TwiceExceptionalities

1
Twice-Exceptionalities

• Twice-Exceptional (2e) Facts
• Intro to Game - Famous Individuals with
  Twice-Exceptionalities
• Characteristics of Gifted Children with Learning
  Disorders
• Autism
• Aspergers Syndrome
• ADD and ADHD
• SENG video clip - The Misdiagnosis of Gifted

2
Twice- Exceptional Facts

• What is a Twice-Exceptional Student?
• students who possess an outstanding gift or
  talent and are capable of high performance, but
  who also have a learning disability that makes
  some aspect of academic achievement difficult
• Thereforethese students meet the definitions for
  both gifted and talented and learning-disabled
  students (GT/LD)
• Twice exceptional children are frequently
  misdiagnosed because their capabilities mask
  their disabilities, and their disabilities mask
  their capabilities.

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Guess Who?

• This person was born to an upper-middle-class
  family
• His mother was musically inclined and his father
  was an engineer
• This person was a very quiet child who did not
  speak until the age of 3
• He hated school and disliked authority
• He did poorly with rote learning. His teachers
  said he was a slow learner who would never amount
  to anything
• Later, he became interested in science, math, and
  electrical engineering, but failed the exam for
  entry into an engineering program
• Because of his interest in abstract and
  mathematical thought, he was interested in
  becoming a teacher. However, he believed he
  lacked imagination and practical ability.
• Albert Einstein- famous mathematician and physics
  genius.

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Characteristics of Gifted Children with Learning
Disabilities

• Potential Strengths
• Above average vocabulary
• Great knowledge and passion for subjects of
  interest
• Divergent thinkers involving unusual, original,
  imaginative and creative thought processes
• Active imagination
• Excellent visual memory
• Sophisticated sense of humour
• Look Familiar?

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Characteristics of Gifted Children with Learning
Disabilities

• Potential Weaknesses
• Cannot do simple tasks but can complete more
  sophisticated activities
• Poor spelling
• Poor handwriting
• Inconsistencies in reading ability
• Does well in mathematics, but poorly in language
  and vice versa
• Does not do well on timed tests
• Does not respond well or consistently to auditory
  instructions/information
• Difficulty copying from the blackboard
• Poor organizational skills, failure to complete
  or hand in assignments
• Difficulty with rote memorization and sequential
  learning
• Disruptive in class
• Frequently off task
• Easily frustrated
• Acts out without thinking about the consequences
• Poor social skills

6
Guess Who?

• His father was a farmer and his mother died when
  he was young
• He was once kicked in the head by a horse and
  thought to be dead
• He had Marfan syndrome, a genetic disease that
  affects connective tissues, including those
  around the heart, skeleton, and nervous system
• He briefly attended school and was considered
  lazy
• He excelled at sports, was an avid reader, and
  liked practical jokes
• He was a good debater, thinker, and also liked to
  argue.
• Abraham Lincoln former President of the United
  States

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Autism and Aspergers Syndrome - What are they?

• Autism is a life-long developmental disability.
  This means that it impairs various aspects of
  typical development and last a lifetime
• Autism is a syndrome, which means that it is a
  condition defined by the existence of a
  collection of characteristics. For example
• Individuals with autism experience difficulty in
  verbal and/or nonverbal communication, which
  ranges in extremes from not speaking at all to
  being unable to interpret body language or to
  participate comfortably in two-way conversation
• People with autism exhibit rigidity in thought
  processes, which can include difficulty with
  learning abstract concepts, generalizing
  information, and tolerating changes in routines
  and/or environments
• The most outstanding hallmark of autism is
  difficulty with reciprocal social interaction.
  This can range from appearing to want social
  isolation to experiencing social awkwardness in
  attaining and maintaining ongoing relationships. 
• Aspergers Syndrome is a pervasive developmental
  disorder included in the autism spectrum
  disorders
• It is characterized by serious impairment in
  social interaction skills and repetitive
  behaviors
• Gifted students with Aspergers Syndrome are
  students who possess an outstanding gift or
  talent and are capable of high performance and
  also have an autistic disorder.

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Dual Diagnosis Gifted and Autism/Aspergers
Syndrome

• An increasing number of individuals with autism
  are identified as also being gifted
• Individuals with autism, whose intelligence is in
  the gifted range, become more easily tolerated by
  society over time as they learn compensatory
  strategies and are trained through behavior
  modification programs
• The key to their success and growth appears to be
  higher intelligence and ability to manipulate and
  thereby dilute some of their apparent autistic
  weakness and tendencies.

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Characteristics of Gifted Children with
Autism/Aspergers Syndrome

• Encyclopedic knowledge
• Fascination with numbers
• Exceptional musical talents
• Amazing memories
• Excellent puzzle ability
• Advanced visual memory and thinking
• Difficulty with Empathy
• Object and idea driven, not people driven.

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Strategies

• Support of parents, teachers, and counselors
• Students with autism/aspergers often need highly
  structured visual teaching
• To learn the meaning and value of a schedule
• Teach strategies in the exact sequence students
  will need to use them to be successful
• Consider location, distractions, boundaries.
  Buzzing lights, motors, hallway sounds, visual
  distractions, and smells can interfere with
  concentration
• Behavior is communication. Work at reading the
  behavior and not taking it personally. (For
  example, sounds that trigger behavior)
• Transitions, changing teachers, schools, etc can
  be difficult.

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So how can Educators Distinguish between
Giftedness and Autism or Aspergers Syndrome?

• Gifted children have normal friendships with
  those who share interests
• They understand interpersonal situations and the
  emotions of others
• Their own emotions are appropriate to the topic
• They can show sympathy and empathy
• They are aware of others perception of them
• They have little or no motor clumsiness
• They tolerate abrupt routine changes
• Speech and humor are more adult-like
• They understand metaphors and idioms.

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Guess Who?

• She was a fatherless child whose mother struggled
  financially
• Suffering from dyslexia, she could not read,
  write, or do mathematical problems
• Teachers described her as a class clown and she
  left school at age 16.
• Cher (Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPiere)- famous
  entertainer

13
ADD and ADHD- What are they?

• ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) An inability to
  control behavior due to difficulty in processing
  neural stimuli
• ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
  Refers to a family of related chronic
  neurobiological disorders that interfere with an
  individual's capacity to regulate activity level
  (hyperactivity), inhibit behavior (impulsivity),
  and attend to tasks (inattention) in
  developmentally appropriate ways
• Some students posses an outstanding gift or
  talent and are capable of high performance, but
  also have been identified as having ADD/ADHD.

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Characteristics of Gifted Children with ADD

• ADD
• Often fails to give close attention to details or
  makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work or
  other activities
• Often has difficulty sustaining attention in
  tasks or play activities
• Often does not seem to listen when spoken to
  directly
• Often does not follow through on instructions and
  fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in
  the workplace
• Often has difficulty organizing tasks and
  activities
• Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage
  in tasks or activities that require sustained
  mental effort (such as schoolwork or homework)
• Often loses things necessary for tasks or
  activities (e.g., toys, school assignments,
  pencils, books, or tools)
• Often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
• Often forgetful in daily activities

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Characteristics of Gifted Children with ADHD

• ADHD
• Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in
  seat
• Often leaves seat in classroom or in other
  situations in which remaining seated is expected
• Often runs about or climbs excessively in
  situations in which it is inappropriate (in
  adolescents or adults, may be limited to
  subjective feelings of restlessness)
• Often has difficulty playing or engaging in
  leisure activities quietly
• Is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven
  by a motor"
• Often talks excessively
• Often blurts out answers before questions have
  been completed
• Often has difficulty awaiting turn
• Often interrupts or intrudes on others

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Requirements for Dual Diagnosis

• Present for at least 6 months
• Some symptoms that caused impairment were present
  before age 7
• Some impairment from the symptoms is present in
  two or more settings (e.g., at school or work
  and at home)
• There must be clear evidence of clinically
  significant impairment in social, academic or
  occupational functioning
• Diagnosis as a last resort!

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Guess Who?

• Her father was an alcoholic and she lived with
  her maternal grandparents
• She had little affection for her mother who
  called her Granny because of her appearance
• She was sickly, bedridden, hospitalized often,
  and wore a back brace due to a spinal defect
• She bit her nails, had phobias, was shy, felt
  rejected and ugly, craved praise and attention,
  was insecure, and had deep feelings of inadequacy
• A daydreamer, she often preferred to be isolated
• After many years in school, she began to exhibit
  leadership qualities she proved to be altruistic
  and wanted to help the elderly and poor.
• Eleanor Roosevelt- famous for her efforts as a
  reformer, humanitarian, and philanthropist

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So How Can Parents or Teachers Distinguish
Between ADD/ADHD and Giftedness?

• Seeing the difference between behaviors that are
  sometimes associated with giftedness but also
  characteristic of ADD/ADHD is not easy, as the
  following parallel table shows
• Behaviors Associated with ADD/ADHD
• Poorly sustained attention in almost all
  situations
• Diminished persistence on tasks not having
  immediate consequences
• Impulsivity, poor delay of gratification
• Impaired adherence to commands to regulate or
  inhibit behavior in social contexts
• More active, restless than normal children
• Difficulty adhering to rules and regulations
• Behaviors Associated with Giftedness
• Poor attention, boredom, daydreaming in specific
  situations
• Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem
  irrelevant
• Judgment lags behind development of intellect
• Intensity may lead to power struggles with
  authorities
• High activity level may need less sleep
• Questions rules, customs and traditions

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Strategies

• Be patient. These kids need lots of extra
  attention
• Sit the student close to the teacher's desk. This
  gives you not only more control over the child's
  activities, but also allows you to help him/her
  more readily
• Surround students with ADD/ADHD with good role
  models
• Have the student repeat instructions and concepts
  back to you to be sure that he/she was listening
• Limit distractions as much as possible
• Break down larger tasks into smaller ones when
  giving instructions
• Make frequent use of lists, color-coding, and
  reminders.

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Guess Who?

• He came from a middle class family of seven
  children and his father was a carpenter
• He had an enlarged head at birth and was not able
  to talk until he was almost 4 years old
• He enrolled in school 2 years late due to scarlet
  fever and respiratory infections. He lost his
  hearing, had a high-pitched voice, and his
  attendance in school was poor
• He was stubborn, aloof, shy, self-centered, and
  disengaged with the learning process. He did not
  seem to care about school. One teacher said that
  his brains were addled (rotten), even though he
  had an excellent memory, read well, displayed
  perseverance, asked questions, and was a good
  problem solver
• He liked to build things.
• Thomas Edison- the famous inventor

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Resources

• Characteristics of Gifted Children with Learning
  Disabilities http//www.tki.org.nz/r/gifted/readi
  ng/theory/disabilities_e.php
• Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted
  Children and Adults
• Characteristics of Gifted Children with
  Aspergers Syndrome http//ericec.org/fact/asperg
  er.pdf
• Gifted Children with AS vs. Average Children with
  AS Different Minds
• Detecting Non-Aspergers Syndrome Children Who
  Are Simply Gifted Gifted Children, Gifted
  Education
• Misdiagnosis with ADHD http//www.sengifted.org/a
  rticles_counseling/Lind_BeforeReferringAGiftedChil
  dForADD.shtml
• Gifted Children, Gifted Education
• Smart Kids with Learning Difficulties
• Gifted Dyslexics http//eideneurolearningblog.blo
  gspot.com/2006/05/gifted-dyslexics.html
• Dyslexics Misdiagnosis http//www.sengifted.org/a
  rticles_counseling/Webb_MisdiagnosisAndDualDiagnos
  isOfGiftedChildren.shtml

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SENG VIDEO Misdiagnosis of Gifted Children