GLD

Education systems abound in acronyms. A new one to me was GLD, gifted learning disabled.   This applies to children who are gifted but have a learning disability, compounding the difficulty of meeting their needs in the classroom. They are also referred to as twice exceptional (2e) or double labelled.  Sometimes it can be hard for a teacher to switch focus from the disability to the standout intellectual capability, so the child’s giftedness is often ignored while everyone tries to sort out the disability which might be ADD, Asperger’s syndrome, dyslexia, or physical or emotional problems.

 It reminds me of a child I met when I was sitting in on my son’s first class lessons. This boy was outstanding at maths but in every other respect non-communicative, a loner in the classroom, undeniably odd and somewhat neglected.  I still think of him and wonder what happened to him. So I am glad that the spotlight is being placed on him and his like.