Outline
 Learning Disability Defined
 Types of Learning Disabilities
 GLD (Gifted with Learning Disabilities)
 Effects of GLD for girls and boys
 Training Areas
 4 Intervention Steps
 Principles
 Activity
What is a learning
disability?
 As defined in IDEA 2004, a learning disability is a
disorder in one or more of the basic psychological
processes involved in understanding or in using
language, spoken or written, which disorder may
manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think,
speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical
calculations.
Types of Learning
Disabilities
Common Types of Learning Disabilities
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Dyslexia: Difficulty reading
Dyscalculia: Difficulty with math
Dysgraphia : Difficulty with writing
Dyspraxia : Difficulty with fine motor skills
Dysphasia/Aphasia: Difficulty with language
Auditory Processing Disorder: Difficulty hearing
differences between sounds
Visual Processing Disorder: Difficulty interpreting visual
information
ADD/ADHD: Attention deficit disorder
Hyperactivity
Autism Spectrum Disorder
How Learning Disabilities
affect Gifted Students
 Normally there is a disconnect between their advanced
verbal ability and productive outcomes
 The student typically preforms in the average range with
highly developed thinking skills, verbal ability, and a
creative vein
 The misinformed see and label these children as
disengaged and unmotivated
 Pattern of acting out  withdraw into him/herself
 As the students begin to see the heightened gap
between their strengths and weaknesses they become
increasingly anxious
 Withdrawal from school=social dysfunction and alienation
from peers
GLD Frustration
Formula
High intelligence
+
Learning block
=
Frustration
GLD Continued..
 Undiagnosed GLD can cause pain to the student who
works hard for mastery and is limited by a learning
disability
 Families are also affected by the cycle of hope and
despair
 Parents blame themselves for students unusual behaviors
 Siblings may feel neglected
 Students who come to school with a confirmed diagnosis
have a head start
 “The challenge for the teacher is to look past the label
and to seek evidence of giftedness in the students.”
Dually Diagnosed Boys
 Common GLD behaviors:
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Playing classroom clown
Acting aggressively
Displaying poor impulsive control
Constantly indulging in disruptive classroom behaviors
Displaying very immature behaviors
Ceaseless energy alternating with bouts of fatigue
Dually Diagnosed Girls
 More sensitive to public perceptions
 Display a greater need for social acceptance
 Social and coping skills are well developed
 Perform at an average to slightly above average
level due to their increased brain organization
Due to the following listed above girls with GLD usually
take the withdrawal route. If they do act out it is
normally in the safety of their home, which causes
hardships for their parents.
Dually Diagnosed Girls
Continued…
 Indulge in social behaviors such as:
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Bossiness
Constant talking
Interfering in everybody’s business
Teacher pleasing
Taking leadership of the girl talk/drama
Being catty
Using their leadership skills to influence other girls to
victimize other students
Dual Exceptionality
Training
 GLD students require training in these areas:
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Social
Emotional
Behavioral
Communicative
Competence
Misdiagnosis and Missed
Diagnosis
 Errors arise when professionals misinterpret
behaviors
 “Both misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis occur
when giftedness and its characteristics are confused
with a pathological condition such as ADHD, OCD,
ODD, or Asperger’s Disorders.”
 Gifted individuals may purposefully camouflage
behaviors
 Missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis decreases the
chance that proper interventions will be
implemented.
Gifted with Learning Disability
Intervention Program
 Step 1- Identifying GLD students
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GLD Preschool Profile
Parent Information Checklist
Standardized-Test Results
Teacher Observation
 Step 2- Analysis of Specific Needs
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Learning-Styles Analysis
Multiple- Intelligence Checklist
Specific Learning Difficulty Report
Wechsler Test of Intelligence
Agency Reports
Gifted with Learning Disability
Intervention Program Continued…
 Step 3- Eradicating Learned Helplessness
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Training in Metacognition
Regular Conferencing Sessions
Mapping Change
Emotional and Social Skills Training
Counseling
 Step 4- Designing and Individual Program
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Slaying the Dragon
Direct Daily Intervention
Curriculum Compacting
Celebrating the Gift
The Mentor Program
Effective Principles
 Choices
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Teaches responsibility for decisions/ choices
Encourages children to think for themselves
Reason effectively=make good choices
Expressing confidence=increase in child’s self esteem
 Token Economy
 List out directions for student to see and to look
back at during the activity
 Schedule for students to see the daily activities
Effective Principles
Continued…
 Maintain a structured classroom
 Routine
 Clearly defined rules and expectations
 Praise for following rules
 Train organizational skills and goal setting
 Use teacher attention to motivate
 Lessons should be motivating
 Centers include ideas to stimulate creative minds
 Teach self monitoring
 Identify students’ strengths
Activity
 Look at the materials on the table.
 In a minute you will be creating a structure that is meaningful to
you.
 Take a few minutes to to manipulate the materials. You may
taste, smell, and touch the materials to begin jogging your
memory/imagination.
 After manipulating the materials, plan out what you want to
build. (It can be written or drawn out)
 After planning your structure, use the materials to build the
structure.
 Next, explain your structure/object to the group.
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What it is
Why it’s meaningful to you
Where you saw it
Etc.
References
Daniels, S., & Piechowski, M. M. (2009). Debrowski's Theory:
Possibilities and Implications of Misdiagnosis, Missed
Diagnosis, and Dual Diagnosis in Gifted Individuals. Living
with intensity: understanding the sensitivity, excitability,
and emotional development of gifted children, adolescents,
and adults (pp. 83-103). Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press.
Hill, F. (2007). Teaching gifted learners: Book B: The
hidden gifted:
Meeting the needs of gifted students with learning
disabilities. Hawthorne, NJ: Educational Impressions, Inc.
National Association of Special Education Teachers: Introduction to
Learning Disabilities. (n.d.). National Association of Special
Education Teachers: Teachers Teaching Exceptional Children.
Retrieved July 7, 2012, from
http://www.naset.org/2522.0.html
Parker, H. C. (1994). The ADD hyperactivity workbook for
parents, teachers, and kids (2nd ed.). Plantation, Fla.:
Specialty Press.