The Backstage of Twice-Exceptionality: A Systematic Review of the Movies

Abstract

Twice-exceptional individuals (2e) are highly gifted/talented or creative but have a disability in at least in one developmental area. In order to reveal more about the condition we systematically reviewed movies that depict 2e individuals to reveal how they are portrayed. Eight movies were analyzed in depth. The selected movies were independently watched and encoded. As a result, a total of 54 codes were generated, which were combined under six themes, most themes having two categories (i.e., positive versus negative or strengths versus weaknesses). Despite being perceived more positively on the cognitive themes, they are portrayed mostly negatively on the socioemotional and behavioral themes. The movies conveyed significant messages about the educational lives and familial difficulties of these individuals.