ABSTRACT
Early adolescence is a time of great change and challenge as children turn into teenagers on their way to young adulthood. Diverse gifted students frequently are victims of the three U's: under-identification, underrepresentation in programming and service, and underachievement. The practice of differentiation that is so much a part of both gifted and middle school education should extend to matching appropriate teaching and learning to CLED gifted learners. Societal expectations of docility and conformity lead to underachievement for gifted girls as they decrease the risk-taking behaviors of asking provocative questions, challenging authority, or guessing at answers. As with frequent misdiagnoses and over-diagnoses of ADHD in gifted learners, it can be challenging to distinguish between the profoundly gifted and those with a clinical diagnosis of ASD, as some outward behaviors may be similar. The gifts and talents of middle school students with disabilities can remain untapped without appropriate interventions.
