We used qualitative methods to study 12 young people with learning disabilities who were successful at the college level. The participants reported negative school experiences, verified by their parents and school records, such as social problems, difficulty with teachers, and frustration with certain academic areas. The interaction of their high abilities and their learning disabilities produced a number of negative consequences since their talents were not usually addressed by the school system they attended. However, despite these experiences, participants were able to integrate specific personal traits and special compensation strategies and environmental modifications to succeed in a challenging university setting.

Gifted students who experience difficulty with reading, mathematics, spelling, handwriting, and organization frequently become frustrated at an early age. Well-intentioned teachers attempt to remediate their weaknesses; yet, these youngsters still feel alone in the classroom. Moreover, their academic limitations often mask enormous talent, which seldom has an opportunity to surface. Thus, gifted learning-disabled students require curriculum that develops their special talents and provides them strategies to compensate for problematic weaknesses. This article discusses the dual characteristics of gifted learning-disabled students and suggests a unique curriculum that integrates both through talent development. Developed through Project HIGH HOPES, funded federally by the Javits Act (1993)(1994)(1995)(1996), this dually differentiated curriculum offers strategies for addressing students' learning problems while fulfilling their need for sophisticated challenge through advanced-level content and a focus on solving authentic, real-world problems.

To investigate how high-ability students With c rnllig disabilities succeed in postsecondary academic environ-M 3hg I I _ ments, 12 Young adults 'With disabilities who wer stic -_ cessful at the university level were studied. Exteiisi-s d interviews with these young adults provided examples o fM the problems faced by high-ability students writh leIarning disabilities, as well as the specific compensation strategies i thev used to address and overcome these problems. [our g ___ of the participants had been identified as having a learn-_ ing disability ih elementary school; six were identified inl /_ junior or senior high school; and o were rot diagnosed until college. The participants believed that having a . learning disability was considered by elemrientary or secotidary school personnel as synonymous with belowaverge ability. They reported that content retmiediatinol, rather than instruction in compensatory strategies, was usually provided in elementary -ind secondary school 8 at learning disability progTams. In this article, the coMPellnsation strategies used by academically gifted students who 3 _ _ succeeded in college are discussed. These include: study \ strategies, cognitive/learning strategies. colllpensatorVn _ _ supports, environmental accommodations, opportunities _ for counseling, self-advocacy, and the development of ani individual plan incorporating a focus on tnetacognition and ecutive functions. Although researchers have reported that gifted students tY t with learning disabilities are often productive in nonacademic tI | CCS settings

an students with learning and attention difficulties in school actually be talented scientists in disguise? If we look to history to answer this question, we see compelling evidence that giants such as Thomas Edison, Sir Is a a c Newton, and Leonardo da Vinci might have been students like this. Similar to struggling students today, they had passion, c u r i o s i t y, and commitment to pursue learning, often in unconventional ways. Unlike students today, howe ve r, these school f a i l u res could opt to learn elsew h e ref re q u e n t l y, by themselves or with a mentor. To d a y, we have multiple ways to support our student scientists. There are magnet schools, special schools in math and science, Ad vanced Placement courses, and honors classes that p u r p o rt to provide the necessary scaffolding to actualize the talent of potential scientists. For students not achieving academi c a l l y, howe ve r, these options are often not available because their talent is frequently obscured by their lack of achieve m e n t , their displays of inappropriate classroom behavior, or both. Mo re specifically, to be accepted into these special pro g r a m s , students must demonstrate superior scores on standard i ze d tests of reading and math. Clearly, had these been re q u i re m e n t s in Ed i s o n's day, his talent would have been neither found nor nurtured. We know, furt h e r m o re, of some students who experience difficulties with reading and writing (areas emphasize d heavily in school), but who have talents in science. Un f o rt u n a t e l y, these students are not acknowledged for their abilities due to the re s t r i c t i ve criteria of test scores and grades. T h e re f o re, Project High Hopes set out to address this critical issue: Could there be a talent development model in science that would both identify potential talent and provide a program in which reading and writing we re not re q u i red for success? A Talent Development Model To create a model to meet these criteria we needed sound t h e o retical evidence concerning students with special needs and the best practices of talent development. Sp e c i f i c a l l y, we needed to address these three questions: (a) How do gifted students with special needs learn? (b) How is scientific talent

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