Twice Exceptional
Gifted students with disabling conditions remain a major group of
underserved and understimulated youth (Cline, 1999). The focus on
accommodations for their disabilities may preclude the recognition and
development of their cognitive abilities. It is not unexpected, then, to
find a significant discrepancy between the measured academic potential
of these students and their actual performance in the classroom
(Whitmore & Maker, 1985). In order for these children to reach their
potential, it is imperative that their intellectual strengths be
recognized and nurtured, at the same time as their disability is
accommodated appropriately.
Identification of giftedness in students who are disabled is
problematic. The customary identification methods-standardized tests and
observational checklists-are inadequate, without major modification.
Standard lists of characteristics of gifted students may be inadequate
for unmasking hidden potential in children who have disabilities.
Children whose hearing is impaired, for example, cannot respond to oral
directions, and they may also lack the vocabulary which reflects the
complexity of their thoughts. Children whose speech or language is
impaired cannot respond to tests requiring verbal responses. Children
whose vision is impaired may be unable to respond to certain performance
measures, and although their vocabulary may be quite advanced, they may
not understand the full meaning of the words they use (e.g., color
words). Children with learning disabilities may use high-level
vocabulary in speaking but be unable to express themselves in writing,
or vice versa. In addition, limited life experiences due to impaired
mobility may artificially lower scores (Whitmore & Maker, 1985).
Since the population of gifted/disabled students is difficult to locate,
they seldom are included in standardized test norming groups, adding to
the problems of comparison.
In addition, gifted children with disabilities often use their
intelligence to try to circumvent the disability. This may cause both
exceptionalities to appear less extreme: the disability may appear less
severe because the child is using the intellect to cope, while the
efforts expended in that area may hinder other expressions of
giftedness.
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