Imagine a middle schooler named Maya, buzzing with questions about how the brain works. She devours neuroscience books for fun, sketches neuron diagrams on her math homework, and lights up when her science teacher mentions neurotransmitters. She could thrive in HOSA–Future Health Professionals, Science Olympiad’s anatomy events, or a health-themed science fair.
But there’s a complication. Maya has ADHD and dysgraphia. Timed tests make her freeze. Written lab reports take her three times longer than her classmates. She struggles to track conversations in group projects and misses social cues. On paper, she appears “inconsistent”: brilliant in oral explanations but scattered in written work. In health competitions, she risks being underestimated or burning out.
This is the reality for many twice-exceptional (2e) students—those who are both gifted and have learning differences or disabilities. When 2e students are understood and supported, health competitions can become powerful arenas for confidence and advocacy. This guide explores how to design and navigate health competitions that honor both aspects of twice-exceptionality.
Twice-exceptional students are gifted in one or more areas while also having diagnosed or suspected learning differences or disabilities. A 2e student might be:
These students are not “gifted but lazy” or “smart but disorganized.” Their strengths and challenges coexist, leading to scenarios like a student who explains the cardiovascular system brilliantly but struggles to finish a timed multiple-choice test.
Health competitions combine intense content with real-time performance, strict timing, and high expectations. For twice-exceptional students, this can amplify both brilliance and difficulty. Specific profiles of 2e students may reveal:
These students often require thoughtful preparation, flexible structures, and supportive adults to make health competitions affirming challenges rather than sources of chronic stress.
Begin with “Who is this student, and how do they best learn?” instead of starting with the competition requirements. Understanding strengths and challenges allows you to match them to suitable roles and events. For example, consider Alex, a high school student with autism who excels in biology. In a health competition setting, he might:
Starting from Alex’s profile helps adults select events that allow his skills to shine while minimizing stress.
2e students often perform unevenly across formats. A student might excel at oral explanations yet struggle with written responses. Health competitions that offer various formats can better support them.
Encourage opportunities such as:
Noor, an eighth grader with ADHD and dysgraphia, loved health science but struggled in a fast-paced diagnostic event. After a meeting, her coach moved her to an awareness campaign about nutrition, where she could use voice-to-text, create infographics, and practice presentations in short bursts. On competition day, she delivered a clear presentation, starting to see herself as competent in health and academics.
Twice-exceptional students thrive with an intentional support team, including a parent, coach, special education teacher, and sometimes a counselor. Consider Jamal, gifted in chemistry and dyslexic. His team meets to discuss:
Intentional conversations signal to the student that their wellbeing matters.
Many worry that asking for accommodations is “unfair.” For 2e students, proper accommodations level the playing field, ensuring knowledge and skill are measured fairly. Common accommodations include:
Starting with what works in classrooms can help in requesting similar supports for competitions.
Effective preparation respects the brain’s rhythms. Consider these patterns:
For instance, Li, a 2e physiology student with ADHD and anxiety, thrived with a routine that included study sprints and reflection, improving both content mastery and stress management.
2e students are vulnerable to perfectionism, feeling pressure to constantly prove themselves. Adults can frame health competitions as:
Setting clear boundaries can help, such as limiting events and ensuring time for rest and social activities.
Many 2e students face feedback focused on their challenges. Health competitions can reveal their strengths, shifting their self-concept. For example, Priya struggles with reading due to dyslexia, but during a competition, she creates a 3D heart model, impressing judges and peers alike. These experiences help 2e students recognize their unique assets in health fields.
Competitions can open discussions about future pathways that match gifts and learning differences. For instance, a student who thrives in structured settings may excel in lab work, while one who enjoys fast-paced tasks might find satisfaction in emergency medicine. Competitions offer exposure to various roles, helping students envision futures aligned with their strengths and needs.
Self-advocacy can begin with small steps, like:
Carlos, a gifted ninth grader with dysgraphia, learned to self-advocate over time, transitioning his skills to new environments and becoming confident in expressing his needs.
As a twice-exceptional student, you bring a rare perspective to health competitions. Actions you can take include:
Support your 2e child by:
To support 2e students, you can:
Twice-exceptional students occupy a complicated space: their gifts can mask struggles and vice versa. In health competitions, they can either feel overwhelmed or supported and inspired.
When families, educators, and competition organizers design experiences focused on the whole student, health competitions transform from contests into opportunities for self-discovery, self-advocacy, and pathways into meaningful futures in health and science. For many 2e students, these experiences reveal that their differences are not obstacles but powerful assets.
If you’re ready to explore specific health competitions and preparation strategies for twice-exceptional learners, find more guides and event breakdowns on ScholarComp. Remember, the true victory for 2e students is realizing that their differences are valuable assets in every part of their lives.
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