Recognition and Application of Intellectual Strengths in Gifted Learning Disabled Students

Abstract

This study was designed to examine subtest patterns on the Weschler Intelligence Scale for Children-III (WISC-III) in order to provide an accurate representation of the gifted learning disabled student's conceptual abilities. It is a re-creation of a study by Dixon (1989) in which he theorized that gifted learning disabled students have particular strengths in what he termed integrative intelligence, yet demonstrated severe weaknesses in dispersive intelligence. A priori investigation necessitated collecting existing psychometric data on 15 subjects. The hypothesis stated that the discrepancy between integrative and dispersive intelligences on the WISC-III subtests would confirm that identified and non-identified gifted learning disabled students display a visual-spatial learning style, which enables them to see underlying patterns and connections in broad concepts and abstract ideas. The data validated the hypothesis. The results indicate that the purposive group of identified and non-identified gifted learning disabled students have specific strengths in the integrative areas of intelligence and are generally strong in abstract holistic tasks.