Best practices in the identification of gifted students with learning disabilities

In recent years, researchers and practitioners have become increasingly interested in students who have both learning disabilities and intellectual gifts. Intellectually gifted students are defined as those who demonstrate outstanding ability to grapple with complexity, or superior academic potential. The definition of learning disability states that the level of performance in a particular academic area is substantially below what would be expected based on one's general intellectual ability and that this incongruity cannot be explained by lack of educational opportunity in that academic area. This article explores several controversial issues surrounding the identification of students as both gifted and learning disabled. How does a discrepancy manifest itself in a student who is intellectually gifted? Do gifted students with learning disabilities experience masking effects? How can we effectively identify intellectually gifted students with learning disabilities? In addition, we argue against the use of profile analysis to identify gifted students with learning disabilities. Finally, we propose guidelines for school psychologists to identify students with intellectual gifts and learning disabilities, and we provide suggestions for how to best serve this unique population of students within the school environment.