Dual Exceptional
When a child has high learning ability and also disabilities or developmental differences
When a child has high learning ability and also disabilities or developmental differences
DME stands for dual or multiple exceptionality. It describes children who have high learning ability and a learning difficulty or disability.
A child can have significant strengths and significant needs at the same time.
For example:
DME is a UK term. In the US, Australia and other countries the same children are often called twice exceptional or 2e. The terms mean the same thing.
Because DME children have areas of high ability, their difficulties may not be noticed or taken seriously. Because they have significant needs, their strengths may not be given room to grow.
For example:
Sometimes a child’s struggles are supported, such as in a specialist school setting. But their abilities are not given room to grow. They may get help for writing and emotional regulation, but limited chances to work at the level they need in areas of strength. This can lead to boredom and frustration. For example:
High ability in one area can balance out low ability in another. This can make results look average. The child’s real profile of high strength and high need can remain invisible.
Example — Tom:
Tom has ADHD and strong spatial reasoning. He can design complex structures in his head and explain how systems work. But he forgets his books, loses his lunch and cannot keep still in class. His teachers see the behaviour and his ability goes unnoticed. He is seen as an average student, both his needs and abilities go unmet.
DME children may be under supported in schools. In a survey from the DME Trust of 157 parents:
“Schools concentrate on children’s weaknesses too much, they need to use their strengths more.”
“The fact that strengths can disguise weaknesses is ignored (‘oh, it’s fine as long as they are doing well.’)”
— Parent responses, DME Trust survey (Bonsall & Desmond, 2022)
Here are some things a DME child may experience. Not every child will have these, and every child is different.
DME children may be deeply interested in areas they do well at. They may have exceptional creative, problem solving or academic ability. This may mean that broad lessons feel harder when a child wants to think more deeply about one thing.
Some children with DME may have a strong need for their work to be perfect. This can be linked to anxiety, and may show up as difficulty starting tasks, avoiding activities they are not already good at, or distress when work is marked or corrected.
A DME child may develop at different times to their peers. This is called asynchronous development. This can include difficulty with emotional regulation, fine motor skills or reading social cues. Without the right support, this can lead to significant difficulties.
Some DME children may be sensitive to what is around them. This can include sounds, sights and textures. Read more on our sensory page.
Some children with DME have an intense curiosity and a strong drive to understand how things work. They may ask a lot of questions, challenge rules and think in original ways. This is a strength, though it is not always recognised as one in school.
It can be very hard to have high learning ability and significant difficulties at the same time. For example, a child may have a rich imagination and detailed stories in their head but be unable to write them down.
Being very good at one thing can mean a child is expected to be good at most things. But a DME profile does not work that way. In this example, how can a child be exceptional at physics but not able to make a sandwich? Possible reasons are:
Families told us their child’s strengths were often overlooked.
394
families filled out our survey
1 in 8
said their child was DME*
1 in 2
said their child had strengths in maths, memory, or creativity
1 in 2
disagreed or strongly disagreed that their child’s strengths were recognised**
*13%, 46 parents out of 360 said that their child was dual exceptional.
**204 out of 367 (55%) families disagreed or strongly disagreed that strengths were recognised in services, education or in general and fewer than 1 in 3 agreed.
Growing Different Parent Survey 2024 – notes and limitations
394 families of neurodivergent children took part in our online survey. Most children were autistic (about 8 in 10). People chose to take part, so the figures show their experiences, not all children. We did not compare them with any other group, so they can’t show how common something is or what causes it. Some questions had more responses than others.
Please credit ‘Growing Different Parent Survey 2024‘ and read more in our survey insights page
UK support for DME children is limited.
A link is not an endorsement. We are not responsible for the content of external links.
References:
Clear words and pictures – for children and adults with learning disabilities
Connecting I Coping I Daily living I Diagnosis I Environment I Health I Learning I Senses I Speech I Strengths
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Information created: June 2026 I Next review: June 2029
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