Learning disabilities in adolescents with high IQ scores

Between January 1, 1971 and December 31, 1980, 43 of 415 adolescents diagnosed as "learning disabled" when evaluated in an intensive 4-day diagnostic program were found to have a WISC-R verbal, performance, or full scale IQ score of 120 or higher. The 34 boys and 9 girls were 14.5 +/- 2 years old, were in grade 9.5 +/- 1, and had had overt symptoms of academic difficulty for 4 +/- 1.5 years at the time of diagnosis. None of the adolescents was achieving at an academic level consistent with the potential indicated by the WISC-R score. All of the adolescents were able to dissemble and disguise their disabilities. Only nine had previously been recognized as being disabled. All exhibited academic failure (which became apparent or increasingly severe on entering junior high school) and suffered from lack of self-esteem, depression, and withdrawal. Older adolescents had "given up" on school and were attempting to find alternative careers. Learning disabilities constitute an invisible handicap which affects 2 to 3% of all adolescents. Those who have very high intelligence may be able to hide the handicap until academic challenges become sufficiently difficult or complex to unmask them.