Belin Blank 2e Academy
The Belin-Blank Center, founded in 1988, is built upon a comprehensive mission grounded in leadership, advocacy, and research. The Center is nationally and internationally known for its support of talented and gifted students and their educators. The reputation of the Center was earned through research symposia; staff presentations at state, national, and international events; collaborative efforts with other leaders in the field; and a premier assessment and counseling clinic for gifted and twice-exceptional students. We have an impressive history of cutting-edge research related to talented and gifted students with a focus on diversity, including neurodiversity, academic acceleration, and twice-exceptionality.
Our student programming, clinic services, and research expertise are the foundation for the programming and services that are being developed for this pilot year of the Academy for Twice-Exceptionality. We are uniquely qualified to develop and administer this newly-formed academy. In fact, much of the research on twice-exceptionality, particularly of students diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, has been conducted at the Belin-Blank Center.
One aspect of our mission is offering specialized educational opportunities for students. You will find that the Academy for Twice-Exceptionality has been established as such, but with the unique needs of twice-exceptional students kept in the forefront. It offers friendship, in addition to academic, community, and psychosocial support. As a student-centered institution, the Belin-Blank Center aims to provide structure, support, and understanding for talented and gifted twice-exceptional first-year students at the University of Iowa through the Academy for Twice-Exceptionality.