Research & Writing

Webcast on Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities

See me speak about my research on identifying gifted students with learning disabilities with Scott Barry Kaufman for the webcast series "Critical conversations about cognitive diversity" from Bridges 2e Media & the 2e Center for Research and Professional Development.

Recognizing & Supporting 2e Students

This article for parents and teachers was originally published on 2eNews and is available on my website. The article summarizes my 2020 research article from Gifted Child Quarterly, Cognitive and achievement characteristics of students from a national sample identified as potentially twice-exceptional (gifted with a learning disability). You can download a copy of the research manuscript by clicking on the PDF icon to the right. 

ADHD Symptoms in Underachieving Gifted Students

Could undiagnosed ADHD be the cause of some gifted students' underachievement?  This article for parents and teachers was written for 2eNews.com and is based on a 2020 research article from Gifted Child Quarterly by Betsy McCoach, Del Siegle, and Lisa DaVia Rubenstein. Read the full text here.

The Identification of Gifted Students Who Have a Learning Disability: A Comparison of Different Diagnostic Criteria

Which criteria should we use to identify students as gifted with a learning disability?  In this article in Gifted Child Quarterly, I compared different criteria suggested in the literature, identified problems and strengths with the criteria, and offered recommendations for more accurate identification. I also discussed this article in my webcast conversation with Scott Barry Kaufman, here.

Advice from a 2e Young Adult

Imagine your gifted or twice-exceptional kid as a young adult.  If you could ask them about this current time in their life, what do you think they would say?  Who will they say helped them, and how?  In this conversation with Martika Theis, an autistic 2e young adult and twice-exceptional advocate, Martika shared her own reflections on growing up 2e and advice for parents and educators who want to support 2e students. This piece was originally published on 2eNews.com.  Read the full text here.

How to Support 2e College Students

Many students with learning disabilities never graduate college, but what about twice-exceptional (2e) students who have a learning disability and are also gifted?  Are these students also at risk of drop-out?  Can they excel in college with the right supports?  If so, what supports would be most helpful? In this article, I summarize and comment on four studies that looked at 2e college students in a creative way.  Read the full text here.

Families & Schools

This book chapter was written with Cindy Carlson and Kris Scardamalia for the APA Handbook of Contemporary Family Psychology: Applications and Broad Impact of Psychology.  In the chapter, we discuss the relationship between family functioning and children's school experiences and describe models of successful home-school collaboration.

Effects of Cognitive Abilities on Child and Youth Academic Achievement: Evidence from the WISC-V and WIAT-III

This article was written with Jackie Caemmerer, Tim Keith, & Matt Reynolds and published in Intelligence in 2018.  We looked at which cognitive abilities (for example, verbal abilities, processing speed, working memory) are related to specific areas of academic achievement and whether the effects vary by age.  Different cognitive abilities are important for different areas of achievement.