1 twice exceptional - gifted and learning disabled gifted and talented services

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Twice Twice Exceptional - Exceptional -

Gifted and Gifted and Learning Learning DisabledDisabled

Gifted and Talented Services

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Twice Exceptional - Gifted and Learning Disabled

Definition of Giftedness

United States Office of Education definition of Gifted and Talented Students

"those who have outstanding

abilities, are capable of high

performance and who require

differentiated educational

programs (beyond those normally

provided by regular school

programs) in order to realize their

contribution to self and society."

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Characteristics of Giftedness

Reasons well Learns rapidly Extensive

vocabulary

Excellent memory Long attention span Sensitive

Compassionate Perfectionistic Intense

Morally sensitive Strongly curious

Perseveres in interests

High degree of energy Prefers older companions Wide range

of interests

Great sense of humor Avid reader Concerned with

justice

Mature judgment Keen observer Vivid

imagination

Highly creative Tends to question authority

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Definition of Learning Disabilities

Public Law 94 - 142

"a child has a severe discrepancy between achievement and intellectual ability in one or more of the following areas:(I) oral expression(ii) listening comprehension(iii) written expression(iv) basic reading skill(v) reading comprehension(vi) mathematics reasoning

"disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or do mathematical calculations."

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A Learning Disability is a neurological/physiological difference in the

way the brain is organized.

The U.S. Department of Education, in a written response to questions

from the Learning Disabilities Association of North Carolina, states that,

"...each child who is evaluated for a suspected learning disability must

be measured against his or her own expected performance, and not

against some arbitrary general standard."

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Characteristics of Twice Exceptional LearnersSigns of Giftedness Signs of Learning Disabilities

~excellent long-term memory ~poor short-term memory

~extensive vocabulary ~speaking vocabulary more sophisticated than

written

~ excels in reading comprehension ~struggles with decoding words

~excels in mathematical reasoning ~does poorly at computation

~advanced verbal skills in discussions ~refuses to do written work

~facile with computers ~handwriting is illegible

~grasps abstract concepts ~has difficulty with spelling and phonics

~performs better with challenging work ~struggles with easy, sequential material

~thrives on complexity ~difficulty with rote memorization

~highly creative, imaginative ~often inattentive in class

~reasons well ~emotions can overpower reasoning

~is a keen observer ~poor auditory memory

~may have acute hearing ~poor listening skills

~has very interesting ideas, extremely curious ~weak in language mechanics

~had high degree of energy ~may be unable to learn unless interested

~perceptive ~performs poorly on timed tests

~insightful (seems "wise") ~hopelessly disorganized

~excellent sense of humor ~finds clever ways to avoid weak areas

~may excel at art, science, geometry, ~may fail at foreign languages and subjects

mechanics, technology, or music emphasizing audition, sequencing, memory

(Silverman)

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Strengths vs. Deficiencies

Strengths DeficienciesThinking Abilities Self ExpressionHigh Creativity Organizational AbilitiesLong-term Memory Short-term MemoryAbstractions Sense Perceptions (distractibility, static

on the auditory channel, sensori-motor)Problem Solving Social InteractionsInsight Self-esteem

(Coleman, 1996)

Organizational Difficulties can be: Thoughts going in

Thoughts coming outStuffTime

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Indicators of Ability - Achievement Discrepancy

Look for kids whose performance varies significantly in different areas.

Look beyond test scores.

WISC Studies have shown no consistent pattern in twice exceptional students

There may be a discrepancy between Verbal and Performance IQ but it is much more important to look at the subtests.

There is a tendency for twice exceptional children to have: Trouble with: Arithmetic, Digit Span, Coding

sometimes: Picture Completion High scores in: Comprehension, Vocabulary

often: Information, Similarities, Picture Arrangement, and Block Design

Divergent answers bring down the score. Twice exceptional children tend to elaborate during testing. That is their way of demonstrating their knowledge or creativity.

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Categories of Twice Exceptional Learners

Identified Gifted - Unidentified Learning Disabled

Unidentified Gifted - Unidentified Learning Disabled

Unidentified Gifted - Identified Learning Disabled

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Identified Gifted - Unidentified Learning Disabled

~good verbal skills

~poor spelling and/or handwriting

~disorganized in their classwork

~discrepancies between strengths and weaknesses widen as they grow

older

~often viewed as "underachieving"

~if identified LD - tremendous weight lifted off their shoulders

~often passed over for LD support because they are achieving at grade

level

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Unidentified Gifted - Unidentified Learning Disabled

~bright enough to compensate for their learning disability

~usually appear as average students

~usually recognize their giftedness and disability as adults

~need occasions where they can show their superior thinking in creative

ways

~LD masks gifts and gifts mask LD

~often gifts emerge in specific content areas or in learning environments where non-traditional methods are used

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Unidentified Gifted - Identified Learning Disabled

~usually excel in an area of interest

~disability depresses their intellectual performance

~good reasoning and thinking skills detected by teachers and/or parents

~first noticed for what they cannot do

~most "at risk" because the LD label tends to have a focus on deficits

~focus is so much on their disability it is difficult for them to give

themselves credit for their abilities

~often have incredible projects in the works at home

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Gifted Learning Disabled or Underachievement?

Just because a gifted student is not producing does not

mean he or she is learning disabled.

Other reasons for underachievement:

Unrealistic expectations by others

May seek rewards in different environments

Motivation, interest, and specific aptitude influence the amount of effort

Student's self-expectations can be too high

(a task may never be able to be completed to perfection)

Student may have a conflict with the school value system i.e. grades are

trivial

May have never learned study skills due to ease of curriculum in earlier

grades

Social or emotional problems(Baum, 1991)

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ADHD vs. Gifted

ADHD (DSM-IV, 1994) G/T (Silverman,

1993)

~difficulty with sustained attention, daydreaming ~poor attention, often due to

boredom, daydreaming

~failure to concentrate unless in one-to-one ~lack of persistence on tasks

that seem irrelevant

~failure to complete independent activities ~task completion often reliant

on personal interests

~ability to listen attentively seems diminished ~often appears bored during

discussions

~messy, disorganized environment ~possible disinterest in

organization

~impulsivity, poor judgment in situations ~judgment lags behind intellectual

development

~problems adhering to rules for regulating behavior ~intensity possibly leading to

struggles with authority

~activity level often heightened ~frequently high activity

~trouble following directions ~questions rules, directions

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ADHD HIGHLY CREATIVE

~often fails to finish tasks, ~broad range of interest often especially those demanded externally prohibits task completion

~distractible but not in all situations ~great attention in self-selected work

~frequent shifts in activities ~labile and sometimes erratic

~does not appear to listen ~hypomanic to the point of not listening

~daydreams ~imaginative

~often misplaces items needed for work completion ~so preoccupied as often to overlook the concrete

~difficulty organizing work ~finds order amidst chaos

~needs a lot of supervision in order to meet ~freedom of spirit that rejects externally deadlines imposed limits

~excessive activity ~high energy level

~often engages in challenges without ~willing to take risks in order to satisfy considering consequences plans for creative pursuits

~frequently acts without thinking ~often impulsive in actions

~solitary activities often preferred ~independent often preferring to be alone

~social interactions may be negative ~little interest in relationships

~talks while tackling tasks ~self-talk during creative work

~prone to rapid changes in mood ~often experiences emotional variability

(Cramond, 1994)

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Is it ADHD or Giftedness?

Does the child show these behaviors at home?

Could a lack of interest or relevancy play a part? Is the child unable to concentrate even when interested in the subject?

Have any curricular modifications been made in an attempt to change the behaviors?

Has the child been interviewed? What are his or her feelings about the behaviors?

Does the child feel out of control? Do the parents perceive the child to be out of control?

Has the child been taught strategies to limit stimuli and deal with stress? Has the child been taught appropriate social skills?

Can the "inattentive" child repeat the instructions?

Do the behaviors occur at certain times of the day, during certain subjects, with certain teachers, in certain environments and not in other circumstances?

Is the child getting the appropriate amount of teacher attention? Does the child demand constant attention from the teacher?

Is the child just demonstrating his or her personality, type of giftedness, or intensity?(Lind and Silverman, 1994)

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Strategies for Teaching the Twice Exceptional Student

NURTURE GIFTS, RESPECT CHILD

Curricular Needs

Differentiation

Challenging material at advanced level

Interdisciplinary

Don't make everything a secret Language Arts lesson

Make the curriculum relevant

Provide an individually paced curriculum in areas of giftedness and

disability

Using strengths to compensate for weaknesses

Find a mentor in the child’s area of interest who likes child

Find the child’s interest area and use that area to remediate

Love sharks + poor reader = start with books about sharks

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Strategies for Teaching the Twice Exceptional StudentAccommodations

Books on tapeAlphaSmart or other word processorSpell checker/spelling guideInspiration softwareAssisted note takingComputers for instructionStudy guidesHighlight in different colors

Yellow for spelling errorsPink for grammar errors

Gather information through interviews, videos, experiments, visitationsOptions for communicating ideas

Slides, models, speeches, mime, mural, video production

Avoid rote memorization and timed testsTape lecturesCalculatorOral testsAbbreviate written assignmentsAllow extra time for assignments and tests

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Strategies for Teaching the Twice Exceptional StudentTeaching Strategies

Equate success with effortPromote active inquiry involving discussion and experimentationProvide open-ended challenges that require divergent thinkingOffer options that enable child to use his strengths and learning styleIncorporate projects that investigate real problems and have real

audiencesHighlight abstract thinkingDesign enrichment activities to circumvent weaknessesProvide options to all students so child doesn't feel singled outEncourage looking for relationships and patternsCreate a supportive environmentModel celebrating individual differencesMinimize "teacher talk"Use mnemonics for concepts requiring recallEncourage visualizationGet eye contact before speakingTeach goal settingIndependent Projects in area of interest

Teach child how to break down project into partsAllow child opportunity to share with class - showcase the talent

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Counseling

Provide emotional support

Teach child to be his or her own advocate

If possible, have child work with group of other twice exceptional students

Help child become aware of strengths and weaknesses

Teach social skills

Find role models

Organizational Strategies

Color code book covers and notebooks

Graphic organizers

Create flow charts

Colored stickers on desk

Red for turn in homework

Yellow for put homework in backpack

Blue for take lunchbox home

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Time management

How long do you think it will take? Have student time himself or herself.

Use egg timer

Get watch with alarm

Strategies for parents

Take photos of things to remember and tape to the back of the door or

mirror

Rearrange room to make it practical

Find a tutor - don't be the homework heavy - celebrate child's gifts

Work with the school to create a supportive team

Be a role model

Focus on effort, not grades

Do not allow child to use learning disability as an excuse

Expect child to use skills; have child do practical tasks (I.e. thank you

notes)

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