Denise Yates shares her expertise in the field of dual and multiple exceptionality (DME) through 12 practical steps schools can take to ensure learners with DME are effectively identified and supported.

Pupils, parents and professionals may all have different perspectives on what effective dual and multiple exceptionality (DME) education looks like, both in general and at different stages in a pupil’s journey through school. That said, there are some underpinning characteristics that should be common to all DME education, regardless of the setting or content offered to nurture and inspire pupils at all ages. 

This blog post explores the kinds of things that teachers and other professionals should consider in the classroom. Notwithstanding, it is important to remember that getting DME right involves professionals at all levels – including national and local governments and policymakers, those at governor or trustee level (or equivalent) in school, and within the senior leadership team.

For professionals who work directly with pupils, it is important to:

1. Be aware of dual and multiple exceptionality (DME).

This includes understanding what it looks like in the classroom and at home, and how this can often differ. Look at the whole child in different contexts and settings to build up a holistic picture of their strengths and areas of struggle. 

2. Know how to identify a pupil with DME. 

These children are often hard to spot. They can often show ‘flashes of brilliance’ in one or more areas, whilst at the same seeming to struggle with often the most basic of activities. Alternatively, their high learning potential can mask any special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In this case, they may gain average or even above-average scores in tests or work, meaning no concerns are raised about either their high ability or their SEND. Yet, if the barriers to their learning are removed, either through approach or content, these children can fly and be the best they can be. 

Linked to identification, it is also important to recognise the kind of behaviours and actions that pupils with DME can present, both in the classroom and in the home environment, when that DME is misdiagnosed for something else or when it is not recognised or supported in the right way.

3. Understand and implement individual, classroom and whole-school approaches for DME. 

Focus areas should include: supporting children’s academic achievement, nurturing their gifts and talents, encouraging interpersonal relationships with other, like-minded individuals, and promoting their own understanding about themselves. 

Some of these things can be incorporated into a universal approach, such as providing differentiated learning opportunities alongside personal choice. Some provision may need to be more targeted, such as working in small groups on specific issues. Some provision may need to be more intensive and individualised. Putting in place a patchwork of different approaches will enable professionals to identify and evaluate what works best for each pupil with DME.

4. Believe in, speak up for, and give pupils with DME a voice to speak up for themselves. 

Children and young people with DME often have strong opinions and need a positive approach and guidance in the classroom so they are able to voice those opinions positively. 

As with some more able pupils, those with DME can have a strong sense of justice and fairness, and perceived lack of these can lead to emotional or behavioural outbursts. Such incidents (whether the injustice is real or perceived) can have an incremental impact on a pupil with DME’s self-confidence, wellbeing, performance and achievement levels in the long-term; addressing them is therefore well worthwhile. Developing systems for actions such as asking questions in class which are transparent, inclusive and fair can have a real impact on learning and wellbeing.

5. Use the child’s high learning potential (HLP) to overcome their learning difficulties – don’t get stuck repeating basics. 

Repeating the basic building blocks a child needs to learn before moving onto higher level concepts can be a recipe for disaster. More of the same can frustrate a child with DME. It is often more rewarding for the pupil with DME to tackle the problem in reverse, giving them higher level work and using this as a hook to put the basic building blocks in place.

6. Adapt the tools you use for pupils with SEND and HLP to inspire pupils with DME to use their intelligence to learn. 

For example, don’t be frightened to use complex language and descriptions, but give this context and then use the work to address any challenge the pupil faces.

7. Explain the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ to pupils with DME. 

This can help them to understand the context within which they are working, which can promote their learning. For example, explaining how the brain works and using growth mindset theory to help pupils understand how making mistakes can be a useful tool in learning can be effective. Praising the effort a pupil with DME puts in – instead of or as well as focusing on the results they achieve – can also have a positive impact on their learning and self-esteem.

8. Understand that a child or young person with DME can present very differently at home and in school. 

This can work both ways; a child who is quiet and studious in the classroom and who presents no cause for concern can be a child who is out of control at home, exhibiting poor behaviour, meltdowns or worse – like a pressure cooker exploding which has been kept in check at school. Likewise, a child who is the class clown or who exhibits behavioural problems at school can seem an angel at home when they can learn what they want at their own pace with no expectations placed on them. This makes it vital for professionals and parents to listen to each other, accept the different descriptions of the same child, and work together to problem solve solutions.

9. Develop a positive relationship with parents and carers. 

Reinforce this with a transparent communication process and open-door policy. Many parents or carers do not come into school until they are absolutely desperate to sort out a situation. By then they are looking for a sympathetic ear, a chance to talk about their concerns and a speedy resolution. Sometimes this desperation can result in parental outbursts and negative behaviour. Recognise this possibility, listen to the parent or carer, and work positively with them to problem-solve their concerns. 

10. Be honest about what can or can’t be done. 

Supporting pupils with DME does not have to be resource-intensive. In fact, supporting DME effectively can save resources. For example, where DME goes unrecognised or is misdiagnosed for other things, it can result in a range of behavioural, social and emotional problems which are more resource-intensive to tackle than addressing the DME would have been in the first place. Notwithstanding, if the school is not able to put provision in place, it is better to be honest and to work with the parents on what can be done.

11. Pilot approaches to DME in the classroom and beyond.

Some of these may work for all children – such as differentiated learning tasks in class or at home that the child can choose from themselves, through to open invitations to all pupils to attend out-of-school activities and then seeing who shows up and is enthusiastic about the event. 

Explore the pace and content of learning, both inside and outside the classroom, and question how you can adapt an exercise or piece of homework to test what the pupils know rather than what they can do. Instead of a written submission, could they record their homework in a song? On a PowerPoint presentation? On a video? When setting homework ask yourself: do you want to test their handwriting or their knowledge? Is it better for your pupil with DME to write three lines on what they did in the summer break, or two pages on fossils or Harry Potter?

12. Look for DME in unexpected places. 

The brightest child is not necessarily the one sitting at the front to the class listening to your every word. They may be the class clown, the one whose behaviour deteriorates easily, the one who has a wicked sense of humour or is sarcastic and questions everything. Keep an open mind and adapt your behaviour.

Navigating the maze relating to dual and multiple exceptionality is not easy. However, there are books and materials to support teachers and other professionals, and organisations both in the UK and overseas that run online and face-to-face training to help SENDCos, teachers and other school-based staff to gain and build on their skills in this area. Notwithstanding, in working with pupils and parents/ carers in this arena, the key is to keep an open mind and an open door and help problem-solve to find long-term approaches and solutions which work to maximise the potential of these children and young people. 

Read more: 16 tips for effective collaboration with parents and carers – including those with DME children

About the author
Denise Yates has worked in education and training for over 38 years with a focus on enabling all individuals to maximise their potential. After 10 years as CEO of Potential Plus UK, she left in 2017 to pursue her passion, which could be summarised as ‘hidden potential’ – focusing on supporting children and young people with DME, those with mental health problems and those who have been failed by the system, for whatever reason. Denise is currently a Board member of The Potential Trust, Nisai Education Trust and Potential In Me. She is also an adviser with Citizens Advice in her local area. 

Denise Yates is co-author with Adam Boddison of The School Handbook for Dual and Multiple Exceptionality, and author of the new book Parenting Dual Exceptional Children. You can follow her on Twitter @DeniseYates_

Special offer: To benefit from a 20% discount on Denise Yates’ new book, Parenting Dual Exceptional Children, enter discount code Yates20 when purchasing the book from the Jessica Kingsley website by 31 August 2022.  

Liz Allen CBE, NACE Trustee

Listening in to over 200 school leaders, teachers and young people in online forums and in personal conversations, I am hearing a recurring theme: “Some children have done better without me teaching them.” Some teachers add, “…which is a worry.” Most are keen to explore the reasons why some children are thriving on home learning, when many appear to be struggling. While it is vital that the reasons for this struggle are identified and addressed, there is also much that school leaders and teachers can learn from the “rising stars” – young people who were not identified for a particular ability, skill or expertise in the classroom but who are blossoming at home, surprising their teachers.

Why were they not noticed in school? Why are they thriving at home? What can we learn from them, for our future practice, as we prepare for more students to return to the classroom?

Limiting factors within schools

Although the rising stars appear to come from all phases, types of school and a range of socio-economic contexts, common limiting factors in their schools’ culture and organisation are emerging:

• Less confident schools, that are focused on exam outcomes, attendance targets and rigorous behaviour management structures, where young people are lost in the drive for data;
  
• Schools with highly structured, frequent testing, where young people have too few opportunities to be inspired, to be creative, or to learn in depth;
  
• Schools with strict ability grouping and differentiation practices, built on assumptions of ability;
  
• Prescriptive schemes of work that leave little scope for teachers’ creativity, or for young people’s expertise – there is no time for deep learning in a classroom where quantity matters more than mastery;
  
• Pedagogies that are teacher-focused and controlled, leaving too little scope for young people to become independent researchers, problem solvers or learning leaders;
  
• Schools that misconstrue presentations of negative learning character as misbehaviour: the window-gazer, who finds the ideas inside her head more interesting but has no chance to share or explore them; the disruptive, who wants to let the teacher know that he is capable of much more challenging stuff but doesn’t know how to say it; the angry or withdrawn, who doesn’t understand and can’t process the work because her learning needs have not been recognised; the passive, unconfident, who finds the classroom crowded and oppressive;
  
• Schools that have an extended core curriculum at the expense of the creative/expressive arts, design and PE, where young people have little opportunity to grow into disciplined, collaborative, creative learners and critical thinkers, or to have their creative/expressive/physical abilities and talents acknowledged and celebrated.

Why are some students thriving at home?

Teachers are telling anecdotes about the “rising stars” they are noticing and are asking their pupils why they are more engaged and making more progress.

What is striking is the deepening mutual trust and respect which is clear in their voices:

“I am encouraging students to engage with their world, to discover new resources. They are enjoying daily, short skills practices that they self-assess with the help of a simple quiz. They enjoy gaining mastery, rather than marks.”

“I have discovered hidden stars from having personal learning conversations. I was bogged down in a mountain of marking and concerned that only 30% of my students were submitting any work. So I decided to abandon the prescribed written feedback procedure and give each student a two-minute verbal personal moment each week. I didn’t realise how important it was for students to see me, to be called by their name and to feel they mattered to me. I have been really surprised by how able many of them are.”

“I find that quiet students are benefitting from being at home, without the pressures and noise of school. I didn’t realise how capable they are and am wondering why they are not in the top set.”

“I’m in a school where we are expected to maintain the full curriculum and schemes of work. We soon discovered that it was impossible, so my department re-designed the study programme, built on two principles: students can follow their own interests; they should create something – grow it, design it, build it, then teach your teacher and class what you know. We are on hand with advice and we have created a huge bank of resources for them to use, including examples of the department’s special interests and their own creations. Some great experts are emerging – both students and staff!”

Creative writing is a struggle for many young people, who often have a fixed view “I can’t do it.” One Year 5 pupil was very anxious about having to do creative writing tasks at home. “In school, there’s a plan on the board and I can put my hand up when I’m stuck.” Finding it easy to come up with “lots of ideas”, but getting stuck on how to develop them further, he is enjoying sharing his ideas at home and on FaceTime with his friends. “It’s much nicer than at school and I think I am getting much better.”

One-to-one tutorials are building young people’s confidence and respectful relationships with their teachers, who are able to see their capacity. A Year 12 tutor was struck with how powerful the tutorial can be: “It’s fascinating to listen to him. He has great insight and knows more than I do!” Another Year 12 student is appreciating the value of having a trusting and mutually respectful relationship with her tutors. She had a difficult pathway through the GCSE years, excelling in the subjects where she had private one-to-one tuition but unable to achieve her best outcomes in the rest. Now, through daily contact with her tutors, personal advice whenever she wants it, constant collaborative learning opportunities with her peers and with new-found confidence in her capacity, she is totally engaged with her Year 12 studies. “I miss being in school and I certainly miss my friends, but the work is going well. And I am looking forward to going in after half-term for real, live tutorials.”

“At Key Stage 3, introverted students remain mute for the lesson, reluctant to engage or speak but still submit a high standard of work. In contrast, when speaking to these students on a one-to-one basis, they will be forthcoming with how they are feeling. One ‘live’ call a week from their tutor is making a big difference to their progress and their wellbeing. Key Stage 4 and 5 students have adapted exceptionally well. I should mention that they are used to independent learning: they do a lot of reading around their subjects.”

What can we learn for our future practice?

Good friends from the retired headteachers’ community are entertaining each other with tales from the home front. They are discovering that IT is not a mysterious world inhabited by the young but an exciting avenue into following their interests and exploring new places: playing in a huge online orchestra, singing in Gareth Malone’s choir, visiting the theatres, galleries, faraway lands. And they are clearing the loft! An opportunity to throw out unneeded items that must have been useful once, but you have forgotten why – but also to rediscover lost treasures, hidden gems, that deserve to be brought back into the home, polished and put to good use. Perhaps this period of home schooling is our chance to clear out the curriculum and pedagogy loft, to discard what is not useful and to rediscover and polish up the gems of our principles and practice in the light of what young people are telling us.

NACE’s core principles include the statements:

• Providing for more able learners is not about labelling, but about creating a curriculum and learning opportunities which allow all children to flourish.
• Ability is a fluid concept: it can be developed through challenge, opportunity and self-belief.

In its chapter on Teaching for Learning, The Intelligent School (2004) presents a profile of the Learning and Teaching PACT – what the learner and the teacher bring to learning and teaching and, in turn, what they both need for the PACT to have maximum effect. Features of the PACT are visible in the accounts of rising stars, where both learner and teacher bring:

• A sense of self as learner;
• Mutual respect and high expectations;
• Active participation in the learning process;
• Reflection and feedback on learning;

And where the teacher brings:

• Knowledge, enthusiasm, understanding about what is taught and how;
• The ability to select appropriate curriculum and relevant resources;
• A design for teaching and learning fit for purpose;
• An ability to create a rich learning environment.

“Place more emphasis […] on the microlevel of things […] It encourages a culture that is more open and caring […] It requires genuine connection.” – Leading in a Culture of Change (2004)

Chapter 4 of Michael Fullan’s Leading in a Culture of Change is entitled “Relationships, Relationships, Relationships”. Young people are letting their teachers know that personal conversations are enabling their learning. One group of Key Stage 3 students have asked their teachers to stop using PowerPoint presentations, which they feel unable to understand – “But it all makes sense when we talk about it with you.” Learning conversations may be a rediscovered gem in some schools, worth bringing down from the loft of forgotten treasure.

From the same chapter: “When you set a target and ask for big leaps in achievement scores, you start squeezing capacity in a way that gets into preoccupation with tests […] You cut corners in a way that ends up diminishing learning […] I want steady, steady, ever deepening improvement.”

Motivation comes from caring and respect: “tough empathy” in Fullan’s terms. The rising stars are being noticed in a learning environment free from classroom tests and marking. We may need to take a close look at assessment practices in our loft clearance and rediscover the gems of self-assessment, academic tutorials, vivas and reflective discourse.

Can we improve young people’s chances of stardom by considering some fresh thinking, as we prepare for more of them to return to school?

• What will “homework” mean? Can we build on what we are learning about best practice in home schooling?
• How will we inspire (rather than push) young people to high aspirations and outcomes?
• How can we listen better and build respectful, healthier learning relationships?
• Can we design learning for depth and mastery rather than for assessment/testing and quantity?
• How can we open up the curriculum and learning to creativity?
• How can we exemplify and model best learning in our lessons?
• How can we give young people time, resources and personal space to learn how to learn, to become the best they can be?

References and further reading:

• The Intelligent School (Gilchrist, Myers & Reed, 2004)
• Leading in a Culture of Change (Michael Fullan, 2001)
• Engaging Minds (Davis, Sumara & Luce-Kapler, 2008)
• Knowledge and The Future School (Young, Lambert, Roberts & Roberts, 2014)
• Reassessing Ability Grouping (Francis, Taylor & Tereshenko 2020)

This article was originally published in the summer 2020 special edition of NACE Insight, as part of our “lessons from lockdown” series. For access to all past issues, log in to our members’ resource library.