Paths of Inclusion: Perceptions of Parents and Teachers on the Schooling of Students with Dual Exceptionality in the Brazilian Context

Fabiana Ferrão de Carvalho Paes de Barros; Fernanda Fazilari Lelis

DOI: 10.22167/2675-6528-202602898

Article derived from a Final Course Work (TCC), with content based on the student’s original work and adapted to the editorial format of the E&S Magazine with the support of the ResumeAI tool, an artificial intelligence solution developed by the Pecege Institute for textual synthesis and organization.

Abstract

Dual Exceptionality, characterized by the coexistence of High Abilities/Giftedness and neurodevelopmental disorders, represents a complex phenomenon that challenges traditional identification and schooling models. The study aimed to understand the perceptions of parents or guardians, teachers, and other education professionals regarding the schooling of students with Dual Exceptionality in the Brazilian context, investigating challenges, pedagogical strategies, and possibilities for inclusion based on equity. The research adopted a qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive approach, and collected data through an online, voluntary, and anonymous questionnaire answered by 25 participants. The discursive data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The results indicated that knowledge about the topic is often built from personal and professional experiences, revealing gaps in systematic training. Difficulties were identified in the identification of these students, in teacher training, and in the implementation of individualized educational plans, pedagogical flexibility, and curriculum enrichment. Socioemotional repercussions, such as frustration and low self-esteem, were reported. However, some schools demonstrated inclusive practices based on equity, articulating specific needs and potentialities. Although the results do not allow for generalizations, they highlighted the need to strengthen professional training and the articulation between school, family, and specialized services. It was concluded that the inclusion of students with Dual Exceptionality requires practices that simultaneously recognize their difficulties and potentialities, ensuring equitable conditions for participation, learning, and development.

Keywords: Human development; Teacher training; School inclusion; Neurodivergence; Pedagogical practices.

1. Introduction

Dual Exceptionality has been occupying increasing space in educational discussions due to the complexity involving the coexistence between High Abilities/Giftedness and neurodevelopmental disorders. Examples of these disorders include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD). This phenomenon challenges traditional teaching and assessment models, as it brings together, in the same student, high potential and specific educational needs, requiring pedagogical approaches that simultaneously consider their potentialities and challenges.

This creates a paradox that challenges the traditional way schools understand learning. The educational system often expects regular and homogeneous development, both academically and behaviorally. However, students with Dual Exceptionality tend to present irregular trajectories, which can lead to mistaken conclusions and interpretations about the student, as their needs often remain invisible. One disorder ends up masking the other, as if they could not coexist. The literature describes that students with Dual Exceptionality often present school trajectories marked by irregular performances, which favors mistaken interpretations about their abilities. This phenomenon, known as the masking effect, can cause high abilities to hide difficulties or, conversely, neurodevelopmental disorders to obscure high potential, making their identification and the planning of adequate educational interventions difficult (Baum, Schader & Owen, 2017).

As a consequence of this masking, without adequate identification, which compromises both the development of their talents and their effective school inclusion, these students frequently experience frustrations in the school environment. Many report demotivation, adaptation difficulties, and feelings of inadequacy, especially when they do not find pedagogical practices that consider them both in their potential and in their challenges (Baum, Schader & Owen, 2017).

In Brazil, Dual Exceptionality still occupies a reduced space in public policies, educational guidelines, and the initial and continuing training of teachers (Mantoan, 2003). Historically, special education services have focused more on evident disabilities, while High Abilities/Giftedness already face recognition difficulties. Teachers, frequently, instead of enriching and further challenging their students, end up placing them in the role of assisting colleagues in the classroom, merely reinforcing their knowledge and not stimulating their abilities. Hybrid profiles, therefore, become even more neglected, reinforcing the mistaken idea that students with high potential do not need structured school support and enrichment in their areas of excellence.

From a theoretical point of view, models such as Renzulli’s Three Rings model (2004) broaden the understanding of giftedness by considering that it is not limited to above-average abilities, but also involves creativity and task commitment. High Abilities cease to be just Intelligence Quotient, becoming more dynamic and contextualized, favoring a more integrated reading of the coexistence between high abilities and neurodevelopmental difficulties. From this perspective, understanding Dual Exceptionality requires overcoming reductionist conceptions of intelligence and school performance, recognizing that high abilities and neurodevelopmental disorders can coexist and demand pedagogical practices based on equity.

At this point, the American Psychiatric Association’s framework, through the DSM-5 (APA, 2014), contributes by highlighting the complexity of clinical conditions, in which conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder can coexist with different cognitive profiles. This coexistence demands an integrated perspective, one that goes beyond diagnostic categorization and considers the individual in their entirety. The understanding of high abilities beyond traditional academic performance is broadened, but when this model is applied to the context of dual exceptionality, an additional challenge becomes evident: indicators of high abilities may be present, but they do not manifest linearly, especially when they coexist with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Therefore, understanding how parents and teachers perceive Dual Exceptionality becomes paramount, as it is these perceptions that influence identification processes, expectations about the student, and the pedagogical practices adopted. In this context, understanding the perceptions of parents, guardians, and education professionals becomes particularly relevant, since these actors directly participate in the identification, referral, and monitoring processes of students with Dual Exceptionality. The experiences lived by these groups allow us to understand not only the challenges faced in daily school life but also the potentialities, institutional gaps, and possibilities for building more inclusive and equitable pedagogical practices. Given this scenario, this study aimed to understand the perceptions of parents or guardians, teachers, and other education professionals regarding the schooling of students with Dual Exceptionality, investigating the challenges faced, the pedagogical strategies used, and the possibilities for promoting inclusive education based on equity in the Brazilian context.

2. Material and Methods

This research was designed with a qualitative approach, of an exploratory and descriptive nature, aiming to investigate complex and still little systematized phenomena in the educational field. This methodological choice allowed for an in-depth understanding of the participants’ perceptions of Dual Exceptionality, without the intention of generalizing the findings to a larger population. A survey was chosen, conducted online, ensuring the voluntariness and anonymity of the participants throughout the entire data collection process.

The study’s unit of analysis comprised the perceptions of parents or guardians of students identified as having dual exceptionality, teachers, and other education professionals. The sample was non-probabilistic, by convenience, selected based on the availability and interest of participants in contributing to the research. Participants came from different regions of Brazil, with a predominance of the Southeast region, reflecting the geographical distribution of respondents who accessed the questionnaire.

For data collection, an electronic questionnaire developed on the Google Forms platform was used. The instrument was structured in thematic blocks, containing closed-ended questions for the sociodemographic characterization of the participants and open-ended and semi-structured questions. These questions addressed the conceptual understanding of Dual Exceptionality, the school experiences lived, the challenges faced, the support strategies employed, and the perceptions about the school inclusion of students with this profile.

The questionnaire was made available electronically to the participants, who filled it out voluntarily and anonymously. Data collection occurred over a specific period, without direct intervention from the researchers, and the estimated response time was approximately 10 to 15 minutes. At the end of the collection period, 25 valid responses were obtained, which constituted the data corpus for the analysis. Participation was conditioned on the acceptance of a digital Free and Informed Consent Term (FICT), ensuring the respondents’ awareness and agreement with the research terms.

The discursive responses, obtained through the open-ended and semi-structured questions of the questionnaire, were submitted to the thematic content analysis technique. This procedure followed the steps proposed by Bardin (2011), which include pre-analysis, material exploration, coding, and the construction of thematic categories. Pre-analysis involved floating reading and material organization. In the exploration stage, the units of record and context were identified. Subsequently, coding was performed, grouping the data into emergent categories that reflected the central themes of the participants’ perceptions.

Ethical considerations were observed at all stages of the research. The study was conducted in accordance with CNS Resolution nº 510/2016, which regulates research in human and social sciences. Due to the investigation being based on perceptions, without direct intervention or the application of tests, submission to the Research Ethics Committee was waived. Respondent participation was voluntary and anonymous, and the Free and Informed Consent Form (TCLE) was presented digitally before the questionnaire completion began, ensuring the autonomy and privacy of those involved.

3. Results and Discussion

The analysis of the collected data revealed multifaceted insights into the schooling of students with Dual Exceptionality, ranging from conceptual knowledge to pedagogical practices and socio-emotional impacts. The research sample comprised 25 participants, predominantly parents or legal guardians, who represented 64% of the total. Basic Education teachers constituted 24% of the respondents, while other education professionals and a pedagogical coordinator accounted for 12% and 4%, respectively. This sample composition, with a strong presence of family members, lent the reports a significant experiential weight, marked by experiences of frustration and the search for support, which enriches the subjective dimension of the analysis.

Geographically, the research demonstrated a significant concentration of participants in the Southeast region of Brazil, totaling 84% of the responses. The Northeast and South regions contributed 8% each, and the Center-West region contributed 4%. This regional distribution, although reflecting the convenience of the sample, may indicate inequalities in access to information, training, and specialized services on Dual Exceptionality in other parts of the country. The diversity in participants’ experience time, with 40% working between 6 and 10 years, 24% with up to 5 years, 20% between 11 and 20 years, and 16% with more than 20 years, suggests that the perceptions collected span different stages of the professional and parental journey, offering a comprehensive view of the investigated phenomenon.

Knowledge about dual exceptionality

The results indicated that the majority of participants claim to know the concept of Dual Exceptionality, with 60% fully agreeing and 24% partially agreeing with this statement. However, the qualitative analysis of the open-ended responses revealed that this knowledge is largely built from personal and professional experiences, such as diagnosing a child or working in specific contexts, rather than from systematized academic training. This finding points to a gap in the institutionalization of the topic in training processes, with knowledge acquired autonomously, fragmented, and often late, which directly impacts the capacity for early identification and intervention.

The perception that Dual Exceptionality is not a sufficiently discussed topic in the school context was widely shared, with 80% of participants totally disagreeing with this statement. Additionally, 60% totally disagreed that their initial or continuing education addressed the theme adequately, and 20% partially disagreed. This scenario dialogues with the Special Education literature, which describes Dual Exceptionality as a field still in consolidation, both in the academic sphere and in educational practice (Baum, Schader & Owen, 2017). The absence of systematized and in-depth knowledge contributes to the maintenance of reductionist conceptions, in which students are understood from a single dimension, be it difficulty or ability, hindering a comprehensive approach.

In this sense, the understanding of high abilities, according to Renzulli’s Three-Ring Model (2004), which includes above-average abilities, creativity, and task commitment, is crucial. However, when applied to Dual Exceptionality, this model reveals an additional challenge: indicators of high abilities may be present but do not manifest linearly due to the coexistence with neurodevelopmental disorders. The DSM-5 framework (APA, 2014) reinforces the complexity of clinical presentations, where conditions such as ADHD and ASD can coexist with different cognitive profiles, requiring an integrated perspective that transcends diagnostic categorization. The research data, therefore, highlight a tension between the perception of knowledge and the lack of in-depth understanding that translates into consistent and effective pedagogical practices.

Teacher training: structural gaps and impacts on pedagogical practice

One of the most consistent research findings was the widespread perception of inadequacy in the initial and continuing training of teachers to support students with Dual Exceptionality. The majority of participants indicated that they do not feel prepared, revealing a structural gap in teacher training courses. This deficiency manifests in daily school life through teachers’ difficulties in identifying the signs of Dual Exceptionality, insecurity in making pedagogical decisions, and the absence of adequate institutional support. Family members, in turn, frequently point to the lack of preparedness of professionals as one of the main obstacles to their children’s development.

This scenario is supported by studies that point to teacher training in Brazil as fragmented in relation to educational needs, with greater emphasis on deficits than on potentialities (Fleith, 2007; Virgolim, 2014). This perspective hinders the understanding of complex profiles, such as those of Dual Exceptionality, where high potential can be obscured by difficulties. From Renzulli’s perspective (2004), this limitation is particularly concerning, as the development of high abilities depends, in large part, on the opportunities and stimuli offered by the environment. When the teacher does not recognize the student’s potential, the student tends not to develop or to manifest in a disorganized way, compromising the learning and inclusion process.

The gap in adequate teacher training also contributes to the maintenance of standardized pedagogical practices that do not contemplate student diversity. This, in turn, reinforces processes of exclusion, even if unintentionally. The lack of preparation prevents educators from developing differentiated and personalized strategies, essential for meeting the specific needs and potentials of students with Dual Exceptionality. Thus, teacher training emerges as a fundamental pillar for building a truly inclusive school environment, capable of recognizing and valuing the uniqueness of each student.

Invisibility and masking effect

The analyzed reports suggest that, in most of the contexts represented in the research, there are not yet clearly established criteria for identifying students with Dual Exceptionality. This difficulty is corroborated by the fact that 52% of the participants totally disagree and 36% partially disagree with the statement that the school demonstrates preparedness to identify these students. However, some experiences were identified that indicate progress in the construction of assessment practices more sensitive to the specificities of this audience, although they are not yet the norm.

There is a tendency to value the most visible difficulties, especially those associated with diagnoses such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), while high abilities often remain neglected. In many cases, the school only recognizes the presence of high potential when it is manifested through exceptional academic performance, which does not correspond to the reality of many students with Dual Exceptionality, whose abilities may be masked by their difficulties.

This phenomenon is described in the literature as the “masking effect” (Baum, Schader & Owen, 2017), in which difficulties obscure potentialities or, conversely, abilities compensate for difficulties, hindering precise identification. In light of Renzulli (2004), schools tend to recognize only one of the rings of his theory of giftedness, generally academic performance, disregarding aspects such as creativity and task involvement, which are fundamental for a more comprehensive identification of high abilities. This limitation reinforces the need for broader evaluative processes, which consider different dimensions of development and include the participation of multiple perspectives, such as family, teachers, and clinical professionals.

The articulation between school, family, and specialized services (such as Specialized Educational Support and clinics) is perceived as a significant challenge. Only 8% of participants fully agree that this articulation exists, while 40% fully disagree and 36% partially disagree. This lack of intersectoral collaboration exacerbates the problem of invisibility, hindering a holistic understanding of the student and the implementation of coordinated support strategies. The absence of an integrated support network makes early identification and the development of effective interventions difficult, perpetuating the cycle of masking and underutilization of these students’ potential.

Pedagogical practices: between what is requested in the norms and what really happens in the day-to-day of the classroom

Regarding pedagogical practices, the data from this research show a considerable gap between the principles advocated by inclusive education policies and the experiences reported by participants. The support for students with Dual Exceptionality occurs in a highly heterogeneous manner, revealing progress in some institutions, but also persistent challenges in most of the contexts mentioned. Only 8% of participants fully agree that differentiated pedagogical strategies are used to support these students, while 36% fully disagree and 28% partially disagree. Similarly, only 8% fully agree that the strategies adopted by the school adequately meet the students’ needs, with 52% fully disagreeing and 24% partially disagreeing.

Although there are schools that develop practices aligned with the principles of equity, promoting curricular adaptations, flexibility in teaching strategies, development and monitoring of the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), curricular enrichment, and articulation with families and specialized services, the analyzed reports suggest that these experiences do not yet represent the predominant reality found in this investigation. In the perception of most participants, such strategies are implemented sporadically, superficially, or, in many cases, are not even part of the pedagogical routine. This heterogeneity highlights that the effective implementation of inclusive education depends not only on the existence of legal provisions but also on the capacity of educational institutions to transform such guidelines into concrete and systematic pedagogical practices.

Ensuring equity presupposes recognizing that offering the same education to everyone does not mean meeting the needs of all students. On the contrary, it implies understanding that students with distinct characteristics and needs demand differentiated resources, strategies, and opportunities so that they have access to the same possibilities for learning and development. This perspective converges with Mantoan’s (2003) view, for whom school inclusion presupposes the reorganization of pedagogical practices based on students’ needs, shifting the focus from student adaptation to the school’s responsibility to reorganize its pedagogical practices in order to guarantee the participation and learning of all.

In this context, Reis and Renzulli (2003) highlight that the support for students with Dual Exceptionality requires an integrated approach, capable of simultaneously addressing their potential and their difficulties. The results obtained in this research, however, indicate that a pedagogical organization primarily focused on the difficulties presented by students still predominates in many school contexts. As a consequence, high abilities tend to remain underexplored, restricting opportunities for curricular enrichment and talent development. This scenario reinforces the need for continuous investment in the initial and ongoing training of teachers, in the consolidation of collaborative practices between school, family, and multiprofessional teams, and in the effective implementation of educational policies that go beyond the normative field and materialize in daily school life.

Socioemotional dimension: between potential and suffering

One of the most sensitive aspects evidenced by the data refers to the socio-emotional repercussions of the non-identification and inadequate support of Dual Exceptionality. Participants’ accounts reveal experiences marked by frustration, low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, and, in some cases, intense suffering. Situations of bullying, labeling, and exclusion are also mentioned, showing that the school environment can become a space of vulnerability for these students. These findings are supported by studies that indicate that students with Dual Exceptionality are at higher risk of socio-emotional difficulties, especially when their needs are not understood (Neihart, 2010; Silverman, 2013).

In this context, the school assumes a central role in the construction of the student’s identity, going beyond cognitive development. When the institutional gaze is predominantly focused on deficits, the student tends to internalize this view, which can negatively impact their academic and personal trajectory. The absence of recognition of high abilities and the exclusive focus on difficulties can lead to feelings of demotivation and inadequacy, compromising the student’s emotional well-being and full participation in the school environment. Therefore, the educational support for this group should not be restricted to academic performance, but should consider the integral development of the individual, including their mental and emotional health.

Intervention possibilities: paths that emerge both from the participants’ practice and from what the literature shows us

Despite the difficulties highlighted, the participants also presented consistent proposals for improving the support for students with Dual Exceptionality. Among the main suggestions, the following stand out: expanding continuing education for teachers, the effective implementation of the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), curricular flexibility, strengthening collaborative work among the various stakeholders involved, and a change in perspective towards the student, recognizing them in their entirety. These proposals are aligned with the principles of inclusive education (Mantoan, 2003; Mittler, 2003) and with Renzulli’s perspective (2004), which emphasizes the importance of educational environments that promote the development of human potential in its diversity.

More than isolated interventions, the data point to the need for a change in perspective, in which the school ceases to be guided by a logic of labels and adopts a comprehensive and responsive approach. The qualitative richness of the data, which opened up space to understand concrete experiences and more sensitive perceptions on the topic, and the diversity of participant profiles contributed to the broadening of the perspectives analyzed. Although the reduced number of participants, regional concentration, and predominance of family members in the sample constitute limitations that restrict the generalization of the results to the entire Brazilian educational reality, the findings are consistent with the literature and offer relevant contributions to the understanding of Dual Exceptionality in the Brazilian educational context, highlighting the need for advances in both teacher training and pedagogical practice.

Thus, the results of this research suggest that the contemporary challenge of inclusive education lies not only in recognizing the existence of Dual Exceptionality, but in ensuring that this recognition is accompanied by pedagogical practices capable of effectively assuring learning conditions compatible with the potential and needs of these students. It becomes necessary to strengthen the articulation between school, family, and professionals who support the student, as the construction of collaborative practices can favor a broader understanding of their characteristics, contributing to more comprehensive assessment processes and the development of coherent pedagogical strategies. The use of instruments such as the IEP, curriculum flexibility, enrichment of learning experiences, and continuous professional development are important paths for building a school that is more responsive to diversity, capable of welcoming and challenging each student to develop their full potential.

4. Conclusion

This study sought to understand the perceptions of parents or guardians, teachers, and other education professionals regarding the schooling of students with Dual Exceptionality in the Brazilian context, investigating the challenges, pedagogical strategies, and possibilities for inclusion based on equity. It was found that knowledge about Dual Exceptionality is often built from personal and professional experiences, highlighting gaps in systematic training. It was identified that teacher training is perceived as insufficient for the support of these students, which is reflected in difficulties in identifying and implementing differentiated pedagogical practices. It was observed that the “masking effect” contributes to the invisibility of high abilities, while difficulties are prioritized, generating negative socio-emotional repercussions, such as frustration and low self-esteem. However, some schools were identified that already implement inclusive practices based on equity, articulating specific needs and potentialities. The main contribution of this study lies in highlighting the complexity of schooling for students with Dual Exceptionality in Brazil, underscoring the urgency of an approach that simultaneously recognizes their difficulties and talents, promoting a truly equitable education.

Despite the contributions, this research presents limitations arising from the reduced number of participants, the concentration of the sample in the Southeast region, and the predominance of family members, which restricts the generalization of the results to the Brazilian educational landscape. However, the findings are consistent with the literature and reinforce the need to strengthen continuing professional development for educators, as well as the articulation between school, family, and specialized services. It is suggested that future studies explore the effectiveness of specific pedagogical interventions, such as the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), curriculum flexibility, and the enrichment of learning experiences, in different regional contexts. The promotion of an educational culture that values diversity and the integral development of each student, overcoming the logic of labels and adopting an understanding and responsive approach, constitutes an essential path for building a more inclusive and equitable school.

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Article originating from a Final Course Work on Neuroscience and Learning in Education

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