We used qualitative methods to study 12 young people with learning disabilities who were successful at the college level. The participants reported negative school experiences, verified by their parents and school records, such as social problems, difficulty with teachers, and frustration with certain academic areas. The interaction of their high abilities and their learning disabilities produced a number of negative consequences since their talents were not usually addressed by the school system they attended. However, despite these experiences, participants were able to integrate specific personal traits and special compensation strategies and environmental modifications to succeed in a challenging university setting.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BanduraA. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
2.
BaumS.OwenS. V. (1988). High ability/learning disabled students: How are they different?Gifted Child Quarterly, 32(3), 321–326.
3.
BaumS.OwenS. V.DixonJ. (1991). To be gifted and learning disabled: From definitions to practical intervention strategies. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
4.
BoodooG. M.BradleyC. L.FronteraR. L.PittsJ. R.WrightL. P. (1989). A survey of procedures used for identifying gifted learning disabled children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 33(3), 110–114.
5.
BrownS. W.YakimowskiM. E. (1987). Intelligence scores of gifted students on the WISC-R. Gifted Child Quarterly, 31, 130–135.
6.
DanielsP. R. (1983). Teaching the learning-disabled/gifted child. Rockville, MD: Aspen Publications.
7.
DavisG. A.RimmS. B. (1985). Education of the gifted and talented. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
8.
DencklaM. B. (1989). Executive function, the overlap zone between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disability. International Pediatrics, 4(2), 155–160.
9.
GardnerH. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
10.
GubaE. G. (1978). Toward a methodology of naturalistic inquiry in educational evaluation. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.
11.
HansfordS. J.WhitmoreJ. R.KraynakA. R.WingenbachN. G. (1987). Intellectually gifted learning disabled students: A special study. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 287 242).
12.
HokansonD. T.JospeM. (1976). The search for cognitive giftedness in exceptional children. New Haven, CT: Project SEARCH. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 140 563.
13.
JickT. D. (1983). Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods: Triangulation in action. In Van MaanenJ., (Ed.), Qualitative methodology (pp. 135–148). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
14.
MakerC. J. (1977). Providing programs for the gifted handicapped. Reston, VA: The Council for Exceptional Children. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 133 942).
15.
MauserA. J. (1981). Programming strategies for pupils with disabilities who are gifted. Rehabilitation Literature, 42, 270–275.
16.
McGuireJ. M.AndersonP. L.ShawS. F. (1992). Guidelines for documentation of a specific learning disability: The University of Connecticut Program for College Students with Learning Disabilities (UPLD). Storrs, CT: A. J. Pappanikou Center on Special Education and Rehabilitation: A university affiliated program, University of Connecticut.
17.
MeisgeierC.MeisgeierC.WerbloD. (1978). Factors compounding the handicapping of some gifted children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 22(3), 325–331.
18.
MilesM. B.HubermanA. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
19.
MinnerS. (1990). Teacher evaluations of case descriptions of LD gifted children. Gifted Child Quarterly, 34(1), 37–39.
20.
OlenchakF. R. (1995). Effects of enrichment on gifted/learning-disabled students. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 18(4), 385–399.
21.
PiersE. V. (1984). Piers-Harris children's self-concept scale: Revised manual. Los Angeles: Western Psychological Services.
22.
PraterG.MinnerS. (1986). Identification of atypical gifted children (Technical Report. No. 2). Murray, KY: Murray State University, Department of Special Education.
23.
RenzulliJ. S. (1977). The enrichment triad model: A guide for developing defensible programs for the gifted and talented. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
24.
RenzulliJ. S. (1978). What makes giftedness?Phi Delta Kappan, 60(3), 180–184, 261.
25.
RenzulliJ. S. (1986). The three ring conception of giftedness: A developmental model for creative productivity. In SternbergR. J.DavidsonJ. E. (Eds.), Conceptions of Giftedness. New York: Cambridge.
26.
RenzulliJ. S. (1994). Schools for talent development: A practical plan for total school improvement. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
27.
RenzulliJ. S.ReisS. M. (1985). The schoolwide enrichment model: A comprehensive plan for educational excellence. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
28.
SchiffM.KaufmanA. S.KaufmanN. L. (1981). Scatter analysis of WISC-R profiles for learning disabled children with superior intelligence. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 14(7), 400–404.
29.
ShawS. F.CullenJ. P.McGuireJ. M.BrinckerhoffL. C. (1995). Operationalizing a definition of learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28, 586–597.
SpradleyJ. P. (1979). The ethnographic interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
32.
SternbergR. J. (1981). A componential theory of intellectual giftedness. Gifted Child Quarterly, 25(2), 86–93.
33.
StraussA. L. (1987). Qualitative analysis for social scientists. New York: Cambridge University Press.
34.
StraussA. L.CorbinJ. (1990). Basics of qualitative research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
35.
TaylorH. G. (1989). Learning disabilities. In MashE. J.BarkleyR. (Eds.), Treatment of childhood disorders (pp. 347–380). New York: Guilford Press.
36.
TermanL. M.OdenM. H. (1947). The gifted child grows up. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
37.
Van MaanenJ. (1983). Reclaiming qualitative research methods for organizational research. In Van MaanenJ. (Ed.), Qualitative methodology (pp. 9–18). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
38.
VaughnS. (1989). Gifted learning disabilities: Is it such a bright idea?Learning Disabilities Focus, 4(2), 123–126.
