Dual Exceptionalities: Giftedness and Learning Disabilities

1. Dual Exceptionalities: Giftedness and Learning Disabilities Presented by Kara Bratton Lutheran Special Education Ministries

2. Characteristics • Characteristics atypical of gifted students and atypical of students with learning disabilities • Outstanding ability in verbal and/or visual-spatial areas • Creative • Good problem solvers and critical thinkers • Strong commitment to tasks in areas of interest • Production difficulties • Written output • Organization • Memory

3. Characteristics • Reading/decoding difficulties • Academic achievement not commensurate with ability • Struggle to learn basic skills due to processing difficulties • Strong observation skills but memory difficulties • Unwilling to take risks academically, but may take risks in non- school areas without consideration of consequences

4. Characteristics • Sometimes appear immature (use anger, crying, withdrawal, etc. to deal with difficulties) • Require frequent teacher support and feedback in deficit areas; highly independent in other areas • Sensitive regarding disability area(s); highly critical of self and others, including teachers • Exhibit leadership ability; often leader among the more nontraditional students; demonstrate strong “streetwise” behavior; the disability may interfere with ability to exercise leadership skills

5. Identification • Identified Gifted Students (Learning Disability not identified) • First noticed for achievement and/or high IQ • Already identified or in program for gifted students • Discrepancy between expected and actual performance • High level of achievement difficult to maintain • Longer writing assignments • Heavier reading material • More organization and study skills required

6. Identification • Students may become depressed, discouraged and doubt ability • May be overlooked for learning disabilities • May be able to perform at an “average” level even though ability much higher • “C” students don’t often get referred for learning disabilities evaluation • Gifted students not achieving to potential not necessarily a learning disability • Giftedness may only be in certain areas, not all academic areas • Curriculum may seem unchallenging or uninteresting • Rule out other explanations

7. Identification • Students identified with Learning Disabilities (Giftedness not identified) • First noticed for learning disabilities (more severe, may be few grades levels behind) • Approximately one third of identified individuals with learning disabilities have superior intellectual ability (above 120) • Often, schools will work on the disability and what the student can NOT do before attending to or noticing the giftedness • Focus on the disability leads to feelings of inadequacy and overshadows positive feelings from areas of strengths

8. Identification • Students not identified for giftedness or learning disabilities • Giftedness masks the disability and disability masks the giftedness • Giftedness may allow students to compensate enough to perform at grade level • Learning disability prevents the giftedness from being noticed

9. Identification • Gift or talent may come through in environments that require less written work, more projects and discussion • By the time learning disability and/or giftedness is discovered, student may already be discouraged about school and learning because their talents are not emphasized in some traditional classrooms • May be seen as reluctant learners

10. Strength-based Instruction • Most important element is gifted and talented instruction in area of strength • Instruction should emphasize problem solving, reasoning, and critical thinking • include extension and elaboration of the regular curriculum • Need support, accommodations and modifications in areas affected by learning disability

11. Strength-based Instruction • Activities that focus on areas of strength and gifts • Open-ended activities and assignments • Differentiated instruction • Instruction suited to learning style • Student choices • Guided discovery • Hands on, multisensory instruction • Real life problems and tasks • Integrate visual and performing arts

12. Strategies: Classroom Climate Most Effective Less Effective • Flexibility • Interactive instruction and participation • High standards • Cooperative groups • Multimedia resources and technological tools • Using and focusing on student strengths and interests • Using choices and alternative methods • Help with planning • Drill and practice focused on disability • Inflexible expectations • Limited options or choices • Emphasizing the weakness(es) • Only one instructional method (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

13. Strategies: Instruction Most Effective Less Effective • Using teaching models for gifted education • Open-ended outlets • Differentiated instruction/teach to learning style • Hands on experiences and real life tasks • Clarification of written material • Accommodations and help with organizing thinking and projects • Remedial instruction • Rigid guidelines • Perceiving lack of production as a sign of motivational weakness or lower intelligence • Rote memorization • Forced oral reading • Only using teacher directed activities • Text based instruction only (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

14. Strategies: Organization Most Effective Less Effective • Electronic organization (calendars, assignment notebooks) • Teachers working with students to establish specific due dates for short assignments and time frames for long-term assignments • Breaking up tasks into workable and obtainable steps • Assuming students have the needed organizational skills • Attributing poor organizational skills to lack of motivation, bad attitude, or laziness (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

15. Strategies: Organization Most Effective Less Effective • Providing check points for long-term assignments and monitoring progress frequently • Providing time to organize materials and assignments • Study guides that help locate answers • Providing a specific location for students to place completed work • Assigning long-term or complicated assignments without supports for organization • Expecting students to utilize organizational supports without providing instruction in the use of those supports (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

16. Strategies: Memory Most Effective Less Effective • Multiple modalities, including art and simulations when presenting directions, explanations, and instructional content • Providing student with a copy of the information that highlights key facts • Having students sequence activities after a lesson or event • Using only one modality, such as a lecture, to teach a lesson • Expecting students to recall factual information without supports • Expecting students to utilize mnemonics, visual imagery, technology, or other supports without teaching them how to use these tools (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

17. Strategies: Memory Most Effective • Having students teach information to other students • Providing students with environmental cues and prompts—posted rules, steps for performing tasks, etc. • Allowing students to use resources in the environment to recall information—notes, textbooks, pictures, etc. • Relating information presented to student’s previous experiences (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

18. Strategies: Memory Most Effective • Having students outline, highlight, underline, and summarize information that should be remembered • Telling students what to listen for when being given directions or receiving information • Associative cues or mnemonic devices • Teaching visual imagery (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

19. Strategies: Writing Most Effective Less Effective • Establishing writing process through discussion and practice • Assistive technology—tablets, computers, electronic spellers, organizational software, word-predictive software • Graphic organizers • Mind-mapping strategies • Focusing on handwriting instead of content • Quantity versus quality • Using red pens to denote errors (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

20. Strategies: Writing Most Effective • Extended time for completion of work • Clearly written expectations for writing tasks • Writing prompts • Rubrics • Proofreading for one type of error at a time • Highlighters to indicate corrections • Publication of writing for an audience (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

21. Strategies: Reading Most Effective Less Effective • Emphasis on comprehension, listening, and gaining information • Using literature for stimulating reading interest • High-interest personal reading material, which may be above grade level • Building abstract reasoning and comprehension skills • Focusing on word attack errors that do not affect comprehension • Reading worksheets • Round robin reading • Utilizing only below-grade-level basal readers (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

22. Strategies: Reading Most Effective • Development of expository reading • Oral discussion using supporting text • Explicit instruction in phonological awareness, phonics, and decoding • Accommodations, including books on tape, text-to-speech software, etc. (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

23. Strategies: Math Most Effective Less Effective • Pre-assessment of student mastery • Developing conceptual skills and problem solving strategies • Interactive approach • Hands-on programs • Lengthy and repetitive assignments • Copying from the textbook, overheads, or blackboard • Focusing on computation alone (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

24. Strategies: Math Most Effective • Use of manipulatives • Untimed tests • Reduction in number of problems • Direct instruction for the use of calculators (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

25. Strategies: Content Areas Most Effective Less Effective • Hands-on, interactive experiences • Activities that incorporate problem solving and real-life investigations with a purpose • Instruction led by textbook reading • Focusing on facts rather than understanding concepts (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

26. Strategies: Content Areas Most Effective • Approach that allows students to direct their search for knowledge and answers • Simulations and various forms of media • Integration of visual and performing arts • Graphic organizers to support note-taking (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

27. Strategies: Evaluation Most Effective Less Effective • Student/teacher collaboration on the evaluation/assessment methods and tools • Evaluations based on key concepts and understandings that are the focus of the curriculum • Providing objectives, study guides, vocabulary, memory strategies, acceptable responses, support and clarification for embedded questions • Lengthy essays • Penalties for spelling in content areas • Time limits • Matching tasks (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

28. Strategies: Evaluation Most Effective • Differentiation (making a model, giving a speech or multimedia presentation, etc.) • Dictated responses • Graphic organizers/mind maps instead of paragraph responses • Use of assistive technology (http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf)

29. Resources • Prufrock Press (curriculum materials) • http://www.prufrock.com • National Center for Learning Disabilities • http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/adhd-related-issues/giftedness • Twice Exceptional Newsletter • http://www.2enewsletter.com/index.html • Hoagie’s Gifted Education • http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/twice_exceptional.htm • Twice Exceptional Students: An Introductory Resource Book • http://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/gt/download/pdf/level_1_resource_handbook_4th_ed_10-2-12.pdf • A Guidebook for Twice Exceptional Students • http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/2e.guidebook.pdf

30. Kara Bratton, LSEM Resource Center Directorkbratton@luthsped.org 260-385-4033 www.luthsped.org Find us on Facebook and Twitter!