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Giftedness and Learning Disabilities - Page 3

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By Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D.

  • sickly and physically fragile
  • quirky and predisposed to emotional problems
  • prone to feelings of grandiosity and superiority over peers
  • likely to lose some of their special abilities and "intelligence" over time
  • at greater risk than other students for "acting out" with socially inappropriate behavior in school if their academic learning needs are not met

Challenges Looking Forward

There is much that we don't know about students who are gifted and even more that we need to learn about students who are "twice exceptional," embodying the challenges of both giftedness and learning disabilities:

 

  • How should school practices (and education law) be changed to address the unmet needs of these students?
  • How can we assure that gifted children with LD from culturally/linguistically diverse or economically disadvantaged families are identified and provided services and support as special needs learners?
  • What evaluation measures and assessment protocols are most likely to identify these students before they show signs of frustration and struggle?
  • Can criterion other than IQ scores be used reliably to identify these students, and what kinds of data (e.g., performance-based assessments, portfolios) can be used to accurately reflect accellerated learning potential?
  • What instructional services and supports are most beneficial for these students at different ages and stages of development, and how well are they matched to screening and evaluation measures?
  • What kinds of information and support do teachers need to meet the needs of these students at different points during the pre-K through 12 years?
  • What types of instructional adaptations and modifications have proven to be effective in supporting students with LD who are also gifted learners?

 

Readings and Resources 

 



Sheldon H. Horowitz, Ed.D.
is the Director of LD Resources & Essential Information at the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
 



 

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