Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.9722/JGTE.2011.21.3.595

How Does Giftedness Coexist with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)? Understanding the Cognitive Mechanism of Gifted ASD  

Song, Kwang-Han (Wonkwang University)
Publication Information
Journal of Gifted/Talented Education / v.21, no.3, 2011 , pp. 595-610 More about this Journal
Abstract
It is hard to understand the coexistence of giftedness and disorder in an individual, but the twice-exceptional is widely recognized now. Gifted autistic spectrum disorder is one of its subtypes in which giftedness exists with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) simultaneously. Like other constructs including giftedness, the nature of gifted ASD has not been understood in a fundamental and wholistic manner. This paper suggests a cognitive mechanism of gifted ASD based on the integrated model of human abilities(Song, 2009; Song & Porath, 2005), which explains how giftedness coexists with ASD and interacts with each other, producing the characteristics of gifted individuals with ASD. According to the suggested mechanism, the excessive growth of mental spaces in the brain may cause ASD. The over-grown mental spaces result in excessively strong short-term sensory memory and better facility of processing, promoting internal cognitive activities on one hand, but relative lack of cognitive activities in the real world space results in ASD symptoms on the other hand. The cognitive structure of gifted ASD students also contributes to the presentation of giftedness in specific domains. This study suggests that gifted individuals with ASD need to be discouraged from fully engaging in domains they are interested in or the most confident of, rather to be encouraged to invest their giftedness to overcome their ASD symptoms. This study also provides new perspectives on theoretical and educational approaches for gifted ASD.
Keywords
Twice-exceptional; Autistic spectrum disorder; Gifted autistic spectrum disorder;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 Sullivan, R. (1992). Rain Man and Joseph. In E. Schopler, & G. Mesibov (Eds.), High-functioning individuals with autism (pp. 243-250). New York: Avon.
2 Terman, L. M. (1925). Genetic studies of genius: Vol. 4. The gifted child grows up. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
3 Treffert, D. A. (1988). The idiot savant: A review of the syndrome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 145, 563-572.   DOI
4 Nicpon, M. F., Allmon, A., Sieck, B., & Stinson, R. D. (2011). Empirical investigation of twice-exceptionality: Where have we been and where are we going? Gifted Child Quarterly, 55, 3-17.   DOI   ScienceOn
5 Park, C. (1982). The siege: The first eight years of an autistic child. Boston: Back Bay Books.
6 Renzulli, J. S. (1978). What makes giftedness? Re-examining a definition. Phi Delta Kappan, 60, 180-186.
7 Rimland, B,. & Fein, D. (1988). Special talents of autistic savants. In L. K. Obler, & D. Fein (Eds.). The Exceptional Brain (pp. 155-169). New York: Plenum Press.
8 Rimland, B., & Hill, A. L. (1983). Idiot savant. In J. Wortis (Eds.), Mental retardation and developmental disabilities (pp.155-169). New York: Plenum Press.
9 Song, K. H. (2009). Understanding giftedness through general and domain-specific aspects of intelligence. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia.
10 Song, K. H. (2010). Understanding autism in a cognitive mechanism: Why and how the characteristics of autism appear. 한국특수교육학회, 45(2), 115-130.
11 Song, K. H., & Porath, M. (2005). Common and domain-specific cognitive characteristics of gifted students: An integrated model of human abilities. High Ability Studies, 16, 229-246.
12 Spearman, C. (1927). The abilities of man. London: MacMillan.
13 Jensen, A. R. (1988). The suppressed relationship between IQ and the reaction time slope parameter of the Hick function. Intelligence, 26, 43-52.
14 Sternberg, R. (1988). Beyond IQ: A triarchic theory of human intelligence. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
15 Hill, E. L., & Frith, U. (2003). Understanding autism: insights from mind and brain. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 358, 281-289.   DOI   ScienceOn
16 Huber, D. H. (2007). Clinical presentation of autistic spectrum disorders in intellectually gifted students (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Iowa, Iowa City.
17 Julie, A., & Reuben, A. (1994). The autistic savant: Recognizing and serving the gifted student with autism. Roeper Review, 16(4), 252-256.   DOI   ScienceOn
18 Kanner, L. (1968). Autistic disturbances of affective contact. Acta Paedopsychiatr, 35(4), 100-136.
19 Klein, P. D. (1997). Multiplying the problems of intelligence by eight: A critique of Gardner's theory. Canadian Journal of Education, 22, 377-394.   DOI   ScienceOn
20 Klin, A., & Volkmar, F. R. (1995). Guidelines for parents: Assessment, diagnosis, and intervention of Asperger Syndrome. Pittsburgh, PA: Learning Disabilities Association of America.
21 Matthews, D. J. (1993). Domains of development: Linguistic giftedness understood contextually. Exceptionality Education Canada, 3(3), 1-23.
22 Meyer, J. A. (2001-2002). Cognitive patterns in autism spectrum disorders. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 27, 27-35.   DOI   ScienceOn
23 Morgan, H. (1996). An analysis of Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligence. Roeper Review, 18, 263-269.   DOI   ScienceOn
24 National Association for Gifted Children (2008). NAGC position paper: Use of the WISC-IV for gifted identification. Retrieved September 7, 2011, from http://www.nagc.org/uploadedFiles/Information_and_Resources/Position_Papers/WISC-IV.pdf
25 Donnelly, J. A., & Altman, R. (1994). The autistic savant: Recognizing and serving the gifted student with autism. Roeper Review, 16, 252-256.   DOI   ScienceOn
26 Neihart, M. (1999). The impact of giftedness on psychological well-being: What does the empirical literature say? Roeper Review, 22(1), 10-17.   DOI
27 Channon, S., Charman, T., Heap, J., Crawford, S., & Rios, P. (2001). Real-life-type problem-solving in Asperger's syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 31, 461-469.   DOI   ScienceOn
28 Coleman, M. R., Harradine, C., & King, E. W. (2005). Meeting the needs of students who are twice exceptional. Teaching Exceptional Children, 38, 5-6.   DOI
29 Feldhusen, J. E., & Jarwan, F. A. (1993). Identification of gifted and talented youth for educational programs. In K. A. Heller, F. J. Monks, & C. De Wet (Eds.), A kaleidoscope of diverse populations in gifted education: Critical issues in the field. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
30 Gallagher, S. A., & Gallagher, J. J. (2002). Giftedness and Asperger's syndrome: A new agenda for education. Understanding Our Gifted, 14, 1-9.
31 Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books.
32 Gathercole, S. E. (1998). The development of memory. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39, 3-27.   DOI   ScienceOn
33 Geschwind, N. (1982). Why Orton was right. Annals of Dyslexia, 32, 13-30.   DOI   ScienceOn
34 Gillberb, C., & Coleman, M. (1992). The biology of the autistic syndromes (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.
35 Gottfredson, L. S. (2002). g: Highly general and highly practical. In R. Sternberg (Ed.), The general factor of intelligence: How general is it? (pp.331-380). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
36 Grandin, T. (1992). An inside view of autism. In E. Schopler & G. B. Mesibov (Eds.), High functioning individuals with autism (pp. 105-128). New York: Plenum Press.
37 Grandin, T. (1995). Thinking in picture. New York: Doubleday.
38 Assouline, S. G., Foley N. M., & Doobay, A. (2009). Profoundly gifted girls and autism spectrum disorder: A psychometric case study comparison. Gifted Child Quarterly, 53, 89-105.   DOI   ScienceOn
39 Happe, F., & Frith, U. (2009). The beautiful otherness of the autistic mind. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 364, 1345-1350.   DOI
40 Helt, M., Kelley, E., Kinsbourne, M., Pandey, J., Boorstein, H., Herbert, M., & Fein, D. (2008). Can children with autism recover? If so, how? Neuropsychol Rev, 18, 339-366.   DOI   ScienceOn
41 Ayres, J. (1979). Sensory integration and the child. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.
42 Baddeley, A. D., & Logie, R. H. (1999). Working memory: The multiple component model. In A. Miyake, & P. Shah (Eds.). Models of working memory: Mechanisms of active maintenance and executive control (pp. 28-61). New York: Cambridge University Press.
43 Baum, S. M., & Owen, S. V. (2004). To be gifted and learning disabled: Strategies for helping bright students with LD, ADHD, and more. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.
44 Brody, L. E., & Mills, C. J. (1997). Gifted children with learning disabilities: A review of the issues. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30, 282-296.   DOI   ScienceOn
45 Carroll, J. B. (1993). Human cognitive abilities: A survey of factor-analytic studies. New York: Cambridge University Press.
46 Casanova, M. F., Switala, A. E., Trippe, J., & Fitzgerald, M. (2007). Comparative minicolumnar morphometry of three distinguished scientists. Autism, 11, 557-569.   DOI   ScienceOn
47 Cash, A. B. (1999). A profile of gifted individuals with autism: The twice-exceptional learner. Roeper Review, 22, 22-27.   DOI
48 Case, R. (1985). Intellectual development: Birth to adulthood. New York: Academic.
49 Case, R. (1992). (Ed.). The mind's staircase. Exploring the conceptual underpinnings of children's thought and knowledge. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
50 Case, R., Demetriou, A., Platsidou. M., & Kazi, S. (2001). Integrating concepts and tests of intelligence from the differential and developmental traditions. Intelligence, 29, 307-336.   DOI   ScienceOn
51 Winner, E. (1996). Gifted children. New York: Basic Books.
52 Weinfeld, R., Barnes-Robinson, L., Jeweler, S., & Shevitz, B. (2002). Academic programs for gifted and talented/learning disabled students. Roeper Review, 24, 226-233.   DOI   ScienceOn
53 West, T. G. (1991). In the mind's eye: Visual thinkers, gifted people with learning difficulties, computer images, and the ironies of creativity. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books.