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Most of the people I evaluate for possible learning disabilities are like Rebekah, bright-to-gifted individuals whose struggles are at times inexplicable or invisible to those around them. Frequently, those who are twice-exceptional find that both their high intelligence and their learning disabilities go unrecognized, because the learning disabilities bring down the broad-based cognitive scores, and their strong cognitive abilities enable them to at least partially compensate for their weaknesses. I have often seen children who can barely decode nevertheless score in the average range on reading tests. In this case, Rebekah's parents referred her for assessment for three main reasons. First, because they home-school her, they wish to have an objective measurement of how she is progressing in the various curricular areas so as to guide their future curriculum delivery. Second, because they have observed that she has a great deal of difficulty expressing herself orally and in writing, whether about her own ideas or about what she has read, they are concerned about possible expressive language difficulties. Finally, her parents have observed some "tuning-out" behaviors, possibly consistent with auditory processing or attentional problems, and wish to have these possibilities investigated. Rebekah is a highly gifted 7-year-old girl who shows strengths in fluid reasoning, short-term and working memory, executive functioning, and receptive language. She is able to consider alternatives, is flexible in generation and use of strategies, and shows a level of comfort with abstract thought that is unusual even among adults. In contrast, her speed of information retrieval and response is exceedingly slow by comparison, causing a significant impediment to her use of expressive language. When she is pressed for time, or when she is not able to use verbatim recall as a scaffold, she has extreme difficulty in quickly finding the words and constructing the sentences she needs to express her ideas. As a twice-exceptional learner, Rebekah is at risk for having both her giftedness and her difficulties in processing speed and expressive language go unrecognized. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

ASC (Autism Spectrum Conditions) can appear on all levels of cognitive function, from profound mental retardation to intellectual giftedness. Therefore, the intelligence level is not part of the definition of any ASC. However, there is an excess of mental retardation in ASC. It is assumed that about 55% of all affected individuals also show a mental handicap (Baird et al., 2006), whereas the expected rate in the general population is approximately 3%. Thus, it is the most frequent coexisting psychiatric problem in ASC. Females with an ASC are even more likely to show a low intelligence quotient (IQ). On the other hand, most people with Asperger syndrome have an IQ in the average or high range. It is common in clinical settings today to also label people with ASC according to their general mental capacity in order to enhance communication between experts. One often hears the terms "high-functioning" (HF) or "low-functioning" (LF) in association with ASC individuals. These are still unofficial and not clearly defined subcategories. HF refers to the absence of mental retardation (i.e., IQ > 70) or sometimes even to the absence of learning disability (i.e., IQ > 85), whereas LF generally indicates mental retardation (i.e., IQ < 70). This differentiation is a little misleading and may be misunderstood by laypersons, as HF ASC does not necessarily indicate that the respective individual does particularly well in everyday life (Bolte & Poustka, 2002). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

For the purposes of this chapter, misdiagnosis is defined as a child who is identified as having a behavioral problem or psychological diagnosis without taking his or her gifted intellect and the normal behaviors of the gifted into consideration. The hypothesis for this chapter is that gifted Hispanic and African American children commonly served in the United States public school system often are underidentified as gifted due to behaviors related to their culture, as opposed to their level of giftedness; furthermore, the underidentification can lead to misdiagnosis. This chapter presents anecdotal evidence supporting the hypothesis that giftedness often is overlooked in culturally and linguistically diverse student populations. The children's identification is then frequently misdiagnosed or misrepresented. Some of the reasons for the misdiagnosis evidenced include: language differences, cultural norm differences, multiple school placements, institutionalized racism, and the prevailing lack of knowledge about giftedness in general. Various cultural populations likely carry more psychological diagnoses due to idiosyncratic issues that are discussed in this chapter. Carrying a psychological diagnosis further obviates overlooking giftedness in the culturally diverse population. Recommendations for identification and remediation of the misdiagnosis problem also are discussed. The author posed questions related to the stated hypothesis, which guided the collection of anecdotal information for this chapter. During individual interviews the questions were posed to educators, paraprofessionals, and parents. The members of this group included an elementary school principal, the head psychologist of a school district, an elementary school teacher, a parent-educator, a parent, a school district gifted coordinator, and a pediatric neuropsychologist. The individuals interviewed included an equal representation of Hispanics, African Americans, and Anglos, and one American Indian. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

In an increasingly global world, a deliberate effort must be made to recognize the value of all people of the world. Our Western view of exceptional behavior is not necessarily shared by other people of the world, nor is our view the only valid perspective. Throughout history, giftedness has been defined in a variety of ways. In the following pages we will discuss intelligence as giftedness, giftedness beyond intelligence, the debate on whether giftedness is a human trait or a behavior, and views of giftedness by scholars who are not White and male. Finally, we will take a comprehensive look at giftedness as defined by people across the globe. The challenge for gifted education in a globalized world is to utilize learning situations, appropriate curriculum, and available resources to develop necessary skills for a thoughtful, successful citizenship. Our challenge is to be sine our students are aware of their power and their responsibility toward others in the world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The author discusses using mathematics as an equalizer for gifted Latino/a adolescent learners. In 1994, the Board of Directors of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics created a task force to explore the topic of "mathematically promising" students. This period marked a new era in the discussion of what mathematical ability had traditionally meant. The task force had as its primary goal to guide discussions among mathematicians and mathematics educators about the mathematically talented student. The task force reported that an indicator of being a mathematically promising student is based on his or her potential to become a good problem solver. The team described being "mathematically promised" as individual attributes connected to four nonfixed variables: (1) ability, (2) motivation, (3) beliefs, and (4) experiences and opportunities. By examining the mathematical "potential" of students, this new definition for identifying talented students may have alluded, for the first time, to students who had not been traditionally identified as gifted, talented, intelligent, or precocious, but rather to those who have been excluded from previous definitions of gifted and talented and therefore excluded from rich mathematical opportunities. This chapter addresses: identification of mathematically promising students; the realities of today's schooling; differentiating mathematics teaching and learning in the United States; differentiated instruction within inclusive classrooms; giftedness and culture; a perspective from Latin America—classroom dynamics in mathematics; language and mathematics; multiple literacies in a mathematics classroom; writing mathematics, reading mathematics, and talking mathematics; making mathematics classrooms culturally and socially responsive; integrating the history of mathematics; effective strategies for English language learners; and teaching mathematics to talented Latino/a students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

This chapter addresses the background of American Indian schooling and the need for cultural responsiveness to advance student achievement by defining giftedness in an American Indian context. It also examines promising models for appropriate programming and services for American Indian students who exhibit giftedness and talent. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

"Twice-exceptional" children are those children who are gifted yet also have a disability that impacts their ability to fully develop in all areas (Baum & Owen, 2004). In this chapter, the term twice-exceptional will refer not to a given definition of either giftedness or disability, but to children who "exhibit remarkable strengths in some areas and disabling weaknesses in others" (Weinfeld, Barnes-Robinson, Jeweler, & Shevitz, 2002). This chapter will focus on those children who exhibit learning and social difficulties rather than physical or sensory impairments, primarily because they constitute the largest population of twice-exceptional students (National Educational Association, 2006). The following topics are addressed: identification issues, paradoxical characteristics, paradoxical programming, and paradoxical curriculum. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: create)

This chapter focuses on a school-based concept of giftedness wherein an individual demonstrates outstanding levels of achievement or competence in one or more domains. The conception of giftedness employed by a school district is the foundation for all subsequent decisions such as identification, programming, curricula, teacher preparation, and program evaluation. Additionally, given the diverse needs of gifted and talented students, policies must be in place and programming must be flexible and responsive to the needs of particular learners at a given stage of development in order for a student's ability in a domain to be realized and demonstrated. Teachers who work with these learners must be carefully selected and trained in gifted education. Finally, gifted learners require high-powered curriculum to ensure a depth and sophistication of content, commensurate with their unique needs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

An overview of definitions of giftedness, special populations of gifted and talented children, methods of identification, and a continuum of services are summarized in this chapter. These services include organizational strategies (such as instructional grouping options), instructional strategies (such as acceleration and enrichment options), and a variety of talent development opportunities that should be included in a continuum of services that will engage and challenge all gifted and talented students. Also included in this chapter are some social and emotional challenges that may affect gifted and high potential children, such as the potential underachievement of children who do not encounter sufficient challenge in school. The chapter ends with a summary of research about the effectiveness of grouping, instructional, and talent development strategies, as well as recommendations for the creation of a continuum of services in each school district that will challenge and engage all students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

What is it that leads children to be similar in some ways but different in others, whether they are identical twins, fraternal twins, ordinary siblings, or simply two children of the same age? This chapter will deal with this question. The focus of the chapter will be on cognitive skills, although, of course, children can be similar and different with respect to many other kinds of skills as well. The chapter is divided into five parts. In the first part of the chapter, I will briefly describe seven main paradigms that have been used for understanding individual differences in cognitive development. In the second part of the chapter, I will discuss at some length three of these paradigms for understanding individual differences in cognition. In the third part of the chapter, I will discuss origins and stability of individual differences, in particular, issues of heritability and modifiability of cognitive skills. In the fourth part of the chapter, I will discuss extremes in individual differences: giftedness and retardation in cognitive skills. In the fifth part of the chapter, I will discuss group differences and their relationship to individual differences in cognitive skills. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The study of gifts and talents and how innate abilities interact with one's environment, personality, educational opportunities, family support, and life experiences has fascinated psychologists, educators, and parents for decades. Why is it that one child with remarkably high potential born into a particular family in a particular environment grows up to become a neurosurgeon while a child of similar intellectual potential who lives in the same community and attends the same schools, decides to drop out of high school? What have researchers and scholars learned in the last few decades about the nature of talent development and intellectual giftedness? In this chapter, these questions, none of which can be answered simply, are discussed and current research about intellectual giftedness is summarized. As the research points out, one of the core concepts that has emerged about intellectual giftedness in the last few decades relates to its diversity, for there is no more varied group of people than those labeled intellectually gifted. Despite this broad diversity, however, several common themes about intellectual giftedness and the conditions for its development exist. We begin our review of the research related to intellectual giftedness with a discussion of these themes, summarizing highlights about research on intellectual giftedness in the United States, including the seminal work of Lewis Terman, and presenting an overview of what we believe to be some interesting and potentially important American theories to date. We conclude the chapter with some interesting research-based trends related to new ideas in defining and developing academic gifts and talents. It is important to understand, however, that there is no agreed-upon consensus about who is gifted and no final answers about our evolving understandings of how intellectual giftedness develops and the characteristics that help us to identify and nurture intellectual gifts and talents. To introduce the challenge associated with both defining and identifying giftedness in students, four brief case studies are introduced in the first section of the chapter. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

This chapter presents a definition of the gifted/talented individual, a model of giftedness, and provides examples of student characteristics in specific areas of giftedness to help in identification of gifted children. Many authors have described characteristics of gifted and talented students, some in general terms across several domains, whereas others have described them for specific areas cited in the federal and state definitions. Because most school districts identify children for programs that are related to the definition, this chapter organizes the characteristics according to these specific areas. The term "gifted and talented," when used in respect to students, children or youth, means students, children or youth who give evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities. This concept of capability or potential is addressed in Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent, Gagne has proposed that "gifts," which are natural abilities, must be developed to become "talents," which emerge through the systematic learning, training, and practicing "of skills characteristic of a particular field of human activity or performance". The development of gifts into talents may be facilitated or hindered by two types of catalysts: intrapersonal and environmental. Many authors have described characteristics of gifted and talented students, some in general terms across several domains, whereas others have described them for specific areas cited in the federal and state definitions. Because most school districts identify children for programs that are related to the definition, this chapter organizes the characteristics according to these specific areas. Professionals who are primarily responsible for the identification process must remember that gifted and talented students must have an opportunity to perform. Students who are in classrooms where no differentiation is present are less likely to exhibit these characteristics. In addition, gifted and talented students will demonstrate many, but not all, of the characteristics that are listed in each area or may show potential or performance in only one area. It is important that professionals, parents, and others involved in the identification process look for these characteristics over a period of time and in a variety of situations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

In the present research, we examine the relationship between giftedness in the area of academic intrinsic motivation and leadership roles undertaken by such highly motivated adolescents within a longitudinal study of development. This chapter presents (1) theory and research on gifted motivation; (2) empirical validation of the gifted motivation construct; (3) linking motivational giftedness to leadership; and (4) research results in the Fullerton Longitudinal Study (FLS) on motivational giftedness and leadership. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Offers an overview of Response to Intervention (RtI) models and principles, a tiered approach to supports and services, and how gifted students and students with high potential who have not yet been formally identified might fit within different tiers of instruction. Tier 1 instruction generally includes a validated, evidence-based program that is used with all students. Students who show advanced progress with Tier 1 instruction receive collaborative interventions—Tier 2. Tier 3 instruction is for those students who need comprehensive interventions and most often involves referral to specialized services. The chapter also emphasizes the importance of early intervention to ensure that problems are prevented and strengths are not diminished. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: preface)

This chapter discusses the neuropsychology of gifted children including history and assessment, neurobiology, the existing literature, specific hypothetical substrates: neurohormones; localization models, and the pathology of superiority, pathology of superiority, and finally, special considerations for assessment. Much of our knowledge about neurocognition has been derived from the study of pathology. This is logical, as exploring the exceptional is clarifying. The exceptional exaggerates normal traits or processes and renders them more visible, or it exposes aberrance and disease process. Most of our research focuses on the left tail of the normal curve, paying little attention to the able. The right tail is just as statistically unusual, albeit neglected. This is because the study of talent and intellectual ability is a suspect preoccupation. Finding research funds to study giftedness has been likened to "begging for the rich." Much of the data gathered on the neurobiology of intellectually exceptional individuals is gleaned from control group data, unfunded research, or as a serendipitous finding. Despite this, a literature on the exceptionally capable exists, scattered broadly through the neurobiology literature. Before exploring the topic in detail, it is helpful to define terms. The first premise of this chapter is that giftedness exists and is measurable through a number of methods. Gifted refers to individuals functioning in the top 3-5% in the nation, on objective, standardized measures or to individuals performing at an elite level in specific, recognized domains such as music. Giftedness refers to a series of particular talents and abilities that are not evenly distributed. As such, it is a loaded concept. Much of the educational literature on giftedness is a study of cultural anxiety. Intellectual ability is not character or moral value. The most common attempts to cope with this moral anxiety is by negating the existence of individual difference, which often leads to surreal arguments (e.g., "every child is gifted" is of equivalent value to "every child is retarded"). Premise number two of this chapter is that there are biological underpinnings or qualitative differences in thought processes that require qualitative differences in the neural substrates. Third, talents can coexist with impairment and this impairment can be environmentally driven. The full expression of an emergent talent or deficit is a product of both internal and external factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)