The gifted dyslexic

The gifted dyslexic is a diagnostic challenge. He is frequently perceived as a bright student who is unmotivated and who does poor work because he is careless and lazy. There are often emotional overtones to his school failure. He may be challenging, contrary, aggressive, or sarcastic, or he may disrupt the class by clever clowning. If the student is a girl, she may study for many hours each night, attaining only modest grades, and be withdrawn, anxious, or depressed. Sometimes these responses are mixed. Such students often have few friends and have buried their sense of excellence in a passionate hobby about which they have astonishing knowledge. An attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity, may further cloud our accurate understanding of such student. Before psychological intervention (and if the child is young, perhaps instead of it), careful multilevel assessment must occur. This should include an intensive history, including prenatal, developmental, education, and family informatin and issues. A description of behavioral and emotional factors, listening skills, written expression, academic abilities, and IQ complete the picture. If there is an academic skill deficit, appropriate remediation can provide a profound change, and it constitutes the first step toward nourishing self-esteem. Parental attitude can swing toward support rather than reproach, and there are techniques for organization and study that can assist learning. The student finally has new tools with which to unlock areas of his/her superiority previously inaccessible.