Why we exist
Twice Exceptional Compass (2E Compass) is a small organization with a main goal in mind – to make the road a little less bumpy for the next 2E or neurodivergent person who Googles “why am I like this?” at 2 am.
Our mission
2E Compass is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. Our mission is to support neurodivergent and twice-exceptional individuals and their families by promoting awareness, providing educational resources, and building supportive communities. We also work to educate schools, employers, and the broader public to foster inclusive environments that recognize and support neurodivergent individuals.
What we believe
We believe difference isn’t deficit, strengths and challenges come from the same wiring, and the right environment does at least half the work. We believe 2E and neurodivergent people deserve to be supported as whole humans – not sorted into either “gifted” or “struggling” and stripped of the other half of their story.
We also believe the way this content usually gets written – dense, clinical, and slightly scolding – is part of the problem. So we try to write the way a kind friend who happens to know the literature would talk to you over coffee.
How we work
We’re a young organization. We’d rather put out something honest and useful than something glossy and forgettable, which means we publish in the open as we go. Pages get updated when we learn something better. Resources roll out one at a time. Feedback from real families, educators, and 2E adults shapes what we make next.
Who we serve
2E adults, parents and caregivers of 2E and neurodivergent children, teachers and school teams, employers and managers, clinicians who want a plain-language reference to hand to clients, and anyone who suspects they’re sitting on a 2E story they’ve never had words for. If any of that sounds like you, you’re in the right place.
CASA
Child-centered, Action-oriented, Strengths-based Approach. CASA, meaning “house” in multiple Romance languages, such as Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian. A house is shelter, but it is also belonging – walls that protect without isolating, a door that can open or close, and room inside for people to be themselves without apology. In that sense, CASA is both the family home and the supportive community out in the open. It is the place you return to when the world has asked too much of you, and the place that equips you to go back out again. That is the spirit CASA stands for.
The young person sits at the middle of every decision, with their voice, their pace, and their interests treated as data, not noise.
We turn understanding into something you can do on a random morning – small, concrete steps rather than another framework to admire from a distance.
We start from what is already working and build outward, instead of leading with the deficit list and hoping a person survives the introduction.
Two E’s and two stems
Two letter E’s sit side by side, forming the compass.
One E in blue, one E in orange. We deliberately do not pin a meaning on either one. Pick your own meaning – gifts and challenges, calm and intensity, the part of you the world claps for and the part it does not quite know what to do with. The point of 2E is that both belong to the same person, and they are not really separable once you look closely.
If you prefer a more concrete read: one E is the part of you that flies, the other is the part that trips on the kerb on the way to the airport. Both are real. Both are you. The logo does not rank them.
The two stems underneath are what holds the whole thing up. One stem is the inner circle – family, close friends, the cat who does not care about your test scores – learning how to actually love a 2E person, which turns out to be a skill, not a default setting. The other stem is the wider world – school, work, society – and the 2E person learning how to move through it without leaving most of themselves at the door.
Neither stem alone keeps the letters standing. You need both, in roughly equal measure, and you need them to be doing the work at the same time. That is how 2E people navigate the world.
Joyce Zhao Li & Joshua
Joyce Zhao Li is a human resources consultant based in both Singapore and Silicon Valley. Joshua is a high school student. Together, they co-authored a book on their own 2E family journey and, in March 2026, co-founded Twice Exceptional Compass (2E Compass) – a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting global culturally Chinese communities.
Part memoir, part field guide: one culturally Chinese family's journey learning what it means to raise and to be a twice-exceptional child. For the parent who suspects their child is more than the label, the 2E young person who wants to see their experience on the page, and the educator looking for a culturally grounded way in.
“Keenly aware that research on twice-exceptionality (2E) within Chinese society is still in its infancy, and that relevant Chinese-language literature remains extremely scarce, leaving many families in deep distress, Joyce and Joshua decided to share their journey of learning and discovery. Their goal is to help more families facing similar experiences find a tailored path for their children’s growth and development, right at the intersection of talent and challenge. It is also the hope of this book that parents everywhere find inner peace and composure, cultivating greater compassionate wisdom and boundless love as they open the doors and build the bridges of communication.”
Professor, San Diego State University
“This book brings together authentic stories from diverse familial and professional perspectives, profoundly capturing the unique lived experiences of neurodivergent individuals as they navigate challenges and harness their strengths. Writing with warmth and insight, the two authors not only dismantle stereotypes surrounding ‘differences,’ but also invite readers to re-examine the profound meaning of growth, potential, and human diversity. For parents, educators, and medical or clinical professionals alike, this is both an inspiring masterpiece and an incredibly practical resource.”
Associate Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to walk alongside organizations whose work overlaps with ours, each bringing their own expertise to families navigating learning, neurodiversity, and identity.
Asian American Youth Association (AAYA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Asian American youth in North America through second-language education, academic tutoring, study-buddy groups, community service, and youth leadership programs like the Youth Elite Program and Youth Voice.
Cogleap supports neurodiverse children, including those with ASD, ADHD, and other learning differences, through its signature HFS® (Hope Focus System) cognitive training, the Move & Connect® play-based social group program, and ABA therapy, helping children build focus, regulate emotions, and connect with peers and family.