Here's a mind-bender for you!
Giftedness in the child masks the learning disability -
but the learning disability masks the IQ score!
Now that is a circular-double-whammy, or what is so often referred to as the double-edged-sword with giftedness. According to Paula Jarrard, MS, OTR, "as many as one-third of gifted children may exhibit sensory processing disorder features, significantly impacting quality of life."
And there are more gifted children than people realize, because there are many different kinds of giftedness as well as different levels of giftedness. The media often portrays the little math or music genius pleased-as-punch to put their talents on display before the world. However, your gifted child may not be one of those kinds of kids. He/she may be shy, might rapidly skip through or over the typical steps in learning, show up as a really great problem solver, be a closet social scientist with big ideas, or just see the world differently from other people.
In 2007, new research by the SPD Foundation revealed that SPD symptoms are more common in children considered gifted. Their pilot study indicated that 35% of children from one gifted and talented center exhibited symptoms of SPD. That is compared to 5% in studies conducted with the general population. The study also revealed that sensitivity increases with degree of giftedness. In other words, a highly gifted child is more likely to experience a greater degree of sensitivity to pain, touch, smell, and/or sound.
And Paula Jerrard's paper can be found here:
http://www.spdfoundation.net/pdf/SensoryissuesinGiftedChildren.pdf
If your child is gifted - or potentially gifted - pick up this book:
"A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children"
by James T. Webb, Janet L. Gore,
Edward R. Amend, & Arlene R. DeVries
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