Your child’s spiky profile is the key to their potential

The rise of neurodivergence in the UK has led to more questions than answers. Will my child get the support they need? What can I do if my child is struggling? But what if you’ve been told your child has a spiky profile? The term may be unfamiliar, but it could hold the key to their potential.

What does this term spiky profile really mean?

You may have heard it used during diagnosis, or mentioned by the SENDCo. What they are referring to are the high and low scores that were found in your child’s cognitive assessment. Imagine these scores plotted on a chart. Their struggles in working memory or processing speed show up as points low on the chart. But there is more to the story. A high score in visual spatial skills or verbal comprehension would show up as a point high on the chart. You will see peaks of strengths among valleys of difficulties.

Children with spiky profiles have high abilities in some areas, and persistent struggles in others. There’s a name for this profile that is important to know. It’s called dual-exceptionality, or twice-exceptional. Twice-exceptional children have two exceptions to the norm… high abilities alongside learning difficulties. And here’s the problem. Your child’s strengths are often ignored when their difficulties become the focus of their educational support.

How can a deficit lens be damaging?

When support is driven by your child’s challenges, by the valleys of their profile chart, it can unintentionally overshadow their strengths. This can affect how your child sees themselves, not as capable but as someone who is always falling short. For twice-exceptional children who have high potential, only being seen for what they don’t do well can be exhausting. This deficit lens can have a negative effect on their self-esteem and their motivation to learn.

But it is important for your child to manage in the classroom. You want them to be happy and to succeed at school. The idea of avoiding their weaknesses doesn’t feel right. How, after all, will they improve? The answer is within their spiky profile.

“Treatment is not just fixing what is broken; it is nurturing what is best”

(Seligman & Csikszentmihalti, 2000, p.7).

For twice-exceptional children, their strengths must be nurtured alongside this support. Your child must be given the opportunity to explore and develop their talents, which helps them to feel engaged in their learning and confident in themselves. This is the pathway to your child’s growth (Baum et al., 2021). 

So what can you do?

Take a step back and think about the purpose of your child’s education. It is to pass exams and to go on to their next stage of learning. It is to find their interests and to succeed. It is to develop into a confident adult. It is to nurture their potential. To meet the potential of twice-exceptional children, we must understand their unique spiky profile. 

Gaining a deep understanding of your child’s profile requires some work. Their diagnosis report gives one view. Their school report or teacher feedback gives us another. Your view of your child is a third, vital lens. Each view of your child must be considered. After all, when we read only one chapter, it is easy to misunderstand the story.

Consider when your child is most excited and interested. If struggling at school and receiving remedial support is part of your child’s profile then this is probably not going to be during school time. It may be while playing video games, or watching a movie, and that’s ok. Write down all of the topics and activities that your child loves to do or find interesting. Then consider how your child likes to share information. When do you see the best of your child? When they are chatting about their interests, not letting anyone else say a word?  Or is it when playing with friends, sharing information in groups? Do they keep information to themselves, playing independently? Now consider how they prefer to learn. Are they frustrated being told to sit quietly and listen to the teacher? Do they prefer to move around when they are learning? Do they need a quiet and calm space to focus? Do they enjoy hands-on activities in groups?

Your child’s unique learning profile is within these moments. It is the patterns in their interests and their abilities. While they may always find aspects of learning or of the classroom to be challenging, it is by leveraging their strengths that your child’s potential can be met. For it is through enjoyment, engagement and enthusiasm that your child will grow (Reis et al., n.d.). 

A strength-based view of learning

This strength-based view of your child is vital to meet both the peaks and the valleys of their spiky profile. Rather than lowering expectations for your child’s deficits, utilising their interests and learning preferences provides an environment where they feel motivated to practice and develop (Baum et al., 2021).

There are five aspects of your child’s learning that must be recognised in order to provide an environment for success (Kirigin, n.d.). While your focus may be on school, these are helpful for every space where your child will learn. After school activities, weekend adventures, and time at home are all important spaces where your child learns and develops.

The five non-negotiable environments

Your child needs an intellectual environment where they feel both safe and challenged. They are bright, and must be provided with the opportunities to be their best. Allow your child to explore their interests, and give them choice of the work they create. Think back to their profile and imagine how motivated they will feel using their preferred way of learning to create a project about their biggest interest.

Your child needs a creative environment that allows them to develop their own ideas (Kirigin, n.d.). They have an interesting perspective to offer, and must be provided with an environment where their opinion is valued. Embrace your child’s creative answers as they develop alternate paths to bypass their learning problems (Baum et al., 2021).

Your child needs a successful social environment where they feel that they belong. They may struggle with friendships, understanding social contexts or conversing with others (Baum et al., 2021). Provide opportunities for your child to connect to others through shared interests where they feel comfortable to contribute.

Your child’s emotional needs must be met in order for them to grow into resilient, happy learners. They should feel confident to express their individuality, and to learn in their own way. Ensure that your child is given the space to process complex thoughts and emotions, and to recover when feeling overwhelmed (Blinde et al, 2020).

Your child’s physical environment is also a vital part of their learning. Think back to their profile and how they prefer to learn. The physical environment must provide the room to move, quiet and calm space, environment for group work or the sensory preferences that your child requires to feel their best.

When does learning happen?

Exciting learning does not need to happen only after your child has mastered the basic skills. Providing meaningful opportunities to learn is what helps twice-exceptional children to develop those skills. Your child is not the sum of their challenges. They are a whole, complex person with talents, strengths, quirks, and potential. When you centre their learning around what they can do, what lights them up, and how they best engage, you give them a belief in themselves and the motivation to keep learning. If you’ve been told your child has a spiky profile, remember that it is not a problem to fix. It is a map that, when understood, can guide your child to learn in a way that is true to who they are.

References

Baum, S. M., Schader, R. M., & Owen, S. V. (2021). To be gifted & learning disabled: Strength-based strategies for helping twice-exceptional students with LD, ADHD, ASD, and more (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Blinde, Y., Dann, M, Lamb, S., Monterusso, K. & Vargas, K. (2020, July 18). Non-negotiables in 2e-friendly environments. 2e News. https://bit.ly/4gfSlYw

Kirigin, A. (n.d.). The 5 elements of a successful classroom environment. REEL. https://bit.ly/3Z8sE6D

Reis, S.M., Baum, S.. Madaus, J., & Gelbar, N. (2025). Strength-based pedagogy for smartstudents with disabilities: Using interest-based strategies for academic and personal success. Routledge

Seligman, M. E., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (Eds.). (2000). Happiness, excellence, and optimal human functioning [Special issue]. American Psychologist, 55, 5-183. https://doi.org/10.1136/ewjm.174.1.26