Perspectives in Gifted Education: Twice-Exceptional Children" (2000)

University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Perspectives in Gifted Education Teaching & Learning Sciences Fall 2000 Perspectives in Gifted Education: Twice- Exceptional Children Institute for the Development of Gifted Education, Ricks Center for Gifted Children, University of Denver Norma Hafenstein University of Denver Frank Rainey University of Denver Susan Baum The College of New Rochelle Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/perspectivesingifteded Part of the Gifted Education Commons Recommended Citation Institute for the Development of Gifted Education, Ricks Center for Gifted Children, University of Denver; Hafenstein, Norma; Rainey, Frank; and Baum, Susan, "Perspectives in Gifted Education: Twice-Exceptional Children" (2000). Perspectives in Gifted Education. 2. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/perspectivesingifteded/2 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Teaching & Learning Sciences at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Perspectives in Gifted Education by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Perspectives In Gifted Education: Twice-Exceptional Children In titut for th D elopment of Gifted Education Hi k Center for Gift d Chi.ldr n ni r it of Den er vol. Perspectives In Gifted Education: Twice Exceptional Children Volunie 2 Fall 2001 Editor, Norma Haren,tein Frank Rainey Univereity or Denver Gu.,.t Editor SuHn Baum College or New Rochelle Fundecl by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation through the ln,titute for the Devdopment or Gifted Education Ricke Center for Gifted Children Univer,ity of Denver Copyright 02000 lnatitute for the Development of Gifted Educatiou Ricke Center for Gifted Children Univenity of Denver 2040 S. York Street Denver. CO 80208 All righte reserved. No part of tbi. publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any fonn or by any means without penniuion in writing from the puhli,her except in the case o( brief quotation emhod.ied in review• or articlea. The materials printed herein are the exprea,iona of the authon and do not oeceaaarily repreaeot the view, of the lnalitute for the Development of Gifted Education, Rick, Center for Gifted ChiJ.lren or the Univenity of Denver. Contents Preface .............................................. 1 Twice-Exceptional Children: An Ovt.-nicw Brooke Walker, Betsy Kutrunihos, Norma Hafenstein and Frank Rainey ..................................... 3 Mis-Diagnosisand Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children: Gifted and ID, ADHD, OCD, Oppositional Defiant Disorder James T.Wehh ................................... 23 Gifted Visual-Spatial Learners Linda Kreger Silverman............................. 32 Reading and Writing Problems of High School Gifted Students SaUy I't1.Reis .................................... 52 UndcrachJcvcmcnt Knows No ubcls F. Richard Olenchak ............................... 74 Academic Coaching for the Gifted Learner Stuart Dansinger................... .............. 108 Teaching Gifted Studentswith Aspcrgcr's Syndrome Maureen Neihart................................. 114 Preface ' This is the second in a series of monographs funded by the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation through the Institute for the Development of Gifted Education at the University of Denver. The first monograph contained different perspectives on the growth and development of young gifted children. This monograph addresses the characteristics and needs of twice-exceptional students. These are students who are both gifted and have some type of disabling condition. These students constitute a major group of underserved gifted children as their gifts often mask their disabilities, or their disabilities mask their gifts. The lead article by the monograph's editors and Dr. Betsy Kutrumbos. provides a framework for understanding some of the types of disabling conditions that can affect the gifted student. The article considers characteristics, identification methods. and programming for children with learning disabilities. attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ' (AD/HD), physical and sensory disabilities, and sensory integration dysfunction. Dr. James Webb is the author of the second article, originally a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. His work considers common mis diagnoses and dual diagnoses of gifted children. It also provides information about the I, internal and situational factors that can lead to interpersonal and psychological difficulties for gifted children, and subsequently lead to these mis-diagnoses. I Classroom adjustment difficulties are the focus of the third article, by Dr. Linda Silverman. This article draws upon case material from more than 3,000 children who have been assessed at the Gifted Child Development Center in Denver. Colorado. The article focuses on the visual-spatial gifted learner, a type of gifted learner who often has classroom adjustment difficulties. It provides some excellent suggestions for identifying and working with this population of students. I Dr. Sally M. Ries of the University of Connecticut. provides a reportof research conducted on the reading and writing problems of high school gifted students with learning disabilities in the fourth article. This report provides information about the school experiences of gifted learning-disabled students, gives examples of strategies that are helpful in working with this population, and provides suggestions for professional development gleaned from this research. I The fifth article, by Dr. F. Richard Olenchak of the University of Houston, explains how gifted students who do not possess diagnosible disabilities can develop patterns of scholastic underachievement that produce behaviors and attitudes similar to those of gifted children who have multiple exceptionalities. It also discusses the fact that all gifted students are at risk of underachievement due to inadequate educational accommodations. Case study data are used to examine this dilemma and several interventions for reversing underachievement are explored. Dr. Stuart Dansinger, provides information about academic coaching for the gifted student in the sixth article. Academic coaching is the process of providing a learning disabled gifted student with strategies to improve academic performance. Besides helping a student develop mastery of subject matter, academic coaching can provide a student with achievement strategies including organizational skills, study skills, note taking, self-esteem development, and time management. Asperger's Syndrome, a developmental disorder impacting social communication and behavior, is the topic of Dr. Maureen Neihart's informative review. Little information about this disorder or its treatment has been available until most recently and now a discussion of giftedness and clinical descriptions of Asperger's Syndrome are provided. Strategies for teaching gifted children with the unique exceptionality of Asperger's Syndrome are presented. Twice-exceptional individuals, when given the opportunity to develop their potential, can make a significant impact on society. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Vincent VanGogh, Albert Einstein, and Thomas Edison were all highly giftedindividuals who had some type of disability. It is our hope that this monograph will be of assistance to educators and parents in providing these students with the appropriate educational opportunities. Norma Hafenstein, PhD, Director Frank Rainey, Associate Director Institute for the Development of Gifted Education Ricks Center for Gifted Children University of Denver 2 Twice-Exceptional Children: An Overview Brooke Walker, PhD Betsy Kutrumhos, PhD Norma Hafenstein, PhD Frank Rainey, MA University of Denver Many teachers have known children who appear very bright - in classroom discussion, in their knowledge of specific topic areas, in their insight during problem solving, in their creativity - but who show only average performance, sometimes may even struggle in the basic classroomlearning program. or who resist reading and writing assignments, who are physically hyperactive and very distractible, or have extreme difficulty with social relationships. These children are a real puzzle to teachers because their cognitive abilities and their actualperformance seem quite incongruous. In fact. these children may be among a sub-population of gifted children who are called "twice-exceptional," because they demonstrate characteristics of giftedness and also have some type of disability. Gifted children who have handicapping conditions or disabilities make up a major group of gifted students who have been and continue to be underserved (Cline, 1999) in that identification of their giftedness may be masked by their disability and, at the same time, their disabilities may be masked as they use their exceptional abilities in compensation behavior. Twice-exceptional individuals can possess any one or more of the disabilities used to define the need for special education intervention (U.S. Congress. 1997) even though they may not meet the performance deficit necessary for services. Many twice exceptional students may likewise not meet the performance criteria necessary to be identified for gifted programming (Cline, 1999). Indeed, twice-exceptional youngsters may fall through the cracks as schools try to address the special needs of both students with disabilities and students who are gifted. In order to develop a broader picture of twice-exceptional

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