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THE GIFTED CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITY

Article · February 2011

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Indian Streams Research Journal
Vol -1 , ISSUE –1, Feb - 2011
ISSN:- 2230-7850 Available online at www.isrj.net
____________________________________________________________________________________

THE GIFTED CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITY

Anju Agarwal and Yash Pal Singh

Reader in Education , MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly (U. P.)

Abstract:
Most of us find it hard to believe that a child can be both gifted as well as learning disabled.
Consequently, such children are rarely identified and remain often unattended. When
educationists started describing children, who had learning disability (LD) but also appeared to
be gifted, as special need children, many viewed this as contradictory. In 1981, in USA, at a
conference at The Johns Hopkins University, experts from the fields of both learning disabilities
and giftedness gathered to consider this issue. At the time, interest in meeting the needs of gifted
and talented students, as well as students with learning disabilities, was evident on many levels,
but students who exhibited the characteristics of both exceptionalities were destined to remain in
the background. The participants agreed that students who are gifted and also have learning
disabilities do, in fact, exist but are often overlooked when students are assessed for either
giftedness or learning disabilities. The conference underlined the need to view students, gifted
but also having learning disabilities, as a population with special characteristics and needs (Fox
et al., 1983).

KEYWORDS: Gifted Children , Learning Disability , educational lives.

Introduction

However, now-a-days the concept of giftedness and learning disability occurring

concomitantly in the same individual has become commonly accepted. We appear to have
reached an understanding that high ability and learning problems can both be present in the same
individual. Nonetheless, empirical research on the characteristics and needs of this population
has been limited, and relatively few students with LD who are gifted are identified as such or
given due services.

Whom we call gifted-LD?

Students who are termed as gifted-learning disabled are those who possess an outstanding
gift or talent and are capable of high performance, but who also have a learning disability that
makes some academic aspect difficult for these students. There are at least three subgroups of

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Indian Streams Research Journal
Vol -1 , ISSUE –1, Feb - 2011
ISSN:- 2230-7850 Available online at www.isrj.net
____________________________________________________________________________________
such children whose dual exceptionality remains unrecognized (Baum, 1994; Baum et al., 1991;
Fox et al., 1983; Landrum, 1989; Starnes et al., 1988).
The first group students are often considered underachievers, and their underachievement
may be attributed to poor self-concept, lack of motivation, or even laziness (Silverman, 1989;
Waldron et al., 1987; Whitmore, 1980). Their learning disability usually remains unrecognized
for most of their educational lives. As schools become more challenging, their academic
difficulties may increase to the point where they are falling sufficiently behind their peers.
The second group students are labeled as learning disabled due to severity of their
learning problems but their exceptional abilities are never recognized. It has been estimated that
this may be a larger group of students than the first group. In a study, 33% of students identified
with learning disabilities were found to have superior intellectual ability (Baum, 1985).
Inadequate and often lackluster assessments lead to an underestimation of the intellectual
abilities of these children. As their potential remains unrecognized, they never get the focus of
their teachers or schools.
Perhaps the students whose abilities and disabilities hide each other form the largest
group of such students. These children are considered to have average abilities. Because these
students typically perform as expected at their grade level, they are not viewed as having
problems or special needs. Although these students appear to be functioning reasonably well,
they are, unfortunately, performing well below their potential. As they proceed in their academic
pursuit, their course work becomes more demanding and without the help they need to
accommodate their limitations their academic difficulties usually increase so much that they quit
their studies unnoticed.
For all these three groups, the social and emotional consequences of having exceptional
abilities and learning disabilities, when one or both of the conditions are unrecognized, can be
pervasive and quite debilitating, as well as difficult to address if appropriate diagnosis and
programming never take place or are delayed until adolescence (Baum et al., 1991; Durden &
Tangherlini, 1993; Fox et al., 1983; Whitmore, 1980). The neglect of such children is at present
resulting in a great waste of intellectual potential.

Identifying gifted-LD

Although there is some controversy regarding what is meant by the terms gifted and
learning disabled, as Vaughn (1989) pointed out, "no two populations have suffered from more
definitional problems than learning disabled and gifted", attempts to describe gifted- LD students
have drawn heavily on definitions of each exceptionality separately. It is suggested that
descriptions of individuals who are academically talented and individuals who have learning
disabilities should be examined and expanded to include students who exhibit the characteristics
of both exceptionalities simultaneously in related and/or unrelated areas. At present, for the few
students who are lucky enough to be identified via existing definitions and guidelines, it usually
means receiving services in one or the other area, but not both.
It is clear that gifted-LD form a very heterogeneous group of students who represent all
types of intellectual giftedness and academic talents, in combination with various forms of
learning disabilities. Therefore, trying to find one defining pattern or set of scores to identify all
gifted students with learning disabilities may probably prove futile. The lack of a clear
description of gifted-LD students has resulted in problems in identification. However, following

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 Indian Streams Research Journal
Vol -1 , ISSUE –1, Feb - 2011
ISSN:- 2230-7850 Available online at www.isrj.net
____________________________________________________________________________________
are some defining characteristics that should be considered in identifying these students (Brody
and Mills, 1997):
a) Evidence of an outstanding talent or ability.
b) Evidence of a discrepancy between expected and actual achievement.
c) Evidence of a processing deficit.

The following points should also be taken into consideration while trying to identify
these children:

i. There is a rationale for thinking about these students as a separate subgroup.

ii. Gifted- LD students represent a heterogeneous group with many different types of gifts/talents
and disabilities.
iii. A performance discrepancy is essential for identifying gifted students with learning
disabilities.
iv. For appropriate intervention to take place, it is necessary to establish causal factors for the
learning problems, or at least to rule out other causal factors that could lead to very different
interventions.

A complete assessment battery is needed to identify and plan interventions for gifted
students with learning disabilities, including an individual intelligence test, an achievement
battery, indicators of cognitive processing, and behavioral observations. Ideally, early
identification and appropriate intervention are recommended to help prevent the development of
the accompanying social and behavioral problems that often result when the needs of a gifted
child with learning disabilities are overlooked (Whitmore, 1980). In addition, the identification
of talents and learning problems should continue as an ongoing process throughout the school
years. Children's abilities and needs, as well as available services, change over time so that
continuous reevaluation is necessary.

Needed intervention

The lack of a clear definition that recognizes the unique characteristics and needs of
gifted-LD students and lack of an established procedure for identification have resulted in
development of very few interventions in school systems for this population. For example, a
survey in USA found that the majority of schools reported having no gifted-LD children in their
district and no special programming for these (Boodoo et al., 1989). There has been slow but
definite improvement in this area during last 10-15 years but only abroad. In India, where the
government has not yet accepted to include learning disability in the Disability Act, talking of
intervention strategies for gifted-LD seems far fetched. However, the need is there and
somebody will have to take an initiative.

References

1. Baum, S. (1985). Learning disabled students with superior cognitive abilities: A validation
study of descriptive behaviors. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Connecticut,
Storrs.

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 Indian Streams Research Journal
Vol -1 , ISSUE –1, Feb - 2011
ISSN:- 2230-7850 Available online at www.isrj.net
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Baum, S. (1994). Meeting the needs of gifted learning disabled students. The Journal of
Secondary Gifted Education. 5(3):6-16.
3. Baum, S., Owen, S. V., & Dixon, J. (1991). To be gifted and learning disabled: From
identification to practical intervention strategies. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning
Press.
4. Boodoo, G. M., Bradley, C. L., Frontera, R. L., Pitts, J. R., & Wright, L. B. ,(1989). A survey
of procedures used for identifying gifted learning disabled children. Gifted Child Quarterly.
33(3):110-114.
5. Brody, L. E. & Mills, C. J. (1997). Gifted children with learning disabilities: A review of the
issues. Journal of Learning Disabilities. 30(3):282-286.
6. Durden, W. G., & Tangherlini, A. E. (1993). Smart kids: How academic talents are developed
and nurtured in America. Seattle, WA: Hogrefe & Huber.
7. Fox, L. H., Brody, L., & Tobin, D. (1983). Learning disabled gifted children: Identification
and programming. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
8. Landrum, T. J. (1989). Gifted and learning disabled students: Practical considerations for
teachers. Academic Therapy. 24:533-545.
9. Silverman, L. K. (1989). Invisible gifts, invisible handicaps. Roeper Review. 12:37-41.
10. Starnes, W., Ginevan, J., Stokes, L., & Barton, J. (1988). A study in the identification,
differential diagnosis, and remediation of underachieving highly able students. Paper
presented at the annual meeting of the Council for Exceptional Children, Washington, DC.
11. Vaughn, S. (1989). Gifted learning disabilities: Is it such a bright idea? Learning
Disabilities Focus. 4(2):123-126.
12. Waldron, K. A., Saphire, D. G., & Rosenblum, S. A. (1987). Learning disabilities and
giftedness: Identification based on self-concept, behavior, and academic patterns. Journal
of Learning Disabilities, 20, 422-432.
13. Whitmore, J. R. (1980). Giftedness, conflict, and underachievement. Boston: Allyn &
Bacon.

Anju Agarwal
Reader in Education , MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly (U. P.)

Yash Pal Singh

Reader in Education , MJP Rohilkhand University, Bareilly (U. P.)

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