Identification and Assessment of Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities

Running head: LEARNING DISABILITIES

Identification and Assessment of Gifted Students With Learning Disabilities:

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Jonathan B. Adair

Tennessee State University

Rebecca Temple, Ph.D.

This article attempts to review the current research on identifying and assessing students with gifts combined with learning disabilities in order to determine their needs. It is suggested that children who are gifted, academically, can also struggle with academic task while in school. Previous research on this matter has determined that gifted children may also have learning disabilities. However, the issue arises in identifying these students because without appropriate identification the student may be excluded or underrepresented in programs for students with learning disabilities and in programs for gifted and talented students. Being able to appropriately identify and assess gifted students with learning will enable educators to be more affective. Although more is now known about gifted children’s characteristics and children with learning disabilities’ academic needs, researchers feel the main issue is that the inability to agree on the nature and definition of giftedness prevents progressive assessment techniques and practices. The article gives definitions of giftedness, learning disabilities, and gifted with learning disabilities. The authors also discuss characteristics of gifted students with learning disabilities and review prevalence rates of giftedness. Further, the authors attempt to link identification and assessment intervention for gifted students with learning disabilities and connect ideas from other fields of the subject matter....