GIFTED

Because gifted children are so diverse, not all exhibit all characteristics all of the time. However,
there are common characteristics that many gifted individuals share:

Unusual alertness, even in infancy

Rapid learner; puts thoughts together quickly
Excellent memory
Unusually large vocabulary and complex sentence structure for age
Advanced comprehension of word nuances, metaphors and abstract ideas
Enjoys solving problems, especially with numbers and puzzles
Often self-taught reading and writing skills as preschooler
Deep, intense feelings and reactions
Highly sensitive
Thinking is abstract, complex, logical, and insightful
Idealism and sense of justice at early age
Concern with social and political issues and injustices
Longer attention span and intense concentration
Preoccupied with own thoughtsdaydreamer
Learn basic skills quickly and with little practice
Asks probing questions
Wide range of interests (or extreme focus in one area)
Highly developed curiosity
Interest in experimenting and doing things differently
Puts idea or things together that are not typical
Keen and/or unusual sense of humor
Desire to organize people/things through games or complex schemas
Vivid imaginations (and imaginary playmates when in preschool)

https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/my-child-gifted/common-
characteristics-gifted-individuals
Dyslexia, also known as developmental reading disorder, refers to childs difficulty with reading, writing,
and spelling due to the brains decreased recognition of symbols (such as letters and numbers). Read
below for more information on Signs and Characteristics of Dyslexia

Signs of Dyslexia:
Difficulty reading single words, such as a word on a flashcard
Difficulty learning the connection between letters and sounds
Confusing small words, such as at and to
Letter reversals, such as d for b
Word reversals, such as tip for pit
Frequently adds and/or forgets letters in a word
Remembering simple sequences, for example names of people, telephone numbers
Difficulty understanding rhyming words
Recognize words that begin with the same sound
Easily clap hands to the rhythm of a song
Show understanding of right-left, up-down, front-back
Sit still for a reasonable period of time
Have difficulty with handwriting
Other members of your family having similar problems
Dreads verbal instructions
Difficulty keeping place when reading
Common Characteristics of Dyslexia Include:
Often gifted and creative
Difficulty rhyming words and sounds
Poor sequencing of numbers (12 for 21) and words (was for saw)
Poor spelling
Avoids reading aloud
Difficulty organizing ideas to speak or write
Avoids writing tasks
Left/right confusion
Slow to memorize alphabet and math facts
Reading comprehension difficulties
Trouble following oral instructions
Appearing restless or easily distracted

http://nspt4kids.com/parenting/dyslexia-signs-and-characteristics/
Dysgraphia

What is Dysgraphia? Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder that impairs the writing

process. It can involve difficulties with the physical aspects of writing (e.g. awkward
pencil grip or bad handwriting), spelling, or putting thoughts on paper. (National
Center for Learning Disabilities) Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability that
impairs legibility and automaticity of handwriting and/or spelling, regardless of the
students ability to read or comprehend and despite adequate intelligence. (Virginia
Berninger, 2006) Dyslexics suffer from dysgraphia also. A person can be dysgraphic
without having dyslexia. Characteristics of Dysgraphia Cramped fingers or unusual
grip on writing tool Odd wrist, body, and paper position Excessive erasures
Inconsistencies: mixing print/cursive and upper/lower case letters, irregular shapes,
sizes or slant of letters. Unfinished words or letters Inconsistent position on page
Inconsistent spacing between letters and words Slow or labored copying or writing
Misuse of line and margin General illegibility despite training Inattentiveness
about details when writing Frequent need for verbal cues and use of sub-vocalizing
Heavy reliance on vision to monitor what hand is doing during writing Slow
implementation of verbal directions that involve sequencing and planning

Resources
http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/Understanding_Dysgraphia_Fact_S
heet_12-01-08.pdf Fact sheet from the International Dyslexia Association
http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/2759 article reprinted from National
Center for Learning Disabilities
http://specialneedseducation.suite101.com/article.cfm/dysgraphia
CHARACTERISTICS OF DYSCALCULIA
There are many different types of dyscalculia with varying degrees, so the characteristics
are also numerous. Most characteristics are educational. A student with dyscalculia will not
be affected physically.

Educational

Students with dyscalculia may have the inability to understand the meaning of
numbers and their quantities (Logsdon, n.d.). They will have difficulty understanding
anything that is number related.

Dyscalculic students may also have a hard time remembering specific facts and
formulas (Greene, n.d.). This will cause students to become frustrated when having
to use the facts or formulas on an exam or assignment unless they are permitted to
use notes.

Some may have trouble learning basic arithmetic facts (Greene, n.d.). Unlike non-
dyscalculic students, they will have trouble with even the basic addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division which will ultimately lead to more difficulty since all of
mathematics uses arithmetic.

They also may have trouble telling and keeping track of time (Greene, n.d.).

Dyscalculic students may have trouble handling money as well (Greene, n.d.). The
students will have trouble figuring out how much change they will get back, may get
the denominations confused, or numerous other troubles with money.

They may also have trouble understanding abstract ideas (Greene, n.d.). Dyscalculic
students may understand concrete mathematics but may not be able to move on to
more abstract ideas.

Behavioral

Students with dyscalculia may have trouble paying attention in class (Auerbach,
Gross-Tsur, Manor, & Shalev, 2008). This is due to the fact that the student is
frustrated with the content and does not want to pay attention.

Students may also have aggressive behavior (Auerbach et al., 2008).

 According to Auerbach et al. (2008), students may also be anxious about class,
classwork, and exams.

Students may also be withdrawn (Auerbach et al., 2008). They do not want to be
embarrassed by giving wrong answers or not being able to understand when their
peers do understand.

Delinquent behavior may be common among dyscalculic students (Auerbach et al.,

2008). They will misbehave to take the attention away from the fact that they are
having trouble learning math when other students are understanding it with more
ease.

Physical
There are no physical characteristics of dyscalculia unless one considers neurological
characteristics as physical. Neurologically, the parts of the brain may have been damaged
during pregnancy or after that give the student trouble understand mathematics concepts
(Wilson, 2007).

Medical
There are no medical characteristics of dyscalculia.

http://dyscalculiainfo.weebly.com/characteristics.html
The Characteristics of
Developmental Verbal
Dyspraxia
What is Developmental Verbal
Dyspraxia?
Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia/Childhood Apraxia of Speech means the child
has difficulty with the coordination and movement patterns of speech muscles
that are needed for clear and intelligible speech. It can be completely separate
condition or it can co-occur with Dyspraxia (motor) which affects sequencing
and learning of motor movements such as learning to ride a bike.

Children with Verbal Dyspraxia usually have the same intelligence as other
children their age and most of the time they have full understanding of spoken
language, they know what they want to say but have difficulty actually saying it.
This can be a huge source of frustration for a child so it is recommended that
they visit a speech and language therapist for early intervention to ensure that
their confidence and self-esteem is not compromised.

If your child has difficulty in making single speech sounds consistently, difficulty
sequencing sounds together to make up words or has inconsistent production
and inconsistent errors in their speech they may have verbal dyspraxia.
 Characteristics identified in the
literature include:
Speech characteristics
A limited range of consonant and vowel speech sounds

Overuse of one sound (favourite articulation

Vowels sound different

Inconsistencies in speech production

Breakdown in sequencing in words, particularly as length increases (e.g.

had difficulty with multi-syllabic words such as butterfly

Errors of omission and substitution

Voice difficulties affecting volume, length, pitch, quality

Resonance difficulties affecting the overall tone of the speech

Difficulties affecting rate, rhythm, stress, intonation

Unintelligible speech

Co-occurring characteristics
Family history of speech, language or literacy difficulties

Delayed language development expressive usually more affected than

comprehension

Delayed development of early speech skills e.g. babbling

Feeding difficulties
 Oral dyspraxia affecting movements of the larynx, lips, tongue or palate

Generalised developmental dyspraxia affecting fine and /or gross motor

co-ordination Literacy difficulties affecting reading, spelling and writing

Slow progress in therapy

Literacy difficulties under co-occurring characteristics

Your Speech and Language Therapist will be able to advise whether a label of
Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia is appropriate to describe your childs speech
difficulties or whether another descriptor is more appropriate. Diagnosis of
Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia is complex and often becomes clearer over
time. It is generally recognised that children with Developmental Verbal
Dyspraxia do not get better without help. Usually they require regular, direct
therapy delivered by a Speech and Language Therapist, supported by frequent
practice outside the therapy sessions e.g. at home and /or in school.

Should you wish to book an appointment with one of our Speech & Language
Therapists please do no hesitate to contact us

Source: http://www.spectrumhealth.ie/developmental...
auditory discrimination

Signs and Symptoms of

Auditory Processing Disorder
Twitter 0Facebook 0Google+ 0

LinkedIn 3 Pin It Share0

inShare3

What Is Auditory Processing Disorder

and How Is It Different From ADHD?
 Auditory processing disorder, also called

central auditory processing disorder, is characterized by an inability to process,

interpret, and retain what a person hears. Children with auditory processing disorder
may struggle to understand speech in noisy environments, mix up similar speech
sounds, fail to follow directions, and misunderstand verbal instruction in the classroom,
which leads to difficulty in task completion both at home and at school.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities lists four types of auditory skills needed for
a child to properly process what he or she hears:

1. Auditory discrimination is the ability to notice, compare, and distinguish the distinct
and separate sounds in words. If a child has difficulty with auditory discrimination, he or
she may confuse similar words like seventy and seventeen, have trouble learning to
read, and be unable to follow directions even when the child appears to be paying
attention.

2. Auditory figure-ground discrimination is the ability to pick out important sounds

from a noisy background. A child who struggles with auditory figure-ground
discrimination may be unable to filter background conversations and noises to focus on
what is important. For example, a child may miss lessons in class if he or she can not
filter extraneous background noise in the classroom.

3. Auditory Memory is the ability to recall what is heard after a period of time and
includes both short-term and long-term memory. Difficulties associated with auditory
memory may include remembering peoples names, memorizing telephone numbers,
following multi-step directions, and recalling stories or songs.
4. Auditory sequencing is the ability to understand and recall the order of words.
Difficulties with auditory sequencing may include confusing numbers like 93 for 39 and
confusing lists and sequences. For example, a child with auditory sequencing problems
may not be able to complete a series of tasks in the right order. He or she may fail to be
able to do so even when appearing to have heard and understood the directions.

At first glance, a child with symptoms of auditory processing disorder may be thought to
have ADHD since he or she may appear to be inattentive. In addition, the outward
frustration exhibited by a child with auditory processing disorder may be mistaken for
impulsive or oppositional behavior. We encourage parents to closely observe a childs
struggles and difficulties in various settings to ensure he or she receives proper
support. Click here to read more about childhood disorders with symptoms that are
commonly mistaken for ADHD.

https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/2014/02/auditory-processing-disorder/

Visual
 ome characteristics of selective attention in visual perception determined
by vocal reaction time
Authors
Authors and affiliations
Charles W. Eriksen
James E. Hoffman

1. 1.
Article

Accepted:

03 August 1971

DOI: 10.3758/BF03210367

Cite this article as:

Eriksen, C.W. & Hoffman, J.E. Perception & Psychophysics (1972) 11: 169.
doi:10.3758/BF03210367

926 Downloads

Abstract

Previous research had found that the accuracy with which an S could report an indicated letter or
target in a briefly exposed multiletter display decreased as the number of irrelevant letters
increased, and accuracy increased if the position of the target letter was indicated 150 msec
before the display was presented. Iii the present experiment, these variables were reinvestigated
using vocal reaction time as the dependent variable. An interpretation of the accuracy measures
in terms of differential processing times was supported. The results of the two experiments were
discussed in terms of a model of attentional selectivity.
This investigation was supported by United States Public Health Service
Research Grant MH-1206 and United States Public Health Service Research
Career Program Award No. K6-MH-22014.

Download to read the full article text

If you
have

ADHD, you and I probably have similar

characteristics: Though you struggle with symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and
impulsiveness, you have had some success in life, thanks in no small part to the people around
you who accommodate you when your ADD/ADHD characteristics pose problems.

My wife, Dolores, is a middle-school teacher; being organized is essential to her job. She
manages her life according to a motto: a place for everything and everything in its place. Ive
always wished I could be like her!

Disorganization

Keeping my side of the bedroom in order always seemed too hard. For years, Dolores kept her
side of the room irreproachably neat, while I kept my side as best I could. Countless times I tried
to organize my stuff. I never attempted to make big changes, because when I did that, I knew I
would fail. So I tried small things, like not leaving books on the floor next to my side of the bed
or putting my running shoes back in the closet. But none of these micro-moves lasted for more
than a week or so. I was full of good intentions that never seemed to take hold.

Then I learned why. My ADHD coach, Victoria Ball, said one day, You know, Greg, people with
ADHD take 10 times as long as others to learn a habit and one-tenth the time to forget it.

Her insight reminded me of Stephen Coveys book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective
People. Covey talked about developing the habit of being proactive, and suggested that you
think of yourself as a computer that needs to be programmed. Highly effective people, he says,
program their own computer.

Poor Memory, Time Management

My coachs comments made me realize that my ADHD brain (or computer) is different from that
of most people. Mine thrives on creative, surprising, fun-loving programs. But its habit-forming
function needs upgraded software. For other people, a task becomes a habit after doing it two
or three times. It takes ADDers 20 or 30 times to accomplish the same thing.

I decided to apply this insight to organizing the bedroom. I made a list of the things I should do
each morning before leaving for the day, and taped it to the top of my dresser. It included all the
things I might forget to take with me, as well as some things my wife had been asking me to do
for years -- everything from removing papers from the floor to turning off the light and raising the
shades halfway, the way she likes it. I didnt tell Dolores about it. I hoped shed notice.

It took four months before I could do the morning routine 25 times in a row without forgetting
anything. My side of the room has been almost as neat as Doloress for two years now. And,
yes, she noticed.

Talkative, Poor Social Skills

I also used this technique to change some habits at work. I tended to be so vociferous during
brainstorming sessions that others around the conference table shut down. One colleague told
me that I exhibited despotic enthusiasm. I wanted to be more measured in my contributions.

I set two rules for myself during group discussions. I didnt speak until at least three other
people had spoken first, and I didnt contribute a second comment or question until at least one
other person had offered a second comment or question. Any questions or comments that I
didnt have the chance to express, I talked over with people individually after the group
discussion.

It took me three months before I got through 10 meetings following these rules. I still have to
remind myself every so often that this is a habit I want to keep -- otherwise my brain will drop it.
Now colleagues encourage me to share my ideas.
Has the technique turned my life around? Do I have a place for everything and keep everything
in its place? No. But I have a formula for personal change that allows me to enjoy my
characteristics -- my creativity and impulsivity -- while forming better habits about things that are
important to me and to those I care about.

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/8922.html