Gifted and Learning Disabled...A Paradox?
By Tammy Ellston
Reprinted with permission from "Gifted Child Today" v16, n1, p17-19, January/February, 1993
Jonathan is in a "gifted" program at his school. The children in the program were selected because they either scored high on intelligence tests or have outstanding ability in some non-academic area. Jonathan, a fifth grader, has been in the program for 2 years and has done well. This year, however, he is not performing quite as well as his "gifted peers" and seems to be lacking conceptual understanding in math and also some essential writing skills. He is usually discouraged when he comes home, not knowing what the problem is exactly--why he can no longer keep up.
Andrea was very bright when she was in preschool, but has had a difficult time learning how to read and write. Her third grade teacher has been assigning extra work for her in these areas, but to no avail. She is wondering whether Andrea should be put into a learning disability class. Andrea's parents criticize her for her "slowness" in reading, ignoring her achievements in art. In fact, she has won a few school awards for drawings she has done this year. This success, however, is eclipsed by her problem in reading.
Robert does not enjoy school and has always had to work hard for "average" grades. In elementary school, he had some problems with writing, not being able to express himself clearly and with sufficient speed to finish assignments and tests. Because these problems were never corrected, they have turned him off almost completely to anything academic. The one thing keeping Robert from dropping out is a new experimental course he his taking where he is allowed to do a project using his best model of communication --video. He is excited about the project and devotes most of his time to it.
What do Jonathan, Andrea, and Robert have in common? They each are gifted and learning disabled. This combination has existed in children and adults for a long time, but has not received much attention until the last few decades (Weill, 1987).
What does it mean to be gifted and learning disabled? Don't these terms contradict each other? No more so than the presence of both strengths and weaknesses in one individual. A child who is gifted/learning disabled (gifted/LD) is simply one who exhibits great talent or strength in certain areas and disabling weaknesses in others (Baum, 1989). A more sophisticated definition can be obtained by examining the definitions of the two terms gifted and learning disabled, topics of great and lengthy debate.
Most school programs use the 1978 U.S. Office of Education definition of "gifted" which states that gifted and talented children are those who are capable of high performance in certain areas and who require differentiated educational programs (Davis & Rimm, 1989). Another type of definition, by Joseph Renzuli, focuses on "gifted behaviors" as opposed to labeling children as "gifted". This definition states that gifted behavior reflects interaction between three clusters of traits: above average ability, task commitment, and creativity (Renzuli, 1986 cited in Davis & Rimm, 1989).
The official meaning of "learning disabilities" is given in Public Law No. 94-142 (1975). The essence of the definition is that a learning disability is indicated by a discrepancy between potential and actual performance or achievement (Boodoo, Bradley, Frontier, Pitts, & Wright, 1989; Fox, Brody, & Tobin, 1983) What makes the dual exceptionalities possible is that the strengths and weakness lie in different areas.
The three children described above represent three categories of gifted/LD children (Baum, 1989). Jonathan is one of many who are noticed first for their high achievement or the "gift". As they move upward in grade levels, weaknesses begin to appear. These weaknesses are large enough to hinder the progress expected of a bright child but too small to be identified in a screening procedure for learning disabilities.
Andrea differs from Jonathan in that she was identified first for her disability. With this type of child, the learning disability looms large in the minds of parents and teachers, while any gifted behaviors or special interests are overlooked. Often, the gifted behaviors are displayed at home, with special art projects or Lego bricks, for example. In school, though, the children feel like failures and tend to be disruptive in their classes.
Robert represents the third group of gifted/LD children, those who are not identified as either gifted or LD. All their academic energy is used up in trying to compensate for their disability. For example, a dyslexic child who cannot learn to read because of a weak visual memory may come up some clever ways of coping, such as learning to spell "by ear", memorizing pages of a book just by hearing a teacher read it, and picking out enough clues from comprehension questions to answer them adequately (Weill, 1987). Thus, the student's creative ability increases tremendously as he is forced to think of effective ways to accomplish daily activities. In the process, however, usually neither exceptionality is noticed. Sometimes a student's talents are uncovered in an innovative classroom. The student may also recognize his own disability later on when taking a college course, for example, where dyslexia is discussed.
What are some other general characteristics of gifted/LD children? One of the most outstanding is a negative self-image. It has been shown that gifted/LD students feel like failures and feel less capable than do their learning disabled peers who have only average ability (Baum & Owen, 1988). That they feel like failures is understandable because they have high ability, but just cannot perform academically the way they are expected to. Maker (1977) says that to make things more complicated, these children set extremely high goals and tend to be highly critical of themselves. She goes on to state that gifted students have four characteristics which make it especially hard for them to be handicapped or disabled. These are their desire to be independent, as well as their goal directedness, self-criticism, and awareness of others' reactions to them.
Like some of their LD peers, gifted/LD children tend to be aggressive, careless, easily frustrated, and disruptive. They may act our in class, daydream, or complain of headaches and stomachaches (Baum, 1989). Some common learning problems are language deficits, poor memory and sequencing ability, and problems with conceptualization and spatial perception (Hokanson & Jospe, 1976, cited in Wolf & Gygi, 1981).
On the positive side, these children, like their gifted peers, may be adept at thinking abstractly and solving problems. They have superior reasoning ability and are able to recognize relationships well. They have good communication skills and may be creative, productive, and motivated, especially when their personal interests are involved (Baum, 1984). Other characteristics might be intellectual curiosity, a wide range of interests, and the ability to work well on their own (Wolf & Gygi, 1981).
Why is it important for gifted/LD children to be identified? Also, do they really need their own programs or special treatment? It is important to identify them (and early on), because, if not, they almost always will have negative emotional response. This response could take the form of depression or anxiety, a lower self-esteem, withdrawal, aggression, or disruptive behavior in the classroom (Jones, 1986). Compensating strategies become less effective as the children grow older, so "average" performance is more difficult to obtain. Early identification seems to be a worthy goal, to prevent these negative consequences to the individual. It allows their gifts to be fostered rather than stifled or permanently suppressed by negative behaviors. In addition, when gifted/LD students are identified and helped, the classroom is much more manageable for the teacher.
Such men as Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, George Patton, Woodrow Wilson, Churchill, and Albert Einstein had learning problems in their early lives. They were able to overcome them, however, through their own effort and, in some cases, help from their parents. The results were tremendous strides in a wide range of areas, from science to art to military and political leadership (Weill, 1987, Gallagher, 1983). One might wonder, though, how much more they could have accomplished if their problems had been recognized, and dealt with earlier.
So yes, we may agree that these children need to be identified ...but how can this be done? Ideally, each child would be treated individually so that individual areas of weakness could be recognized and worked on. The most frequently used test for this is the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R). This instrument allows the examiner to evaluate responses rather than simply the number of right and wrong answers (Rosner & Seymour, 1983). Gifted/LD children tend to give much more information than is required on these tests because they want to show the examiner that they are not "dumb". The y often are, in fact, extremely knowledgeable about particular subjects. They will also try to show off their ability to think in creative ways. Since these behaviors are known, it is relatively easy to spot a gifted/LD child during the test. Individual testing for all children is not likely to occur, however. It takes a lot of time, and there is already a shortage among teachers, guidance counselors, and educational psychologists.
Alternatively, educators should give more attention to children whose performance varies significantly in different areas (Wolf & Gygi, 1981). Close observation of children will lead to identification of both strengths and weaknesses. Also, assessment of a child should be a continuous and long-term process. Besides intelligence tests and observations, measures such as questionnaires for parents, teachers, and students, self-concept scales, talent check lists, and interviews may be used to assess this special group.
What exactly is the parents' role in all of this? Parents can help their children in at least three general ways. The first involves being alert to the possibility of gifted behaviors, a learning disability, or a combination of the two. It is critical to the well-being of exceptional children that they be identified early and be taught how to compensate for their disabilities. Parents have many opportunities to observe behavior in their children. Assessment, therefore, should not be solely the job of educators.
The second way parents can help is by support and encouragement - and a lot of it. Gifted/LD children need to know that they have value as people. not just for what they do, achieve, or produce. Parents should pay close attention to the child's feelings, especially to expressions of dislike, which may indicate a deeper problem. Some parents with lofty aspirations for their "gifted" child will need to change their perspective and being to accept the existing disabilities. They may need to learn that their child cannot read, spell, or write, as opposed to will not(Jones, 1986).
Parents of gifted/LD children should have a good understanding of both giftedness and learning disabilities and their complex interactions. Reading journals and books, getting involved in professional organizations, and talking with teachers and friends are useful ways to gain insight and learn effective ways of helping their children.
The third area is to work with the school to ensure that the needs of these special children are being met. In schools, which do not yet have a program for gifted children, it is unlikely that there will be much awareness of the unique needs of gifted/LD children. Parents who are knowledgeable in this area might be able to influence what goes on at the school. Involvement with parent/teacher organizations or a board of education may allow a parent to suggest program possibilities which will better meet children's needs. Some possibilities are the guidelines that have been established by researchers in the field.
Susan Baum (1988), an expert with gifted/ LD children gives the following four recommendations: (1) attention should be focused on the child's gift rather than the disability; (2) gifted/LD children should have a supportive environment which values and appreciates their abilities; (3) strategies should be given to compensate for learning problems; and (4) educators should help students become aware of their strengths and weaknesses and how to deal with them.
Baum (1989) and others (Wolf & Gygi, 1981) have determined that remediation is not the primary need of these students. The focus on abilities in Baum's programs has enabled students to flourish, become excited about school, and beginning to believe in themselves. Students' weaknesses are circumvented by calculators, word processors, and tape recorders, while the students concentrate on using their abilities in projects which will be useful and valuable for some audience. Remediation is continued in the LD portion of the program, but time spent helping the students develop their gifts has a higher priority.
A counseling program might be a good way to follow through on Baum's fourth recommendation. Students would be told about in a straight forward manner. Once they understand the nature of their dual exceptionalities, they can then learn to accept their limitation and set realistic goals. These students may also benefit by having a mentor, a person to work with who is outstanding in the student's particular area of interest. Mentors who are gifted and learning disabled would be even more beneficial, since they are living examples of what can be accomplished despite limitations.
Although the gifted/LD field is not new, there is still much to be learned about this special group of children and adults. As more people are made aware of this dual exceptionality, more programs will be started and gifted/LD students will begin to reach their potential. Parents have a big role in creating a nurturing home environment for these children, one which will make them feel loved and valued and which will help them realize they can be come important contributors to their world.
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