Services and programs for academically talented students with learning disabilities

1. Interventions in the regular classroom (i.e., interventions that can be provided by classroom teachers; see e.g., Weinfield, Barnes-Robinson, Jeweler, & Shevitz, 2002).

2. Partial pull-out programs (i.e., most of these programs have been based on the enrichment model of instruction, where students have opportunities to develop their areas of strengths and interests in supportive environments aimed at developing the students' talents; see Baum, Renzulli, & Hebert, 1995; Olenchak, 1995).

3. Self-contained programs (i.e., whole classrooms or even schools that are structured to support the needs of students with dual exceptionalities). Examples include Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools program (described in Weinfield et al., 2002), Project HIGH HOPES for gifted students with LD (Baum, Cooper, & Neu, 2001), and programs for students who are gifted, LD, or gifted/LD (e.g., ASSETS School; Hishinuma & Nishimura, 2002).

A review of research and our own work suggests that creative alternatives and strategies have been shown to be effective as educational interventions for gifted students with learning disabilities within the three-pronged service delivery models of school-based interventions. These are summarized in Table 1.

An analysis of the recommended curricular interventions and strategies within the three-pronged service delivery model summarized in Table 1 suggest five critical ideas that must be integrated into the educational services provided for this population.

First, programming for students in both elementary and secondary schools must focus on students' strengths as opposed to solely on their deficits (Baum & Owen, 2004). In a recent study of students with Williams' Syndrome who were also musically talented or inclined, a mother of one of the participants described her frustration in finding a program that would enable her son, who loved music more than anything, to be able to do music as well as address his learning limitations (Reis, Schader, Milne, & Stephens, 2003). She explained that no teacher had ever asked about his strengths and that all of his schooling experiences focused on his deficits. Other parents of academically talented students with LD have recounted similar memories, and as one parent explained, "I was never asked at one individual educational planning team meeting what her strengths or talents were. Rather, every interaction focused on what she could not do well" (p. 310).

Second, various classroom and instructional accommodations to address students' talents and their disabilities, as well as their strengths and needs, should be written into an individualized education program (IEP) to insure that students will have these opportunities. The strategies suggested in these IEPs can vary, including opportunities like interest-based independent studies (Renzulli, 1977); acceleration in areas of academic strength (Moon & Reis, 2004); special classes (either part time or full-time) for students who are gifted and LD, and opportunities for advanced level courses, on-line and in person classes in areas of strength in middle and high school (Reis et al., 1995).