The Education Act (1998) defines special educational need to include “the educational needs of students who have a disability and the educational needs of exceptionally able students”. “We feel that for a lot of our twice-exceptional students, the focus is not necessarily on their strengths. You wouldn’t see any issue in the tests they do every couple of years because they are scoring really, really well.”However, mental health issues can also be common amongst gifted children. “There really is no training at initial teacher training level in gifted education," he said. Peter Lydon: 'They [gifted children] need teachers who know their stuff.

Source: Irish Examiner January 25, 2026 17:40 UTC