This book addresses a wide range of issues situated in the core of theoreticians' and clinicians' work in the field of giftedness. It gathers practical issues, relevant for the lives of many gifted children, adolescents and adults, from a neuropsychological point of view. By studying the basic questions in gifted education through a…

Data show that people with disabilities are consistently less likely to be working than their non-disabled counterparts. In this Data Note, the employment rate for working-age people is compared across disability types, as well as those without disabilities. While employment rates across disability subpopulation groups vary, all disability groups…

School psychologists are asked to provide a number of different services in schools, including evaluating and providing recommendations to educators and parents on children and adolescents with rare genetic conditions. One genetic disorder with physical, cognitive, and behavioral features is Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). PWS is a unique genetic…

Adolescence is chaotic for all individuals, but LGBTQ adolescents with intellectual and/or physical disabilities struggle with what it means to be furthest from the majority. These teens experience varying exclusions and harassments from peers, educators, and family members. Contemporary young adult literature can assist these adolescents through…

Since the 1990s the number of children with disabilities placed within the general education classroom has steadily increased. Many of these children are provided special education services under the generic disability title "intellectual disability." Over the past decade, there has been a significant amount of research concerning rare…

Students with physical disabilities face challenges because of the way they look, communicate, or behave. What children see--the visual--is often central to what they think, and in today's world the thinking of adolescents is being influenced by images more than ever before. Both still and moving images are capturing the attention of adolescents…

Students with head injuries may not be as "low incidence" as previously believed. Recent efforts from the American Academy of Pediatrics (2010), the National Football League, and other agencies are attempting to raise awareness of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among students. Along with awareness, there has been an increased publicity effort via…

Spina bifida, a congenital physical disability, is indirectly associated with difficulties in scholastic achievement, social development, and self-determination. Environment can have an impact on psychosocial development and impede functioning academically, socially, and vocationally. Counselors must be aware of the societal atmosphere to identify…

The Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) for cerebral palsy has been widely used internationally for clinical, research, and administrative purposes. This paper recounts the ideas and work behind the creation of the GMFCS, reports on the lessons learned, and identifies some philosophical challenges inherent in trying to develop an…

Every year, under the federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), millions of children with disabilities receive special services designed to meet their unique needs. Early intervention services are provided through the state to infants and toddlers with disabilities under three years of age and their families. For…

In this article, the author shares the story of his son, Joshua Pauls. Josh is an energetic young man who learned at a very young age not to let anything stop him from achieving his dreams. Born with a birth defect known as bilateral bibia hemimelia, which means he was born without his tibia bone in both of his legs, Josh was only 10 months old…

When a child first receives a diagnosis and a treatment plan that includes recommendations for bracing, the prospect of intensive orthotic intervention can be daunting for the parent. Braces traditionally represent a prominent visual cue that the child has trouble walking. The classic brace seems awkward and hard to get into and out of. It is…

The author discusses the weaknesses of medical and preventive treatment facilities (MPTFs) that provide specialized medical assistance to an increasing number of youth with complex psychophysical impairments. Maintaining that substantial improvement of the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures for adolescents in an MPTF is possible by creating…

The case study focuses on a family's relationship and communication regarding their teenage daughter's need for corrective orthopedic surgery. (CL)

In this article, the author profiles her son Nathan Watt, a 14-year-old who was born with Spina Bifida, who does not allow setbacks to keep him from achieving his goals and dreams in the areas of writing, recording, and performing his own music. He has also opened a business website and turned his story, "Anything is Possible," into a color story…