LEARNING STYLES

Educators have identified 2 learning styles that have been observed in students identified as gifted: Visual-spatial and auditory-sequential. The auditory-sequential learner tends to have a more positive school experience than the visual-spatial learner. Children may be a mix of both styles.

AUDITORY-SEQUENTIAL	VISUAL-SPATIAL
Good listener	Astute observer
Learns sequentially	Learns holistically
Rapid processor	Needs more time to process
Thinks in words	Thinks in pictures
Works on one task at a time	Works on multiple tasks at a time

LEARNING DIFFERENCES

Current research suggests that 14% of children who are identified as “gifted” through the educational system are diagnosed with a learning disorder. Differences in learning are difficult to identify, particularly among bright children. Some children are never identified as “gifted” due to learning differences that make it difficult for their full potential to be expressed.

The 3 most common diagnosed learning differences are:

Dyslexia (Reading Differences)

Difficulty translating the printed word into spoken word, breaking down words into sounds, sounding out words, remembering familiar words, and comprehending what was read.

Dysgrapia (Writing Differences)

Difficulty putting thoughts into written form.

Dyscalculia (Math Differences)

Difficulty remembering math facts or understanding the symbols and language of math. Often have poor awareness of sizes, shapes, and directions, as well as estimating and sequencing.