02/09/01

Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es

http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 1
Pre-Conference
Giftedness and Associated
Disorders
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 2
Objectives:
To know the concept and limitations of
gifted with handicaps
To obtain the knowledge about gifted
students with associated disorders.
To know educative intervention
guidelines for these students.
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 3
Contents I:
Definition of gifted child with associated
disorder.
Can a child with learning disorders be
intellectually gifted?.
School phobia, is it a reason for school
inadaptation?.
Is it normal that gifted children are hiperactive?.
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 4
Contents II:
Can a gifted student suffer from a
development general disorder?
Are gifted children more sensitive than
non-gifted children?
What is and how is the Tourette
Syndrome shown in gifted children?
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 5
Concept of gifted with
handicaps
Gifted with handicaps is applied to children
with some kind of giftedness and some kind of
disability (Clark, 1992).
Disabilitied children are those students that
show one or more of these conditions: learning
disorder, hearing deficit, visual deficit,
neurological disorder, emotional disorder and
kinetic disorder (Whitmore et al. 1985;
Yewchuk, 1985).
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 6
Can a child with learning
disorders be intellectually gifted?
The main characteristic of DA (learning difficulties) in
classroom is the discrepancy between the aptitude and
achievement measurements. As some exceptionally gifted
children can develop compensatory strategies, their limitations
can be only appreciated if they are very severe (Yewchukand
Lupart 1993)
Studies about children with learning disorders have confirmed
the comments of teachers and parents about the discrepancy
between the high potential of abstract reasoning, the problem
resolution, the insight and comprehension, and the low
actuactions in academic areas such as reading.
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 7
School phobia, is it a reason for
school inadaptation?
The anguish disorder because of separation (ADS),
the predominance of the anguish when there is the
separation from a person who he/she has a special link
with is considered as the essential in this disorder.
Not as the symbiotic child that experiments a morbid
devotion to his/her parents, the trectic child is much
more anxious and tensen, and frequently it is possible
that he/she can suffer from anxiety crisis at sight of new
responsabilities and the fear that this represents.
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 8
Is it normal that gifted children are
hiperactive?
In DHAD there are two sets of synptoms: lack of attention and
a combination of hiperactive and impulsive behavior.
The key to distinguish gifted children from those that are
bored in classroom and from children with DHAD, is the
perseverance of the external behaviors. If the actuation is
specific to particular situations, the childs behavior is most
expected to be because of his/her giftedness; but, if the
behavior is constant along every situation, the childs behavior
is most expected to be because of a DHAD. Also, it is
possible that a child presents both conditions (Willard-
Holt, Colleen 1999).
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 9
Can a gifted student suffer from a
development general disorder?
In contrast to the autism disorder, in the Asperger
disorder there isnt clinic significative language
deficiency (for example, simple words are used at the
age of 2 and communicative sentences at the age of 3),
and there are not any significative deficiencies in
cognitive development nor in the self-help abilities
development, typical of the subjects age, adaptative
behavior (different from the social interaction) and
his/her curiosity to the environment, during the
childhood.
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 10
Are gifted children more sensitive than
non-gifted children?
DSM-IV assigns the following characteristics to children with
Desafiant Negativism Disorder: they often get angry; they
often argue with adults; they often accuse others of their own
mistakes or their own bad behavior; they often are susceptible
or easily bothered by others; they often are bitter; they often
are resentful and vindictive.
We know that all gifted are more sensitive about the
perception of the reality that rounds them, because of their
better capacity of abstraction, but this doesnt mean that they
are more sensitive than other children about the others
feelings and about the injustice.
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 11
What is and how is the Tourette Syndrome
shown in gifted children?
Mozarts case: His body showed an eternal movement: he
incessantly played with his hands, he continuosly beat the
ground with his foot...
The Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (SGT), is a complex
neuropsyquiatric disorder with an unknown etiology that is
characterized by a kinetic disorder with ups and downs and
some vocalic tics as well as some behavior disorders such as
obsesive compulsive symptoms (SOC), attention deficit
disorders because of hiperactivity (ADHD), anxiety,
depression and self-harmful behavior (Mller-Vahl,Kolbe,
Schneider et al.,1998).
02/09/01
Dra. Yolanda Benito, e-mail: c_h_rey@correo.cop.es
http://www.tds.es/c_h_rey 12
Conclussion:
To talk about the problem of gifted student when, as we have
seen before, these students are very heterogeneus is quite
artificial. It is neccesary, for both the teaching proffesionals
and for the parents, to understand that the education is only
possible if we start by understanding the child.
In the case of gifted children with associated disorders, it is
important to have a multimodal therapy that can include
pharmacology, parent advice, individual therapy and school
support. It is neccesary to reinforce all kind of talents in the
child in order to give him/her the best level of adaptation.