The Twice-Exceptional Dilemma

Samantha Abeel is learning disabled and gifted. She does not understand mathematical concepts, but she is an extremely talented writer. Samantha was on the edge of despair when a caring English teacher who recognized her hidden talents intervened, offering Samantha an opportunity to describe in words the hauntingly beautiful paintings of artist Charles R. Murphy.

The now-retired founder of Kinko’s mixes autobiographical anecdote with large doses of business advice in this candid, conversational account of his entrepreneurial rise. His autobiographical sections explain how a man with dyslexia, an uncontrollable temper and a mistrust of authority managed to grow a tiny California copy shop into a $2-billion-a-year company.

With a positive, friendly approach, this guide defines learning disabilities, illustrates the different types, and explains where they come from, all the while providing reassurance without overwhelming the child. Many Ways to Learn describes the effects learning disabilities have on young people’s behavior, performance, and emotions, and offers solid, proven suggestions for coping at home, in school, and with friends. It features a first-person account from a child with learning disabilities, a chapter on computers and an extensive resource list for parents. The message in Many Ways to Learn is that kids with learning disabilities have average or above-average intelligence; they just find it difficult to learn in a particular area or areas. With some help from school and family—and a little extra work on their part—they can do as well as anyone else.

This book deals with visual thinkers and computer data visualization, neurological research and gifted persons with learning difficulties — examining the role of visual-spatial strengths and verbal weaknesses in the lives of ten historical persons, including Albert Einstein, Michael Faraday, James Clerk Maxwell, Sir Winston Churchill, Gen. George Patton and William Butler Yeats.

In the Mind’s Eye was selected as one of the “Outstanding Academic Books of 1998” by Choice magazine, a publication of the Association of College & Research Libraries of the American Library Association. In January 1999, the book was designated as among the “best of the best” for 1998, being among 13 books in the psychology category recommended for inclusion in college and university libraries. Selection for the award is based on “overall excellence in presentation and scholarship, importance relative to other literature in the field, distinction as a first treatment.”

Author Rondalyn Varney Whitney, a pediatric occupational therapist, is the mother of Zac, a child who suffers from nonverbal learning disorder, or NLD. By definition, NLD is a neurological defect in children who are unable to recognize the nonverbal clues that make up 50 percent of communication. In Bridging the Gap, Whitney seamlessly weaves practical professional advice throughout the account of her passionate involvement with her son. She writes, “I believe that NLD, now thought to be as prevalent as dyslexia, is a difference and not a flaw.” She also warns parents and teachers that kids with NLD are likely to be misdiagnosed as lazy or defiant, so she urges readers to consider both the strengths (high intelligence and advanced verbal skills and memory) and weaknesses (low visual, spatial, and motor skills and deficits in social communication) of these kids.

This book tells the stories of eight people who never stopped trying. From humiliation in school and the anxiety of coping with everyday life unable to read street signs and menus, to shopping, driving, and working, these people lived in a world of dashed hopes and dreams — regardless of outward appearances — until they discovered their learning disability and unlocked their true gifts. Anyone who has ever endured a failure in school will appreciate the heartache of people who knew nothing but failure, yet held great potential.

Called “retarded,” “lazy,” “immature,” “delinquent,” and more, they managed to get by, all the while thinking that deep down they were worthless people—that everything anyone ever said about them was true. Except, as they would discover later in life, it wasn’t. Proceeds from the sale of The Pretenders will be used to further the work of the H.E.L.P. Program.