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Twice-exceptionality (2e), broadly defined as the co-occurrence of a gift or talent and a disability, has been a part of the educational lexicon since the 1990s, although its empirical backing is limited. We conducted a comprehensive review of the empirical literature on 2e and created a simulation study of 2e. For the latter, we constructed population distribution functions that represent indicators of ability using a range of correlations and identification criteria guided by the reviewed literature. We observed the theoretical occurrence of 2e, even at its most relaxed definitions, to be much rarer than prevailing literature implies (probability = 0.148). As correlations and factor loadings increase, the prevalence estimates of 2e drop considerably. Our results demonstrated the need for a more informed, standardized, and quantifiable approach to the identification of individuals with 2e. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide research base has documented the disproportional enrollment in K-12 special education and gifted and talented services across racial and socioeconomic lines. This study extends that knowledge base by integrating multiple population-level datasets to better understand predictors of access to and enrollment in gifted and talented services and tested whether these variables remained predictive after controlling for state mandate to provide services, average district achievement, and average school achievement. Results showed that states varied, with some serving 20% of their students as gifted and others serving 0%. Similarly, within-district income segregation, income-related achievement gaps, and parental education were dominant predictors of a school offering gifted and talented services and the size of the population served, even after controlling for achievement and the presence of a state mandate. These findings suggest that gifted and talented programs are often made available based on school or community demographics rather than the needs of the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young children's strategy acquisition and maintenance were examined by comparing the recall, clustering, and study behaviors of children of different ages and intelligences. Three groups were included in the study: 5-year-old gifted children, 5-year-old non-gifted children, and 7-year-old nongifted children. All were observed and measured on 5 consecutive days, with training on strategy use provided on the third day. Several differences among groups were found, generally favoring the gifted children in terms of performance and maintenance of strategies. In addition, the 5-year-old gifted children seemed to spontaneously use categorization strategies and clustered items in recall before training, while the 7-year-old children used categorization and clustering in recall after training. Implications for instruction for gifted students are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines revision of state definitions for the gifted and talented children in the United States. History in the transition of the federal definition of gifted and talented students; Description of other definitions; Overview of state definitions in 1990 and 1998.

Presents a schema designed to guide the development of theory, methodology, and research related to the psychoeducational assessment of African-American learners with gifts and talents. Relationships among African-American worldviews; Psychoeducational assessment theory and methodology; Use of assessment paradigms, instruments and practices.

The article focuses on the education of gifted children. The Marland Report of 1971 paved the way for a more urgent response to the issue of an educational innovation design to fit students who are labeled talented and gifted. With the contention that this group of students need a specifically designed program, the U.S. legislation through the Gifted and Talented Children's Act of 1974 responded to the case. However, this federal program was negated by the block grant approach favored in the initial phase of the Reagan Administration. It was in 1980 when a new legislation was passed. This was called the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Student Education Act of 1988.

Work by Terman helped refute the negative stereotype that highly intelligent children were maladjusted, but Hollingworth contended that children in the very highest IQ groups were prone to maladjustment problems. The present study examines whether the relationshp between intelligence and personality adjustment is negative or positive within the gifted range. Subjects are 83 7- to 11-year-old children, with IQs between 120 and 168, who were enrolled in either a public or private school gifted program. Results with both parent- and child-report instruments (Personality Inventory for Children, Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale) support the view that intelligence is positively related to adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article outlines a proposed national agenda for the education of gifted students. It addresses the issue of why we should care about the needs of gifted students and provides three major areas of unmet needs that cannot be cared for by local school initiatives. These areas are the educational needs of gifted underserved such as underachievers, young gifted, and gifted women; the need for a program quality support network, including research, demonstration, development, and leadership training; and collaborative efforts with other professionals, including such matters as curriculum development, technology, and definitions of intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deficits in the area of social skills represent one of the more pervasive disabilities exhibited by exceptional children. The social initiation intervention, in which nonhandicapped children are taught to direct social overtures to exceptional students, is one tactic that has been found repeatedly to result in positive social behavior change. This intervention technique derives primarily from the naturalistic study of peer interactions that show the predictable influence of social initiations on the behavior of interacting partners. Extensive evaluations of this technique have revealed no negative side effects on peer trainers and increases in the social responding, social initiations, and length of exchanges for target childen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the literatures on the characteristics of effective schools, classrooms, and instructional processes. Central findings from these literatures are summarized, as are important cautions in interpreting this knowledge base. The implications for special education of the effectiveness literatures are discussed. It is the position of the authors that both special and regular educators can learn much from recent research in order to design more powerful and integrated instructional programs for students with special needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small numbers of gifted students in rural schools inhibit programming by special classes or hiring of additional staff. Inadequate financial resources also frequently impede the development of comprehensive programs. Because rural schools vary in capacity and commitment to respond, there are no standard procedures for programming for gifted students. This article develops a foundation for program efforts which acknowledges the diversity among rural schools and respects the capacity of their staff to innovate and use existing community resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPYHT (Retrieval and Acceleration of Promising Young Handicapped and Talented), a model program for gifted and talented handicapped preschool children developed at the University of Illinois, has been serving young children since 1975. Evidence regarding short term benefits of this program is presented. Child progress data were obtained from the RAPYHT demonstration site at the University of Illinois and from two second-year replication sites (New York and Florida). Statistically significant pre- versus post-program gains were observed in talent-area functioning, creativity, self-esteem, and school-related task persistence. Significant treatment effects, further documented through regression- discontinuity analysis to compare performance of children who received RAPYHT intervention with a comparison group of children who did not qualify for the program, were found for talent-area functioning, creative functioning, and school-related task performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on research and issues dealing with parents and families of gifted children. Although the importance of parents is seen as a key factor in the development of all children, discussion of the role of parents with their gifted children has been superficially treated. Many articles deal only with general rules of thumb about good parenting. In order to avoid this, the present article begins with an extensive review and synthesis of research in the area of parents and families of gifted youngsters. This information is important in order to make meaningful generalizations. The discussion section includes a synthesis of the most important themes that emerged from the literature review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of research into learning styles by The Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching Styles. It explains the concept and the instruments we use to identify students' individual characteristics; it also summarizes the investigations that verify the (a) increased academic achievement, (b) improved attitudes toward school, and (c) reduced numbers of discipline problems that result when youngsters are taught through materials or strategies that complement their styles. Research that reveals the styles of gifted and underachieving students is presented, and resources available to those interested in examining the phenomena more closely are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research with the Dunn and Dunn model of learning style strongly supports the hypotheses that (a) reading achievement improves significantly when reading programs match individual learning styles; (b) poor readers tend to be tactile-kinesthetic learners with a biased arousal of the right hemisphere of the brain; and (c) the learning styles of many poor readers are not accommodated. The author enumerates the methodological errors in past research investigating the merit of teaching students through their strongest modality and recommends procedures for teaching poor readers through their learning style preferences and strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Results of a 3-year study of development of talent are presented, with emphasis on the special qualities of Olympic swimmers, pianists, and research mathematicians who attained "world-class" status in their fields prior to the age of 35. Interviews with parents, teachers, and the subjects indicated that these children were perceived as having unusual characteristics relevant to their selected talent fields at an early age. While the parents or teachers attached great significance to these characteristics, it is debatable whether they were inherent gifts or markers used to justify particular courses of action. Each of these characteristics is discussed in some detail. It was concluded that the talent development process and the increasing commitment of these individuals to the talent area, supported by parents and teachers, appear to be the primary determinants of great talent development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results of a national survey of identification practices in the field of gifted and talented education. The survey was conducted by the Educational Improvement Center-South under a contract from the U.S. Office of the Gifted and Talented. Teachers of the gifted, university professors, state consultants, and others were queried as to what constitutes the most frequently and effectively used tests/instruments/techniques in the identification process vis-à-vis the categories of the federal definition and certain subpopulations. Survey data is analyzed for existent and recurrent patterns and trends. Among the findings disclosed are abuses of standardized testing and other inappropriate practices, apparent confusion over the definition of giftedness, and lack of understanding regarding what should and should not be used for identification under each category. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Revolving Door ldentification Model (RDIM) offers a systematic approach to identification of and programming for gifted students. Conceptually, the model relies on the review of literature in "What Makes Giftedness?" (Renzulli, 1978). The application of this body of literature to implementation of the model in Torrington, Connecticut, was investigated. The role of RDIM in identifying gifted students and providing appropriate programming practices was looked at during the first year of RDIM operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluations of programs for the gifted have been criticized because of lack of objectivity and have often been perceived as a threat to programs rather than as an aid to program improvement. In an effort to overcome these criticisms, a university evaluation team and a public school program worked to develop evaluation instruments and procedures. The experiences of the first year of this cooperative effort are presented here to illustrate the issues, problems, and benefits of such an arrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest has been growing in identification and appropriate education of gifted students with handicapping conditions. Because the focus in educating gifted and talented handicapped children has been on problems rather than abilities and potential, such children hove often not had an opportunity to demonstrate their gifts. With the implementation of the 1975 Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-1421, professionals in the fields of education for gifted students and for handicapped students have had more chances to exchange information. Accurate means of identifying and developing giftedness must be employed as well as strategies for overcoming handicaps in order to allow gifted/handicapped individuals to realize their full potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creativity and the characteristics of the creative personality are explored in an attempt to show both that creativity exists in handicapped children and is a valuable attribute to be developed in these students. A summary of research on the issue of the correlation of creativity and intelligence is presented. Studies of the creative abilities of handicapped children are ,reviewed, along with reports of the teachability of creative thinking and creative problem-solving. The special value of creative problem-solving skills for handicapped children is discussed, and specific attributes of the creative personality are summarized. Finally, a model incorporating these attributes into four levels of creative functioning is presented. Checklists drawn from this model will be used as one means of identifying creativity among handicapped children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the use of the multiple talent approach to providing enrichment for all students in regular class programs and for gifted students in special programs. Research on the use of the model in regular programs which include gifted students is reported, and implications for more effective identification and enrichment of gifted children are discussed. The application of the multiple talent model in special programs for the gifted is discussed in the context of a comprehensive program model as defined by Renzulli's (1977) triad model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A process oriented instructional strategy to develop higher level thought processes in gifted students was studied to determine whether or not gifted students of the experimental group would advance more in this area than would the students in the average ability and treatment groups. A total of 312 seventh grade students from widely differing geographic areas and ethnic groups participated in the study. Results showed that under research conditions gifted students in the experimental population did significantly better than average students in the experimental and control groups. Although there was a mean difference in the scores of the experimental and control gifted classes, this difference was not significant at the .01 level. The evaluative comments of the students and teachers and the data from the Classroom Activities Questionnaire provided insight into the processes being used and the effect of lower level thought processes on developing higher level thought processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, the primary focus in assessing and programing for gifted students has been academic. The social aspects of gifted students' development have generally received significantly less attention. The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether or not this discrepancy is reflected in gifted students' academic and social self concepts. The Sears Self-Concept Inventory was administered to 147 fifth through eighth grade intellectually gifted students. The responses of both sexes indicated that these students possess significantly higher academic than social self concepts. Two hypotheses are presented to account for the discrepancy. Implications are suggested for school programing designed to facilitate the social as well as academic development of gifted students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a response to an article by Maggiore entitled "Reliability of proposed short form of Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities" published in Exceptional Children (1978, 45, 198-206). Hammill and Newcomer present evidence to rebut Maggiore's essentially negative conclusions regarding the reliability of the short form test. They show that the short form test is reliable and statistically equivalent to the full Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A consistently remarkable relationship between role taking ability and prosocial behaviors was posited to support the theoretical construct of psychosocial giftedness. Role taking tasks were given to gifted 3 year olds (mean IQ = 134) in the fall and spring. During the same period observations were made of their prosocial behaviors-sharing, helping, reacting to distress, and physical affection. In the fall, IQ, rather than role taking ability, was the best predictor of prosocial behaviors for this sample. The relationship between IQ and role taking increased from fall to spring. However, neither IQ nor role taking ability were reliable predictors of prosocial behaviors in the spring. These findings suggest that psychosocial giftedness as posited, may develop somewhat independently of IQ and cognitive role taking, thus aiding the notion of gifted pluralism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently there has been increased concern as to whether research conducted as proposed on human beings may interfere with their human rights and values. The decision to conduct research or not is a matter of weighing any possible risk versus the potential gain. We obviously must try to minimize the risk and maximize the gain. If we stop research, we became captives of the status qua and might still assume that mentally retarded children are dangerous or gifted children physically weak. There are pressing social problems that will be acted upon, either with or without the benefit of research—problems such as infantile autism, the alienation of youth, or the maximization of productive thinking. One purpose of research is to strip away our illusions about such issues and replace them with useful facts and ideas. By doing so we can fulfill our commitment to the next generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on serving the educational needs of the culturally disadvantaged gifted children in the U.S. The culturally disadvantaged gifted children refer to those children who have been able to enjoy the benefits of full education by reason of economic, religious, ideological, and social disabilities. In upgrading their academic skills, a combination of instructional approach and counselling is recommended. This approach should aim to develop their communication, skills, comprehension skills, problem-solving and decision-making skills.

This investigation compared the efficiency and effectiveness of traditional and case study approaches to the identification of academically gifted students in the elementary grades. Time and cost analyses were carried out, as was an examination of the usefulness of various types of information included in case study formats. The results suggest that the case study approach is generally superior to the traditional approach because of its consideration of multiple sources of information. The case study approach was effective in identifying gifted minority students and was found to be less costly and time consuming than others have suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1960's, a good deal of research was conducted on the psychological nature and measurement of creativity and on curriculum and instruction in the nurturing of creativity. Currently, however, there appears to be a loss of interest in fostering creativity. Every component of education and schooling affects the development of creativity. If gifted children are to become gifted adults, their creativity must be nurtured by all those who influence their development. Research and experience of the past two decades have provided educators with the necessary base for making the nurturing of creativity an integral and meaningful developmental activity rather than an educational fad soon to be forgotten and ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The science of linguistics contributes to the study of cultural diversity and the education of exceptional children. Language is a system of vocal sounds; it is systematic and symbolic; it is in a state of constant change. The ability to learn language (but not the specifics of any particular language) is innate in humans, and all languages and their variations are equally good. The role of linguistics in the educational assessment of culturally different children is emphasized. The linguistic and cultural bias of IQ tests, as well as the role of adaptive behavior and community acceptance in minority groups are discussed. Note is made of the difficulty of identifying gifted children who are culturally different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a definition of the term culturally different gifted child. It reexamines the identification procedure and calls for more research with an emphasis on environmental and sociological variables. The need for qualitatively differentiated program provisions is discussed. The article also points out what is being done to fulfill the special and different needs of the culturally different gifted child and offers information on the educational programs being instituted throughout the US. Some available resources which have generated new materials are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on some of the ideas, issues and concerns expressed during the Work Conference on the Culturally Different Gifted Child held in North Carolina in September 2005 and provides a preview of more definitive information to come. The barriers which impede the educational opportunities for culturally different gifted children are discussed. The implementation strategies proposed by the participants of the conference are also presented in this article. The strategies were made after identifying the problems and barriers to effective educational programming for the culturally difference gifted child.

Tile behavior modification movement has a noteworthy history in the education of exceptional children. Although the formal beginnings of the movement can be pinpointed in the first quarter of this century, its origins and techniques can be traced to much earlier periods. The efforts of several behavior modification practitioners in and peripheral to the field of special education are described in an attempt to put present day behavior modification program; in historical perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the policy statement on governmental affairs proposed by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). The CEC is a professional association of educators and other specialists committed to obtaining optimal educational opportunity for all exceptional children. The Council believes that exceptional children should be provided with the required special programs in order to fully develop the children's potentials. According to the author, exceptional children are found in every community regardless of the socioeconomic or the cultural factors of the area.

The article focuses on the summary analysis of state laws for gifted children. The study was conducted in 1967 and found that 17 states have within their education code a term which can be construed to apply to the clinical entity known as the gifted child. Ten out of seventeen states provide legal guidelines for determining the type of child to be served. Sixteen U.S. states describe some criteria for the service programs to be provided for the children. Three states have in their laws the criteria that prescribe how such children will be identified.

The purpose of this study was to analyze selected characteristics of high school teachers who were identified as successful by intellectually gifted high achieving students, and to discover what differentiated these teachers from teachers not so identified. More specifically, the study was concerned with personal and social traits and behaviors, professional attitudes and educational view points, and classroom behavior patterns of effective teachers of gifted high school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a study conducted in a self contained classroom of highly talented sixth grade children at the Skylark School in Garden Grove, California, during the 1965-1966 school year. In the Garden Grove Unified School District there were 18 major work classes comprising children whose Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test scores were in excess of 130. The sixth grade class in the project was a high cluster group in which 12 students scored above 130 on the Stanford-Binet and the remaining students scored from 103 to 130 on the California Test of Mental Maturity.

In San Diego, 119 gifted secondary students were interviewed to obtain their recommendations for academic program change. Generally, these students preferred: (a) more freedom in course selection and more emphasis upon a general education philosophy; (b) French, German, humanities, creative writing, general mathematics, chemistry, physics, psychology, and economics courses; (c) more intellectual criticism and discussion of controversial issues; (d) more recognition for their work; and (e) some type of selective academic segregation. It is suggested that other school districts conduct similar interviews to aid them in program planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparison of three groups of adolescents with differing levels of creativity was made to determine if they differed with respect to personality characteristics, peer acceptance, and attitudes toward school. The results indicate that more creative students tend to be more intelligent, adventurous, extroverted, and self confident. They also have a less favorable attitude toward school. In terms of peer acceptance, sex appears to be a factor. Higher creative boys receive greater acceptance while higher creative girls are less accepted by their classmates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A group of 32 gifted boys and girls was compared with a group of 32 pseudogifted boys and girls (students misdiagnosed as gifted by their teachers) on the basis of WISC subtest scores and teacher marks attained while students were in the fourth grade. Results showed no significant difference between the gifted and pseudogifted in performance on the WISC coding and arithmetic subtests. A significant difference in teacher grades favoring the gifted in the subject of English was observed; however, no significant differences were observed in other subjects. It is suggested that pseudogifted students may rely, for the most part, on memory in attaining knowledge, whereas the gifted rely not only on memory, but also on other higher cognitive processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to review some of the major studies of giftedness, as well as studies of the intelligence testing of ethnic groups, to ascertain if certain groups appear more frequently than others and, if so, which ones are reported and bow consistently they receive mention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociometric choices of 100 gifted disadvantaged children in 4 intermediate racially integrated classrooms were analyzed. The relationship of choice of seating, working, and playing companions to race, sex, and intelligence was studied. Substantial cross racial choices were made; however, various factors, such as sex and racial proportion in the classroom, appeared to influence the nature and kind of choice. Resulting sociometric patterns did not justify generalizations regarding social structures in integrated classrooms beyond the statement that some cross racial social choices can be expected for this age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the beginning of a short course on how to do research, three classes of gifted, high achieving sixth graders (35 girls and 34 boys) were asked to estimate their developmental curves on height, reading speed, size of vocabulary, and curiosity and to estimate the average for their grade and sex on each of these four variables. They were then taught some of the concepts of historical research and were asked to collect data from witnesses and records and to reestimate their developmental curves and the average for their grade and sex. Self evaluations of height were initially rather accurate and did not change significantly as a result of the investigatory experience. Self evaluations of reading speed, size of vocabulary, and curiosity were initially characterized by underevaluation. Self evaluations in all three variables reflected greater accuracy and favorableness following the experience in historiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to identify gifted children through careful and complete individual tests and case studies somehow has not been accepted. Four general categories of concern appear to inhibit such identification procedures: (a) inadequacy of existing measures, (b) variability of intelligence, (c) cost of identification and special programs, and (d) establishment of a meritocracy, identification of gifted children and provision of appropriate programs for them would maximize each child's potential for intellectual development, and untold benefits would accrue to both the individuals and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Descriptions of the characteristics necessary for effective teaching of emotionally handicapped children often emphasize personal giftedness. During a four year teacher training program at the UCLA Neuro psychiatric Institute School, a hierarchy of competencies for such teachers was formulated which shifts the focus from educational artistry to trainable competencies. In order of importance, the teacher of the emotionally handicapped should be objective, flexible, structured, resourceful, a social reinforcer, a curriculum expert, and an intellectual model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The program for the preparation of professional personnel in the education of handicapped children and youth under Public Law 85-926, as amended, is described. The activities conducted by the professional staff of the Office of Education in the administration of this grant program are summarized. These activities include site visits to colleges, universities, and state educational agencies, consulting with professional persons in special education, planning and holding conferences, and preparing publications. Data regarding grants in the various areas of the handicapped awarded to colleges, universities, and state educational agencies during the past two award years are presented. A brief discussion of future trends in the program is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groups of gifted and average elementary school children from upper and lower status backgrounds were compared on measures of height, weight, personality traits, interests, activities, and creative thinking. Group differences between upper and lower status gifted children were found to be associated with differences in socioeconomic background. Group differences between gifted and average children regardless of socio-economic background were also disclosed. The findings emphasize the importance of controlling for socioeconomic status in studies where gifted and nongifted children are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specific superior skills have been found in behaviorally retarded persons (idiots savants). Kiyoshi Yamashita's graphic genius is given as an outstanding example. The suggestion is made that we design prosthetic environments not only to restore average behavioral function to handicapped individuals, but also to develop special skills to the point of superiority. Supporting examples and an interpretation of specific superiority are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article features several agencies and organizations in the U.S. concerned with exceptional children. The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf promotes the teaching of speech and speechreading of deaf children. The American Academy for Cerebral Palsy is a professional organization that is open to Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy professionals who are actively engaged in handling children with cerebral palsy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is a professional organization that works for exceptional children's health and welfare by fostering interest in pediatrics. The American Association for Gifted Children is a non-profit organization with restricted membership works to nurture appreciation of the possibilities and capabilities of gifted children.