Twice
Exceptional
Learners
These are students that have
a dual diagnosis. One can
easily mask the other. Most
are identified for their
disability.
Famous and Twice
Exceptional
Place the following people under
one of the following categories:
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Learning Disabled
ADD/ADHD
Physically Disabled
Autistic
No known Disabilities
Satoshi Tajiri
(Creator of Pokémon)
Whoopi Goldberg
Frida Kahlo
Eleanor
Roosevelt
Walt Disney
Madonna
Beethoven
Steven
Spielberg
Bill Gates
Oprah Winfrey
Let’s See how many you have
right!
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Asperger’s (High Functioning Austim):
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Learning Disabled:
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Eleanor Roosevelt and Steven Spielberg
Physical Disabilities:
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Walt Disney and Whoopi Goldberg
ADHD:
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Bill Gates and Satoshi Tajiri
Beethoven (Deaf)
Frida Kahlo (Polio and Severe and Traumatic
Injuries)
Madonna and Oprah have no known
disabilities
Imagine being gifted AND
Learning
disabled
ADD/ADHD
Physically disabled
Blind
As we explore this topic, please use your
Deaf
graphic organizer to record two to four
characteristics of each type of
Autistic
exceptionality. Use your Window Notes
page to record your answers to the
questions. Be sure to answer questions in at
least two different learning styles.
Diagnosing Gifted Students
That Are Also Learning
Disabled
It is very difficult to diagnose both because the
gifted student is adept at being able to compensate
for his disabilities.
 Review school records to look for patterns of
strengths and weaknesses.
 Look for discrepancies between their high ability
and achievement. Do NOT compare these
students to ones their own age.
 There may be evidence of a processing deficit.
They may seem to tune out, but this is because of
the extra effort that is required for them to
compensate in their area of weakness.
 Early intervention is needed to help the student
reach their full potential.
Characteristics of a Gifted
Child With a Learning Disability
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Compensates better than peers
Wide variety of interests
High risk for becoming dropouts
High abstract reasoning ability
Good mathematical reasoning ability
Advanced vocabulary
Imaginative and creative
Sense of humor
Overly sensitive
Perfectionist
Unreasonable expectations for self
Failure to complete assignments
Suggestions For Working With
Gifted and Learning Disabled
Students
The twice exceptional learner needs a supportive
environment that meets all their needs.
 Enrichment for his gifted area
 Remediation for his learning disability
 Developmental instruction in subjects of average
growth
 Counseling (the gifted child’s need to succeed
often leaves them very frustrated). Twice
exceptional learners benefit from support groups
in the home and educational setting.
These can be accomplished in a variety of different
learning settings.
Time to think about Working
With Gifted and Learning
Disabled Students
What is a twice
exceptional child?
Imagine the following situation: You're
a child in a gifted cluster class. You
excel in language arts, science, and
social studies. However, no matter
how hard you try you struggle with
math. Your friends seem to do well.
How would you feel?
How do you
diagnose a gifted
student with a
learning disability?
What can you do to make sure twice
exceptional students don't fall
through the cracks?
Giftedness and ADD/ADHD
What
do you
think you know
about
ADD/ADHD?
Take a moment
to discuss.
What is ADD/ADHD?
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ADHD-Not a learning disability but
can affect a child's ability to
achieve in the classroom. Typical
manifestations are: trouble paying
attention, sitting still, or finishing
tasks.
ADD- (inattentive type)- is when a
child has difficulty focusing/staying
focused on a task.
These difficulties usually begin
before the person is 7 years old.
However, these behaviors may not
be noticed until the child is older.
What signs can I look for to
determine ADD/ADHD?
Hyperactiveimpulsive type
Inattentive Type
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can't stay focused on play or school work;
don't follow through on instructions or finish
school work or chores;
can't seem to organize tasks and activities;
get distracted easily; and
lose things such as toys, school work, and
books. (APA, 2000, pp. 85-86)
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get out of their chairs when they're
not supposed to;
run around or climb constantly;
have trouble playing quietly;
talk too much;
fidget and squirm;
blurt out answers before questions
have been completed;
have trouble waiting their turn;
interrupt others when they're talking;
and
Butt- in on the games others are
playing. (APA, 2000, p. 86)
NOTE: Parents and teachers do not cause AD/HD. Still, there are many things
that both parents and teachers can do to help a child with AD/HD.
FIRST, rule out other reasons for the child's behavior, and find out if the child
has other disabilities along with AD/HD.
SECOND, determine what is specifically hard for that child....
What strategies can I
implement in my classroom to
help students with this issue?
 Post
rules, schedules, and assignments.
 Clear rules and routines
 Give step by step directions verbally and
in writing.
 Let the student work on the computer
 Hold high expectations
Time to think about Working
With Gifted and ADD/ADHD
Students
What are ADD and ADHD?
What personal experience
do you have working with
ADD/ADHD students? Now
imagine they are also gifted.
How can you determine if a
student has ADD or ADHD?
Finish this analogy: Having
ADD and being gifted is like
having _____________ and
being ____________.
Gifted students with Physical
Disabilities
 Underserved
and under stimulated
 Focus is usually on accommodations for
disabilities instead of cognitive abilities
 Students often focus their gifted strengths
on accommodating for their disability
which can diminish the appearance of
both.
Characteristics of Gifted students with
Visual Impairment
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Fast rate of learning
Superior memory
Superior verbal
communication skills and
vocabulary
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advanced problem-solving skills
Creative production or thought
that may progress more slowly
than sighted students in some
academic areas
Ease in learning Braille
Great persistence
Motivation to know
Sometimes slower rate of
cognitive development than
sighted students
excellent ability to concentrate
(Whitmore & Maker, 1985)
Hearing Impairment
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Development of speech-reading skills
without instruction
Early reading ability
Excellent memory
Ability to function in the regular school
setting
Rapid grasp of ideas
High reasoning ability
Superior performance in school
Wide range of interests
Nontraditional ways of getting information
Use of problem-solving skills in everyday
situations
Possibly on grade level
Delays in concept attainment
Self starters
Good sense of humor
Enjoyment of manipulating environment
Intuition
Ingenuity in solving problems
Symbolic language abilities (different
symbol system)
(Cline, 1999; Whitmore & Maker, 1985)
Characteristics of Gifted students
with Physical Disabilities
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Development of compensatory skills
Creativity in finding alternate ways of communicating and accomplishing tasks
Impressive store of knowledge
Advanced academic skills
Superior memory
Exceptional problem-solving skills
Rapid grasp of ideas
Ability to set and strive for long-term goals
Greater maturity than age mates
Good sense of humor
Persistence, patience
Motivation to achieve
Curiosity, insight
Self-criticism and perfectionism
Cognitive development that may not be based on direct experience
Possible difficulty with abstractions
Possible limited achievement due to pace of work
(Cline, 1999; Whitmore & Maker, 1985; Willard-Holt, 1994)
Time to think about Working
With Gifted and Physically
Disabled Student
What makes it difficult to
identified giftedness in
physically disabled
students?
Have you ever know anyone
with a physically disability
that found great success
despite their disability? How
were they able to find
success?
Compare and contrast
gifted student with visual
and hearing impairments.
What programs could a
school put in place for a
gifted student that was
wheel chair bound and
blind?
Autism and Giftedness
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental
disability that is characterized by:
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Severe communication difficulties
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Social impairments/ Behavioral difficulties and intensities
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Illegible handwriting
Rote memorization difficulties
Poor spelling, phonics, and decoding
Difficulties in group settings
Yelling out (inappropriate timing or comments)
Specialized or limited (almost obsessive) interests
Extensive and advanced vocabulary (more advanced
oral than written performance)
Diagnosis of Twice-Exceptional
Children
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ASD students with advanced abstract
reasoning abilities can be difficult to detect:
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because of their giftedness they can develop
strategies to mask their learning disability.
Adequate performance is the result of high
cognitive ability, which allows for the student
to compensate in a less-than-challenging
curriculum.
The high cognitive ability may not fully
realized because the disability prevents the
student from fully expressing his or her talents
(Silverman).
Understanding
Autism
Time to think about Working
With Gifted and Autism
Describe the characteristics
of an autistic/gifted child?
Think about your students
(present and past). Could
you have had an ASD
student that may have been
also gifted? Do you feel you
differentiated properly for
him/her?
How is a child with Autism
different from a child that is
just gifted?
How is the Autistic Child
different?
If you had to explain Autism
using only images, what
images would you use?
Create 5-8 images to explain
Austism.
Differentiating for Twice
Exceptional Children
Supportive teachers that teach to their
strengths and programs that provide the
necessary accommodations are a must!
 Enrichment
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Don't water down the curriculum. Find alternate
methods of presentation/communication:
interviews, pictures, videos. Provide experiential
learning not just instructional learning.
Provide advanced organizers or technological
supports to help students receive, i.e., outlines of
class lectures, assistive technology, study guides.
Differentiating for Twice
Exceptional Children:
 Communication
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Offer alternate modes for students to
communicate their ideas
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– Focus on Strengths!
Instead of an essay: murals, speeches, mime, film
productions, visual presentations and
demonstrations, etc.
Allowing students to hand in work using
technology provides students the opportunity to
submit work they can feel proud of.
Plan for student-directed learning - use centers!
 Offer
students strategies for remembering
information such as mnemonics (allow
students to create these!), visualization, etc.
Now what?
 Create
an action plan
on how you will know if
you have gifted students
 Develop differentiation strategies that you add
to your “bag of tricks” that incorporate these
type of learners!
 And Remember:
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Work with your school experts (Special Education
Department, Gifted teachers, Social Workers, etc.)
 The
worse you can do, is “do nothing”
For more information . . .
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http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/What_is_Gifted/2echildren
.htm
http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/adhd
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/Articles_id_10126.aspx
Baum, S. (1990). Gifted but learning disabled: A puzzling
paradox. ERIC Resource Center, doi: ED321484
NAGC position statement: Twice-exceptionality. (2009).
Retrieved from http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=5094
Silverman, L. K. (n.d.). Gifted children with learning disabilities:
Lost Treasures. Retrieved from
http://www.gifteddevelopment.com/What_is_Gifted/2echildren
.htm
http://giftedkids.about.com/od/giftedandld/Gifted_Children_wi
th_Learning_Disabilities.htm
http://giftedkids.about.com/od/giftedandld/a/gt_and_ld_2.htm