Creating Effective Programs for Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities

Gifted students with learning challenges can be easily missed in the classroom and often have difficulty succeeding with traditional gifted curricula. Creating Effective Programs for Gifted Students With Learning Disabilities provides a road map for understanding assessment and programming for bright students with learning challenges in the era of Response to Intervention. The authors seek to help educators understand the often frustrating experiences GTLD students face in the classroom and to identify accommodations and adaptations that allow these bright students to demonstrate their gifts and compensate for their processing challenges. Through an examination of current research and case studies, the reader will be introduced to important features of both giftedness and learning challenges that need to be considered in developing effective assessment and identification procedures for this underserved population and programming that can provide benefits for the entire school community.

Ann Rowe is a clinical psychologist at the Kingsbury Center in Washington, D.C. She has extensive experience in the diagnostic evaluation of children, adolescents, and adults with a broad range of learning and behavioral challenges. In addition to neuropsychological testing, Ann has provided individual and group psychotherapy to students in a special education setting, including students with complex learning disabilities, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders. Ann provided consultation and program support for the GTLD program at the Kingsbury Day School in Washington D.C. She has spoken at national and state conferences on assessment and programming for gifted students with learning disabilities and other topics related to testing and psychotherapy.

Julie is a clinical psychologist who worked for over 12 years at the Center for Talented Youth's Diagnostic and Counseling Center at Johns Hopkins University. In her role at the Diagnostic and Counseling Center, Julie conducted psycho-educational assessments to evaluate learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and behavior and emotional concerns in gifted learners and consulted with parents and educators about meeting the needs of gifted and twice-exceptional students. She has also conducted workshops and spoken at national and state conferences on topics related to giftedness, gifted students with learning disabilities, and gifted underachievers.