ERIC EJ860954: A Unique Challenge: Sorting out the Differences between Giftedness and Asperger's Disorder

2009·2.5 MB·English

by  ERIC

gifted child today 57
Giftedness and Asperger’s Disorder
The Disorder
Joey loved nature more
Asperger’s Disorder is a pervasive
than anything else.
developmental disorder on the autism
spectrum. It is characterized by severe
As a 4-year-old,
deficits in age-appropriate social
he knew more facts about climate interactions and restricted, repeti-
tive patterns of behavior or interests
zones, geography, and geology (American Psychiatric Association,
2000). There is no doubt that a gifted
than most high school students. His child can have Asperger’s Disorder and
that this combination has a profound
intellectual curiosity was astonishing. impact on both social interactions and
schooling (Amend & Schuler, 2004;
He often devised his own scientific Cash, 1999; Neihart, 2000).
A gifted child with a disability
experiments—at home and at school. like Asperger’s Disorder (or a learn-
ing disability or Attention Deficit/
Joey's advanced vocabulary, enjoyment Hyperactivity Disorder) is referred
to as a twice-exceptional child.
of being with older children, and high Programming for twice-exceptional
students is difficult because their abil-
level of motivation were noted by his ities often straddle both ends of the
bell-shaped curve, with strengths and
parents and preschool teachers. And
weaknesses needing to be addressed
in order for interventions to be suc-
yet, Joey's socialization skills did not
cessful. Even though twice-exceptional
students are in the minority, identify-
match his highly developed abilities.
ing these students presents a significant
challenge because gifted children who
For example, he failed to recognize
are misunderstood can be easily mis-
diagnosed by those not aware of the
how others felt, had unexpected
typical characteristics of gifted children
(Hartnett, Nelson, & Rinn, 2004;
rages without clear provocation, and
Lovecky, 2004; Webb et al., 2005).
often spoke in a formal and pedantic
The Implications
manner that turned others off. He was
All-too-often, well-meaning indi-
clumsy, which affected his physical viduals urge parents to seek referrals
for psychological evaluation without
play with other children. Sensory considering or understanding the typi-
cal characteristics of gifted children or
issues and meltdowns also were the impact of intellectual ability on
behavior and relationships. In turn,
present. Questions arose: Gifted and clinicians receiving such referrals also
may fail to assess the implications of
quirky, Asperger's Disorder, or both? giftedness when exploring potential
diagnoses like Asperger’s Disorder.
58 fall 2009 • vol 32, no 4
Giftedness and Asperger’s Disorder
The interested reader is referred to the passion and talent areas; various forms ness and Asperger’s Disorder. When Joey
book Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of acceleration based on needs; oppor- started kindergarten in a private school
of Gifted Children and Adults (Webb tunities to socialize and to learn with with behavioral consultation services, the
et al., 2005) for a thorough discussion like-ability peers; and differentiated gifted counselor/consultant recommended
of diagnostic issues among the gifted instructional delivery, including pace, a variety of acceleration, enrichment,
population. amount of review and practice, and and different grouping opportunities to
organization of content presentation meet his cognitive and social needs. It
Joey’s teachers knew that he was a smart (Rogers, 2007). Without appropriate also was recommended that Joey’s parents
little boy, but their focus was on his neg- prereferral interventions, opportunities enroll him in a research study on autism
ative classroom behaviors. A Preschool to have a profound positive impact may at a nearby center known for its work
Individualized Education Program (IEP) be missed. By adjusting the educational with autism spectrum disorders. It was
was developed that emphasized managing environment and curriculum in the there that Joey was formally diagnosed
his sensory issues and meltdowns result- prereferral stage to meet the unique with Asperger’s Disorder. Fortunately,
ing from his obsessive nature and rigid- learning needs of the gifted student, Joey’s highly gifted intellectual abilities
ity about rules. Occupational therapy positive changes may be seen. also were recognized. Suggestions by the
and social work, as well as services for center dovetailed those given in the pre-
the family, were incorporated into Joey’s The Dilemma referral process to develop Joey’s strengths
IEP. Although these services were helpful, while accommodating his weaknesses.
Joey’s parents realized the paradoxes of When the gifted child’s intensity is
their son and sought help for his intel- The Instrument
combined with a classroom environ-
lectual needs and perfectionist tendencies.
ment and curriculum that do not meet
They contacted a counselor/consultant
his educational needs, his behavior is Although the literature on
who specializes in working with gifted
more likely to be viewed as different Asperger’s Disorder is replete with
children to help them with their advocacy.
(Baum & Owen, 2004; Cross, 2004) many references to high ability/gift-
The prereferral process began.
and, perhaps, pathological. As a result, edness and Asperger’s Disorder (e.g.,
the gifted learner with a unique inter- Attwood, 2007; Bashe & Kirby, 2001;
The Process
action style may be initially mislabeled Grandin & Duffy, 2004), there is, at
(and eventually misdiagnosed) when this time, only one instrument that
Like Joey, a gifted child’s abilities his educational needs are not met. delineates giftedness and character-
and talents must be considered not This mislabeling can lead to inap- istics of Asperger’s Disorder. Burger-
only in the referral process and evalu- propriate interventions that result in Veltmeijer (2008) of the Netherlands
ation, but also in the prereferral inter- more—rather than less—problems in created the Dimensional Discrepancy
vention phase. Prereferral is the process the classroom (Eide & Eide, 2006). Model GFT + ASD (DD-Checklist)
of obtaining a thorough understanding Conversely, dramatic positive changes to help psychologists observe the
of a gifted child or adolescent by exam- can be realized when the gifted child’s characteristics of gifted-like manifes-
ining the frequency, severity, and dura- abilities and unique characteristics tations versus Asperger’s Disorder-like
tion of any presenting behaviors and such as intensity are taken into account manifestations.
whether any are problematic. Current when developing prereferral strate- The Giftedness/Asperger’s Disorder
functioning is the focus of the prere- gies, during the evaluation process, Checklist (GADC) to be presented
ferral process (Boland & Gross, 2007). and when identifying postevaluation here was similarly developed to help
Interviews with parents or guardians interventions. educators, mental health professionals,
and the child, as well as instruments and parents during the prereferral pro-
that provide data on the functioning of For Joey, the prereferral process included cess to see if environmental interven-
the child, help to determine appropri- an examination of all health records and tions would be beneficial in the process
ate prereferral interventions. These may past testing, interviews with Joey and his of determining the need for more for-
include best practices found in gifted parents, teacher input, and observation mal diagnostic evaluation. Like the
education: daily challenge in specific of his current level of functioning. It was DD-Checklist, the GADC focuses
areas of talent; regular opportunities to apparent that Joey demonstrated many of on the educational and psychological
continued on page ??
be unique and work independently in the behaviors characteristic of both gifted- needs of the student who may or may
gifted child today 59
Giftedness and Asperger’s Disorder
not be gifted and who may or may studies also provide relevant data for and differentiation strategies such as
not have Asperger’s Disorder. To avoid identification (Amend & Schuler, those discussed in books like Teaching
unneeded or inappropriate interven- 2004; Cash, 1999; McKeigue, 2008; Gifted Kids in the Regular Classroom
tions, parents and educators may want Schuler & O’Leary, 2008). (Winebrenner & Espeland, 2000),
to complete the GADC in Table 1 to Some of the characteristics that Teaching Young Gifted Children in the
help them to determine which inter- gifted children exhibit also are seen Regular Classroom (Smutny, Walker,
ventions (e.g., those for gifted students in children with Asperger’s Disorder & Meckstroth, 1997), or Re-Forming
or those for students with Asperger’s (Attwood, 2007; Burger-Veltmeijer, Gifted Education (Rogers, 2002).
Disorder) may be most appropriate, 2008; Lovecky, 2004; Neihart, 2000; If most of the checks fall on the
and to help decide whether to refer the Webb et al., 2005). Although similar, Asperger’s side or if the responses are
gifted child for thorough psychological the behaviors may present a bit differ- fairly evenly split, attempt strategies to
evaluation. ently and/or the motivation for the address the specific behaviors observed
The GADC is a clinically developed behavior may be different. The behav- (Kraus, 2004) and consider referring
instrument designed as a tool to help ioral descriptors and characteristics the child for formal evaluation to
guide parents, educators, and clini- in the GADC are intended to help explore both giftedness and Asperger’s
cians toward possible interventions Disorder. In these cases, books such
differentiate between giftedness and
and to help them begin to determine as Helping a Child With Nonverbal
Asperger’s Disorder. The domains or
whether an unsuitable, inflexible, or Learning Disorder or Asperger’s Disorder
categories to be explored are listed with
unreceptive educational environment (Stewart, 2007), Succeeding in College
multiple descriptors in each domain.
is contributing to the child’s unusual With Asperger Syndrome (Harpur,
Because there is some overlap between
or inappropriate behavior. Although Lawlor, & Fitzgerald, 2004), A Parent’s
giftedness and Asperger’s Disorder,
the information contained within this Guide to Asperger Syndrome and High-
some characteristics may not necessar-
checklist comes from both research Functioning Autism (Ozonoff, Dawson,
ily help to differentiate between the two
and clinical experience with these & McPartland, 2002), and Asperger’s:
groups—these are not included here.
populations, this checklist has not What Does It Mean to Me? (Faherty,
The GADC includes general behav-
been validated or normed in any way. 2000) may be helpful in providing
iors characteristic of children in each
The GADC is designed to facilitate information and strategies.
group, and it would be unlikely for all
appropriate interventions in the pre-
descriptors in either category to apply
referral stage and should never be used Although his intellectual abilities had
to one child. However, if only a select
as a substitute for formal and compre- been identified, Joey’s experience in the
few of the characteristics listed here
hensive evaluation when further study private school was not positive for him
apply to the child in question, then it
is necessary to determine causes of because the focus remained on his social
may be best to consider interventions
behavior. and emotional difficulties. Because his
or assessment in areas other than gift-
The GADC contains characteris- highly gifted cognitive needs were not
edness or Asperger’s Disorder.
tics that are observed in gifted chil- being met, Joey’s parents chose to place
dren or those exhibiting Asperger’s him in their local public school in an
Using the GADC
Disorder, and these characteristics are attempt to find a balance that addressed
taken from a variety of sources (e.g., both strengths and concerns. As strong
American Psychiatric Association, To use the GADC, simply mark advocates for their son, Joey’s parents were
2000; Attwood, 2007; Cash, 1999; those items that apply to the child. To able to demonstrate his need for grade
Klin, Volkmar, & Sparrow, 2000; determine accurate differentiation, two acceleration as well as additional subject
Little, 2002; Mesibov, Shea, & Adams, principles should be followed. First, acceleration in his strength area—math-
2001; Neihart, 2000; Silverman & observe the child’s behaviors when he is ematics. Joey’s parents provided school
Weinfeld, 2007; Webb et al., 2005). with others who have similar intellec- personnel with articles on gifted children
Recent research on gifted children on tual abilities and/or interests. Secondly, with Asperger’s Disorder from 2e: The
the autism spectrum (Assouline, Foley examine the child’s insight about how Twice Exceptional Newsletter as well as
Nicpon, Colangelo, & O’Brien, 2008) other people see him and his behav- other resources from the gifted counselor/
has presented additional empirical data iors (Webb et al., 2005). If most of consultant. Awareness, understanding,
on the characteristics of gifted children the checks are in the gifted column, and acceptance of Joey’s giftedness made
who have Asperger’s Disorder. Case implement curriculum modifications the difference in how his teachers viewed
60 fall 2009 • vol 32, no 4
Giftedness and Asperger’s Disorder
Table 1
Giftedness/Asperger’s Disorder Checklist (GADC)© Prereferral Checklist
Gifted Asperger’s Disorder
Memory and Attention
__ Excellent memory for facts and information about a variety of __ Superb memory for facts and detailed information related to
topics selected topics of special interest
__ Typically accurate recall for names and faces __ Poor recall for names and faces
__ Dislikes rote memorization tasks although he/she may do it well __ Enjoys thinking about and remembering details, facts, and figures
__ Intense focus on topics of interest __ Intense focus on primary topic of interest
__ If distracted, is likely to return to a task quickly with or without __ If distracted by internal thoughts, redirecting to task at hand may
redirection be difficult
Speech and Language
__ Extensive, advanced vocabulary __ Advanced use of words with lack of comprehension for all lan-
__ Communicates understandings of abstract ideas guage used
__ Rich and interesting verbal style __ Thinks and communicates in concrete and literal terms with less
__ Engages others in interests abstraction
__ Asks challenging questions __ Uninviting verbal style
__ Expressive language/speech pattern of an older child __ Style or content lacks reciprocity and engagement of others in
__ Elaborates with or without prompts their personal interests
__ Understands and engages in sophisticated and/or socially recipro- __ Repeats questions and information
cal humor, irony, and sarcasm __ Pedantic and seamless speech
__ Understands cause/effect or give and take of conversation __ Little or no elaboration with run-on speech
__ Able to communicate distress verbally __ Misunderstands jokes involving social reciprocity
__ Has difficulty understanding give and take of conversation
__ Communicates distress with actions rather than words
Social and Emotional
__ Able to identify and name friends; enjoys high social status in __ Demonstrates significant difficulty and lacks understanding of
some circles how to establish and keep friends
__ Aware of social norms __ Indifferent to social norms of dress and behavior
__ Keenly aware that he/she is different from peers __ Limited recognition of differences with peers
__ Spontaneous sharing of enjoyment, activities, interests, or __ Little or no interest in spontaneous sharing of enjoyment, activi-
accomplishments ties, interests, or accomplishments
__ Engages others in conversation __ Shows significant difficulty initiating or engaging others in
__ Aware of another’s perspective and able to take and understand conversation
others’ viewpoint __ Assume others share his/her personal views
__ Follows unwritten rules of social interactions __ Unaware of social conventions or the reasons behind them
__ Shows keen social insight and an intuitive nature __ Lacks social insight
__ Usually demonstrates appropriate emotions __ Demonstrates inappropriate or immature emotions and flat or
__ Aware of others’ emotions and recognizes others’ feelings easily restricted affect
__ Able to read social situations and respond to social cues __ Limited recognition of others’ emotions
__ Shows empathy for others and able to comfort a friend in need __ Misreads social situations and may not respond (or even know
how to respond) to social cues
__ Does not typically show empathy or concern for someone in need
Behavioral
__ May passively resist but will often go along with change __ Actively or aggressively resists change; rigid
__ Questions rules and structure __ Adheres strictly to rules and needs structure
__ Stereotypical behaviors (e.g., hand or finger flapping, twisting, or __ Stereotypical behaviors (e.g., hand or finger flapping, twisting, or
complex body movements) not present complex body movements) are present
__ When problems arise, he/she is typically distressed by them __ When problems arise, parents or teachers are distressed by them
while student may be unaware of distressing situation unless per-
sonally affected
Motor Skills
__ Well-coordinated __ Lacks age-appropriate coordination
__ Interested in team sports __ Avoids team sports
continued on page ??
__ Demonstrates appropriate development of self-help skills __ Delayed acquisition of self-help skills
Note. From Amend, Beaver-Gavin, Schuler, and Beights (2008).
gifted child today 61
Giftedness and Asperger’s Disorder
him and what educational interventions emotional development of children who versity of Iowa, The Connie Belin &
he received. demonstrate behaviors that resemble Jacqueline N. Blank International
those along the autism spectrum. The Center for Gifted Education and Tal-
ent Development.
If, after the prereferral process and GADC is a step toward identifying the
Attwood, T. (2007). The complete guide
intervention, clinicians, parents, and category of interventions that may be
to Asperger’s syndrome. London: Jessica
teachers agree that modifying the child’s beneficial for a particular child who
Kingsley.
environment is not producing positive may or may not be gifted, or may or
Bashe, P. R., & Kirby, B. L. (2001). The
results, further evaluation should be may not have Asperger’s Disorder. The
OASIS guide to Asperger syndrome:
considered. Formal diagnostic tools such authors, who primarily work in private Advice, support, insight, and inspiration.
as the Autism Diagnostic Observation and/or school-related facilities, have not New York: Crown.
Schedule (Lord, Rutter, DiLavore, & formally evaluated the reliability and Baum, S. M., & Owen, S. V. (2004). To be
Risi, 2000), the Asperger’s Syndrome validity of the GADC. They encour- gifted & learning disabled: Strategies for
Diagnostic Scale (Myles, Bock, & age researchers to explore its useful- helping bright students with LD, ADHD,
Simpson, 2000), the Australian Scale ness in order to increase the utility of and more. Mansfield Center, CT: Cre-
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for Asperger’s Syndrome (Garnett & the GADC and its impact on gifted or
Boland, C. M., & Gross, M. U. M. (2007).
Attwood, 1995), the Gilliam Autism twice-exceptional youth. The authors
Counseling highly gifted children and
Rating Scale (Gilliam, 2006), and firmly believe that using the GADC in
adolescents. In S. Mendaglio & J. S.
the Childhood Autism Rating Scale the prereferral stage will lead to fewer
Peterson (Eds.), Models of counseling gifted
(Schopler, Reichler, & Renner, 1998) inappropriate referrals and referrals that children, adolescents, and young adults (pp.
should be considered when a more com- are more carefully screened, provide 153–197). Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
prehensive evaluation is needed. Only direction regarding appropriate inter- Burger-Veltmeijer, A. (2008, September).
qualified and experienced professionals vention, and increase the likelihood Giftedness and autism: From differential
should administer these instruments. that giftedness, rather than pathology, diagnosis to needs-based assessment. Paper
Whether or not giftedness is might be explored as an hypothesis for presented at the European Council for
thought to be involved, parents and the behaviors in question. GCT High Ability (ECHA) Conference,
Prague, Czech Republic.
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Author’s Note
Hall, T., Byrd, M., Henfield, M., et al. Schubert, H. J. (Ed.). (1998). Charles Hor-
(2006). Recruitment of African Ameri- ton Cooley: On self and social organization.
cans in gifted education: Lessons learned Chicago: University of Chicago Press. It is with gratitude that someone of
from higher education. Mid-Western Edu- U.S. Department of Education. (2002). Donna Ford’s accomplishment allows
cational Research Journal, 19(2), 3–12. Elementary and secondary schools civil a junior scholar like myself to contrib-
No Child Left Behind Act, 20 U.S.C. rights survey: Demographics of gifted pro- ute in her place for her multicultural
§6301 (2001). grams. Washington, DC: Author. column.
gifted child today 63