Author: Portešová, Š.
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The article introduces readers to the theme of what are known as „doubly ex-ceptional children“, i.e. intellectually gifted children with a handicap. In the school context this is most often a case of gifts coupled with a specific developmental learning disorder. The author looks at problems associated with the identification of this specific group of pupils in the school environment, considers the typical contradictions in their abilities, and describes the basic obstacles to the timely discovery of both above average potential and specific learning disorders. It shows that gifted children with SLDs are typically identified very late, in most cases in secondary school at the moment when a continuing learning disorder and unsuc-cessful attempt to get over it more seriously and obviously prevents the student from developing his talent and reduces the student‘s aspirations to develop his talent further.
In the next part of the article the author considers questions of the social and emo-tional adaptation of this specific group of gifted students. On the basis of detailed analysis of empirical studies of the con-sequences of failure to understanding the reasons for problems at school she dem-onstrates that this population of children has a particularly strong tendency to show intense frustration in certain subjects, to have long-term expectations of failure, but paradoxically to express fear of success and anxiety about to showing their exceptional abilities.
The article also offers a synthesis of basic educational and educational-psychological, empirically tested approaches and tech-niques most frequently used abroad in the educational care of this very specific population of pupils. Abroad, the best way of meeting their needs has proved to be specially created remedial courses aimed at developing the gift and remedying the handicap, sometimes acceleration in the area of the above-average abilities and remedy for the handicap with the help of a special teacher, the creation of an individual educational plan taking account of the development of gifts and remedy of handicaps, and in some cases the creation of special classes for gifted children with learning disorders. On the other hand, the specialist sources constantly emphasis that in choosing any kind of educational measure, it is always necessary to start from the basic educational needs of gifted children with learning disorders. The pri-orities are identification of exceptional gifts and specific handicaps, the design of an educational programme focused on the development of the gift, and the creation of an educational environment that respects individual difference and the development of effective compensation strategies. This problem is currently one of the most in-tensively studied areas of psychology and the education of the gifted, especially in the Anglo-American world. It is evident that in the Czech Republic too we need to devote more specialist attention to this population of gifted children.
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