, or inattentive—when in reality they simply require different supports and strategies.
Listeners will also learn how educators and parents can better recognize the signs of twice exceptionality and create environments where these students can thrive. Emily emphasizes that small shifts in teaching approaches—such as focusing on strengths, adjusting expectations around executive functioning, and embracing neurodiversity—can make a profound difference not just for neurodivergent learners, but for all students.
Ultimately, this episode reframes the conversation around difference in the classroom. Instead of viewing neurodivergence as a deficit, Emily encourages educators and families to recognize the creativity, resilience, and unique problem-solving abilities these students bring to the world.
Featured Guest
Emily Kircher-Morris
National Co-President
Biography
Emily Kircher-Morris, M.A., M.Ed., LPC, inspired by her own experiences as a twice-exceptional (2e) learner, is dedicated to supporting 2e children—including her own—in a way she wasn’t during her academic years. She has taught in gifted classrooms, has been a school counselor, and is now in private practice as a licensed professional counselor, where she specializes in helping gifted, twice-exceptional, and neurodivergent kids.
Emily is the author of several books related to the development of twice-exceptional learners. “Teaching Twice-Exceptional Learners in Today’s Classroom” (Free Spirit Publishing, 2021) focuses on supporting 2e learners in the educational setting, and “Raising Twice-Exceptional Children: A Handbook for Parents of Neurodivergent Gifted Kids” (Routledge, 2022) is a guide for parents navigating the world of twice-exceptionality. She is also a co-author on the second edition of “A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children” (Gifted Unlimited, LLC, 2023). Her most recent book, “Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted and Supported” was released in January 2025.
Emily hosts The Neurodiversity Podcast, which explores parenting, counseling techniques, and best practices for enriching the lives of neurodivergent people. She speaks at statewide, national, and international conferences and frequently provides virtual and in-person professional development to educators worldwide. Many of her presentations and workshops can also be found at the Neurodiversity University online learning platform. Emily lives near St. Louis, Missouri.
