The following lists are intended to assist teachers in recognizing intellectual giftedness in the presence of a disability. (Excerpted from Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0026.)
Gifted Child with Sensory Impairments
Gifted Student with Visual Impairment
- Learns at a fast pace
- Demonstrates superior memory
- Uses superior verbal communication skills and vocabulary
- Possesses advanced problem-solving skills
- Shows creative production or thought that may progress more slowly than sighted students in some academic areas
- Learns Braille quickly
- Has great persistence
- Is motivated to learn
- Has a slower rate of cognitive development than sighted students
- Possesses a great ability to concentrate
Gifted Student with Hearing Impairments
- Develops speech-reading skills without instruction
- Learns to read early
- Has excellent memory
- Demonstrates an ability to function in the regular school setting
- Grasps ideas quickly
- Has advanced reasoning ability
- Performs well in school
- Has a wide range of interests
- Uses nontraditional ways of getting information
- Uses good problem-solving skills in everyday situations
- Achieves on grade level
- Demonstrates delays in concept attainment
- Is a self-starter
- Has a good sense of humor
- Enjoys manipulating environment
- Possesses intuition
- Is an accomplished problem-solver
- Uses a different symbol system competently
Student with Intellectual Giftedness and Physical Disabilities
Gifted Student with Physical Disabilities
- Develops compensatory skills
- Demonstrates creativity in finding alternate ways of communicating and accomplishing tasks
- Possesses a large store of knowledge
- Shows advanced academic skills
- Has a superior memory
- Possesses exceptional problem-solving skills
- Grasps new ideas quickly
- Sets and strives for long-term goals
- Shows greater maturity than age mates
- Has a good sense of humor
- Is persistent, patient
- Demonstrates motivation to achieve
- Is curious and insightful
- Is self-critical and a perfectionist
- Develops cognitive skills that may not be based on direct experience
- Has difficulty with abstractions
- Evidences limited achievement due to the pace of work
Gifted Child with Learning Problems
Gifted Student with Learning Disabilities
- Has high abstract reasoning ability
- Is good at mathematical reasoning
- Has keen visual memory, spatial skills
- Uses advanced vocabulary
- Shows a sophisticated sense of humor
- Is imaginative, creative, and insightful
- Demonstrates exceptional ability in geometry, science, arts, music
- Is a good problem-finder and solver
- Has difficulty with memorization, computation, phonics, and/or spelling
- Is distractible and/or disorganized
- Demonstrates super sensitivity
- Is a perfectionist
- Grasps metaphors, analogies, satire
- Comprehends complex systems
- Sets unreasonable self-expectations
- Fails often to complete assignments
- Has difficulties with sequential tasks
- Possesses a wide variety of interests