The 2e Experience

Children can become researchers with appropriate direction, patience, and understanding, even leading their own studies (Kellett et al. 2004). In the context of this project, the children are working as collaborative researchers by creating and collecting data about their lives, thoughts, and feelings. They can express their experiences independently, in the comfort of their own space, without excessively directional or assumptive questioning.

Existing research and design work

As mentioned above, this project follows a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach. This approach has been used with 2e/DME children to collaboratively design and develop strategies for teachers to support the special needs of 2e/DME students. (Haines, 2017). Similarly, Noah from Coloured Fish Products creates t-shirts designs to raise awareness of his dyslexia (Noah, 2014).

An example of a project designed to raise awareness and change stereotypes, Made By Dyslexia opened ‘the world’s first dyslexic sperm bank’ to raise awareness about dyslexia and some famous dyslexics who are considered high intelligence or high achievers such as Albert Einstein. They also collected information about public perceptions and understanding about neurodiversity. Their film about this intervention won the 2018 D&AD Award Pencil (Made by Dyslexia & Y&R London, 2018).

Method

Working with vulnerable groups. As this project involves working with children, I become a member of Disclosure Scotland’s Protecting Vulnerable Groups to complete this project. This scheme helps ensure that people whose behaviour makes them unsuitable to work with children are prevented from doing ‘regulated work’ (mygov.scot 2021).

PVG membership number: 2111 0225 5295 4493

Disclosure Number: 3000 0000 0137 6163

Obtaining parental consent/ children’s assent. The parents/guardians of the participants were given a consent form to review and give permission for their child to participate in this research project. The parents/guardians were reminded that participation is not mandatory, and they or their child can stop at any time (Appendix E).

Maintaining confidentiality. In this report, all participants are anonymized by using pseudonyms and editing identifying information out of photographs.

Participants

This project initially had six people reach out expressing interest to the collaborative partner, Lyn. Three of these participants subsequently contacted me. The three participants included two who were formally identified as 2e/DME and one who self-identified. Out of the three agreed participants, I received two partially completed responses.

A phenomenological approach: Using an arts/design-based cultural probe kit

This phenomenological qualitative research project used an arts/design-based cultural probe kit aimed at engaging children as participants to share their lived experiences.

This style of collaborative research relies on objects rather than talking or watching. This playful approach can help engage communities to express their perspective before we push for change and create opportunities to increase awareness. Engaging the community and the children to be self-reflective through creativity and play enables them to increase their awareness of their identity. The cultural probe kit can be beneficial to gather qualitative data based on participants’ self-documentation, allowing them time and space to complete the task on their own. This style of research is especially useful when working with neurodiverse children who have individual learning, working and expression styles. An arts/design-based approach can be used in both the data collection and data analysis of a research project (Burge et al. 2016)

This project used a probe kit to engage children in an emancipatory paradigm that was explored through the expression of a t-shirt design. This approach encouraged the idea of surprise and “breaking through habitual ways of seeing, thinking and acting” (Burge et al., 2016, p. 731).  As the research guide, I encouraged participants to think about the research questions in the hope of exploring “unexpected juxtapositions … leading to insights and deep reflection.” (Burge et al., 2016, p. 731).

This method – using an arts/design-based activity guided through a probe kit – supports an emancipatory approach as it provided the “capacity for immediacy and accessibility and for giving voice to subjugated perspectives.” (Burge et al., 2016, p. 731). Additionally, integrating art into this research project was based on recommendations from Eiserman (2017), who explored arts education and understanding with gifted children in a school setting to address their unique needs. The method supports Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Overexcitabilities (cited in Eiserman et al. 2017), where arts activities allow gifted children to channel their overexcitabilities into “positive avenues of enquiry” (Eiserman et al. 2017, p.208).

Unlike traditional participatory action research, where the entire design of a study is co-created between participants and researchers (Creswell 2018), the cultural probe kit is designed by the primary researcher and includes objects or materials to assist the participant in collecting data about their lives. In this project, the participatory action occurred in the design and making of the t-shirts and the self-creation of data through this arts/design-based method (Sanders and Stappers 2014; Burge et al. 2016; Eiserman et al. 2017; Kassan et al. 2020).

Process

Connecting with the community

At the start of this research project, I contacted two charity partners – Potential Plus UK and the University of Glasgow’s Scottish Network for Able Pupils. Initially, I received a response from Potential Plus UK that my email had been passed onto the Chief Executive. Unfortunately, after unanswered follow-up emails, I could not collaborate with Potential Plus UK for this project.

I also reached out to the Scottish Network for Able Pupils (SNAP) and received positive feedback and interest. Unfortunately, some of my emails landed in their spam folder. Attempts to connect with the SANP contact after their annual leave were unsuccessful.

After some unsuccessful attempts at finding a charity partner, I also attempted to contact the National Association of Gifted Children ([no date]) and the US charity The Davidson Institute for Talent Development (2022) without any success.

Finally, I reached out to British Mensa (2022) using their online contact form and received an encouraging reply. I included the idea of a t-shirt design probe kit in my message to them. They said that the project sounded “very interesting” and connect me with Lyn Kendall, a “psychologist who regularly assesses children and is a former G&T/SEND teacher.” Mensa’s reply was an exciting development in my outreach process. The completed form and full reply can be read in Appendix B: Correspondence with Mensa.

I contacted Lyn, we set up a phone call, and she sent me a copy of her book. Lyn helped this project by giving advice and asked for a poster to share with her parents’ group to find participants. She approved the poster (as shown in Appendix C: Poster for Facebook Group) and shared it with her group, where six people responded. Those who reached out to Lyn were instructed to contact me directly. Out of this first group of six people, two parents reached out to me directly.

I finalized the probe kit and sent photographs and digital files to Lyn for her feedback and review. She gave positive feedback and asked if the additional details could be shared with her parents’ group as they had questions. I agreed with this suggestion as I thought it may encourage more members to get in touch for a kit. (Unfortunately, no further potential participants came forward.)

Developing the probe kit and research questions

I had originally posed the question, “what is it like to be 2e?”. Working closely with Lyn, she suggested there is a risk in asking children such a blunt question, as gifted children often answer questions of that nature with “I don’t know, I am just me.” (Interestingly, she discusses this phenomenon in her book: “A Brilliant IQ: Gift or Challenge?”(Kendall and Allcock 2020)). Lyn suggested a better approach would be to ask more probative and thought-provoking questions, allowing for varied and individualized expression of responses.

While developing the probe kit and design questions, I also sought to create a task that would feel safe to 2e/DME children. Baum et al. (2014) recommend three overarching guidelines for creating programs where 2e/DME students feel safe, including: (1) collecting data in a purposeful way “to gain knowledge of students’ strengths, interests, and talents,” (2) addressing deficits in context “so students can apply and transfer skills in authentic ways” and (3) understanding children’s uniqueness rather than “insistence on measuring them by grade-level expectations.” (Baum et al. 2014, p.323). Baum’s study promotes the use of a “Multiperspectives Process Model” (2014, p.311) (which considers the whole child, both their gifted ability and other exceptionalities simultaneously) with a positive perspective and direct attention to their personal interests and talents. This strategy is a holistic way of assisting 2e/DME students through their learning experiences (Ronksley-Pavia 2015, p.324).

Combining insights from existing literature with the advice from Lyn’s professional experience (and her book) with 2e/DME students, I developed the overall kit concept and research questions. The central concept was to provoke children to reflect on their strengths, their community, and their coping mechanisms. I wantedto ensure the children felt empowered, celebrated, and supported, rather than simply asked what they need help with (which is can easily be the question they are approached with, and they may not be equipped to answer). I also considered how to translate these complex concepts into an activity suitable for a broad age group of 6 to 16 year-olds.

Inspired by Coloured Fish Product’s awareness t-shirts, as well as Dyslexia Scotland’s “Dyslexia is my Superpower” campaign, I asked the children to decorate a t-shirt with their “superpower” on the front, their “superteam” on the back, and their “defence system” on the armband.

The final probe kit included (see also; Appendix D: Kit Photographs):

• Instruction Sheet
• Consent Form
• Activity Guide
• Designer Statement Cards
• White T-Shirt
• White Armband
• Fabric Markers
• Neon Fabric Paint
• Glow Pen
• Metallic Markers
• Transfer Paper
• Crystal Stickers (2E)

The crystal stickers and transfer paper allowed the children to use some collage, so they did not need to feel ‘artistic’ to complete the project. Additionally, the selection of arts and crafts materials were intended to give children choices in how they expressed themselves. For some time, I considered the addition of a tie-dye kit to offer creative alternatives away from the basic white of the t-shirt. However, the size constraints of the bottles I decided not to include this option.

To dig deeper into the participants’ design processes, I included Designer Statement Cards in the probe kit. These cards gave the children the opportunity to explain their designs as an artist might using words, sentences, or even imagery (as thought bubbles were provided.) Minimal instructions were given where possible to allow the children the space to explain their design ideas in the way they felt best suited to.

The children were reminded there were no right or wrong answers and they were not required to use all the kits contents. Specifically, they were asked to “Use the supplies you like in this kit to design your personalized t-shirt & armband following the Activity Guide.” (See Appendix E: Kit Instructions). The activity guide provided design direction and questions for the children to reflect on, as shown in Appendix F: Activity Guide and Designer Statement Cards. It was important to ensure the children knew they had a choice in the creative process, as “choice making can increase student motivation and independence.” (Murawski and Scott 2017, p.23) particularly when working with exceptional learners.

They were encouraged to return their kits by being told they would be displayed on the ‘2e Hall of Fame’.

Developing the kit visuals for children’s enjoyment

The children needed to be engaged with the kit and that there was no perceived stigma surrounding the activity or participating in the activity.

I explored the practical options of sending the kit via Royal Mail as either a Small Parcel or a Large Letter. The Large Letter option was more economical and allowed for the kits to fit through a letterbox, but they are significantly thinner and smaller than a ‘Small Parcel,’ so this was a concern. I purchased a standard white box to send the kit in as a practical option and created two different box designs using the laser cutter. The laser-cut design of a ‘large letter’ appeared the most likely to be exciting to children. It was also compact and kept the kit contents secure.

I worked through graphics options for the exterior of the box as I wanted children to be excited to receive the parcels. The graphic design elements of triangles and vibrant colours used in the poster and kit cards were carried onto the box to resemble a traditional style letter envelope. The final design included the 2e & Me project title over the front of the box in various fonts to represent the uniqueness of the children in the 2e/DME community. (Images 1 & 2)