Abstract:

This is a qualitative case study of a gifted twice-exceptional student with impulse control disorder (ICD) co-diagnosed with depression. This study follows the ‘case study’ pattern (precedence). The data set of this study is composed of documents from a study involving a twice-exceptional student with adverse event sampling who has been selected through purposive sampling (activity papers, drawings), minutes of interviews with the student’s mother and teachers and observation notes kept throughout the process. Data have been analyzed using the content analysis methodology. At the end of this study seeking to find out what this gifted student with impulse control disorder [ICD] co-diagnosed with depression goes through in the event of being also twice-exceptional and whether or not his/her condition of being gifted is overshadowed by him/her having psychological; the fact that disadvantaging traits of such twice-exceptional child has been found to dwindle almost down to none can be interpreted as the positive outcome of the effective approach towards the analyzed unit of the two emerging main categories, i.e. school and family. The consistent and supportive attitudes of the family have ensured to eradicate the tantrums (temper fits) of the twice-exceptional child, toppled with treatment of the child and a fine administration of the drug doses. At school, on the other hand, the available supervision policy, intervention methodologies in support of treatment and the professional approach of the teachers have contributed to the formation of a socially-enabling environment for the twice-exceptional child, including, also, backing by his/her peers. Taking into consideration that mere drug treatment would not be sufficient, support of the family as well as of the school reveals that the symptoms linked with the depression-co-diagnosed-ICD of the twice exceptional child were prevented from suppressing the child’s giftedness.

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