Reasons Why Gifted Children Sometimes Underachieve
Problems for Gifted with Learning Disabilities (GLD)
The cross-over student can be described under three categories:
- Those who are identified as gifted, but who have subtle, often unrecognised difficulties that usually kick in around middle high school, because the programme is more demanding, for example, they can take it all in but not pour it out.
- Learning disabled identified, but not gifted identified.
- Students not identified for either gifted or learning disabled.
It is these students who are possibly of the most concern, and it is they whose profiles are explored in more depth in this paper.
There is no one way to address the needs of gifted underachievers, and ideally a school should have a very able team of professionals to whom the parents, principal, dean, teachers, or students themselves can turn: counsellors, ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) teacher, learner support teachers, careers advisor, pastor and/or appropriate cultural spiritual leaders where possible, as well as a gifted and talented education (GATE) coordinator. Consultation should occur with outside experts in areas beyond the team's levels of expertise. Through a cooperative team approach the school can then endeavour to optimise the academic, socio-emotional, and spiritual growth of the student.