An exploration of ability in dis-ability: Narrative

tapestries of twice-exceptional children

QAGTC/IRATDE/AAEGT 2015 International Conference:

Illuminating the Spectrum of Giftedness and Talent Development Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre

19th, 20th and 21st March

Michelle Ronksley-Pavia BA(Hons)(Vis.Arts), PGCE, GrDipEd(Sec), MEd (G&T)

School of Education and Professional Studies

Griffith University

Gold Coast

m.ronksley-pavia@griffith.edu.au

Outline of the Study:

This study examined the lived experiences of eight

children identified as twice exceptional – discussing four

here

Through semi-structured interviews

Using Portfolio of Artefacts

Four interviews – spread out over approximately one

month

In the children’s homes

Followed by parents’ interview

Aims:

To understand how children, who are twice exceptional,

have experienced social and education systems;

reveal any inequities in education, societal and cultural

expectations for these individuals;

What it means to be twice exceptional to these

individuals;

to understand the factors which form their identities

formation of both disability and giftedness as socially

constructed concepts.

Research Background

Under-researched area – particularly in

Australia

Disability and giftedness can occur in any

socio-economic background, culture, gender

and region.

This study prioritised the ‘voices’ of children,

This session presents preliminary findings in

the form of narrative tapestries or narrative

story constellations

Methodology

Part 1: Recruit participants who identify as twice

exceptional – examine assessments, reports and

school records

Part 2: The narrative-informed case studies

using 3-4 separate interviews with each child,

followed by a parent interview

Four of the Participant’s…

Name Gender Age Disability Giftedness

Cat51

Male 9,5m ASD, sensory issues,

fine motor issues,

Anxiety Disorder

WISC-IV (7yrs)

GAI 121

Ashley Female 15, 9m ASD- PDD – (NOS),

Semantic Pragmatic

Language Disorder,

Anxiety Disorder

WPPSI-R

(4yrs,1m)

FSIQ 103;

Sayler’s Chklst

Buster

Male 13, 5m ASD, Dyslexia,

Dysgraphia,

ADHD – PIP,

CAPD,

Anxiety Disorder

WISC-IV (9yrs)

GAI 130

Anny Female 12, 1m ADHD-PIP, CAPD,

Anxiety Disorder

SB-5 (6yrs, 5m)

FSIQ 138

The Research Process…

Interview Interview Focus Task Tasks

Pre-interview

meeting

Getting to know each other;

establishing a rapport; building trust

Introduce myself, PoA – give child

their box, interview structure,

begin to establish rapport/trust,

interview setting (child’s home –

floor or where they feel

comfortable sitting)

Prepare for 1st interview, Arrange

first interview time/date with ‘gatekeepers’

First

interview

Questions 1-4- How Q’s: Tell

about self; Experiences in context

Establish rapport/trust, PoA –

interview setting (floor etc. where child is comfortable)

Arrange second interview

time/date; Transcribe and initial interview analysis

Second

interview

Questions 5-11 - Do Q’s:

Experiences in context &

concrete details about lived

experiences; talk about relationships.

Continue to build rapport/trust

PoA, – interview setting (floor etc.

where child is comfortable)

Arrange third interview time/date;

Transcribe and initial interview

analysis

Third

Interview

Questions 12-19 – Concrete

details about lived experiences

& Reflect on meaning of

experiences (making

intellectual/emotional connections)

Continue to build rapport/trust

PoA, – interview setting (floor etc.

where child is comfortable)

Arrange fourth interview time/date;

Transcribe and initial interview

analysis

Fourth

interview

Questions 20-26 – Reflect on

experiences (making

intellectual/emotional connections); Future

Continue to build rapport/trust –

interview setting (floor etc. where child is comfortable)

Followed by parent interview;

Transcribe and initial interview analysis

Parents’

interview

Reflect on experiences

(making intellectual/emotional

connections – co-construction

of narrative)

Questions that have arisen during

the interview phase and from any documentation

Transcribe and initial interview

analysis – final storied narrative sent to child for member checking

Narrative Tapestries

Narrative threads – bringing together the narrative

threads to form a cohesive tapestry

Tapestry as landscape

Links in with Clandinin & Connelly’s (1996) teachers’

knowledge as ‘working landscapes’

Knowledge funnelled into school through companion story

sets - Teacher stories/stories of teachers; School

stories/Stories of school

Craig (2007) added - Stories of community/Community

stories; Stories of reform/Reform stories - Craig

Cat51

Highly creative; vivid imagination

Loves science, reading, hates writing

Self-Description: “I like something that’s very hard, you can’t really

describe me that well, to just somebody... it’s very hard... especially in

school, when they ask you like what grade or year I am, right now that’s

probably the hardest thing to ever answer. Because I’m a grade 3 right

now and for my age, grade 3 and when I get back to school I’ll be a

grade 4... so... going into grade 5.”

Description of disability: “… autism is something that you’re born with

and you have, and you see the world a bit differently to others and you

can’t change that and it’s fine. And it’s not fake it’s just something that

you have and you just can’t stop it, because nothing’s wrong with it. It’s

just you know, more, it’s called autism, you’ve got high functioning, so

I’m a tiny bit and you know I’m good, so... yeah.”

Ashley Highly creative

Loves art and music

Self-Description: “I’m terrible at describing myself. I suffer from this so

terribly … I’ve never been a very judgemental person, mainly because

I’ve had these issues myself that I don’t want people to judge me, so I

would never judge someone else as well. And I think it’s also to do with

the fact that both my parents aren’t very judgemental people so I’ve just

naturally instinctively realised it as well and I like to think that I’m an

approachable person and someone that people can talk to if necessary.”

Description of disability: “Thankfully I don’t think I’ve had too many

issues, compared to some people mine hasn’t, what my disability is

hasn’t had to really being a one that is cause too much problems in my

class and stuff like that… “I would feel really nervous, sort of sick in the

stomach, stuff like that, and I’d always be on edge…I would normally go

grab the cat, try and pre-occupy myself with something else. So that was

sort of in a sense an action plan for same result…”

Buster

Highly creative

Loves reading, Media Arts, dislikes writing

Self-Description: “Now that’s a tricky one. Depends, if I’m comfortable

with someone. I’ll be really joking around and I want to talk about well

whatever you want to talk about. I would say that I would be quite

friendly and quite a caring person …That’s about it, really.”

Description of disability: “I find it harder to write down extra-long pieces

of text off the board. It’s hard for me to spell words and my writing’s

messy. My disabilities are dyslexia, autism and ADHD and sometimes I

get anxiety. That’s all I really know. I’m a pretty good reader, I read a lot,

so yeah, not bad at that. If it’s during say like school holidays, my

disabilities don’t affect me as much as if it was during school. Because

I’ve got to spell a lot at school and write a lot of stuff, but during school

holidays I don’t do as much writing so I don’t think it affects me as

much.”

Anny

Highly creative

Love art and playing the piano

Self-Description: “If it goes to learning, I think myself, I learn with the

right side of my brain so I don’t learn very logically I learn with things like

using highlighters [pens] and colours and so obviously my two favourite

subjects would be English and art… My family are important to me. I find

them really important to me, they connect to me really well and they

support me at times.”

Description of disabilities: “Thinking about my anxiety and my hearing.

Well, I don’t really tell people, because people interpret a hearing

problem as in like they can’t hear. I have to say my hearing is a whole lot

better than an average human’s because I can hear so many things. …

Sometimes it’s because there’s a lot of noise in the classroom, and my

brain is like trying to get one thing and trying not to get distracted…With

anxiety, I just find it really hard sometimes ... I get stressed for really little

things that don’t actually really matter, and that sort of stuff. I find it really

hard to cope with things. I just get stressed with all that…”

Preliminary Findings:

Themes in the Narratives

Emerging Theme Elaboration

Perfectionism Get it ‘perfect’ or don’t try/bother

Bullying By teachers/school administrators; other students

Advocacy Parents and self-advocacy; prejudice ;stigma

Tall Poppy Syndrome Challenge giftedness – looking for opportunities to

disprove

Stress Immense frustration; physical and mental health

implications

Lack of Understanding Onus to prove G & D; lack of knowledge of 2e

Financial stress Remediation; ‘Care’; testing/assessments

Heterogeneity 2e don’t fit in a ‘neat box’; Atypical

Pets Importance/value of; stress release

Compromise/Trade-Off’s Either D OR G catered for, not both

Lack of Equity Not provided with equitable opportunities

Where to From Here…

Inform an action agenda for change in policies and

practice

Strongly aligned with the goals of delivering social

dividends through research, and positively influencing

communities through research and scholarly activities.

Aim to significantly add to the current limited

qualitative research literature on twice-exceptional

children.

Increase societal awareness of the apparent

paradoxical notion of the co-existence of disability and

giftedness through examining and presenting their

lived-experiences.

Questions Please

Think of some later… please email me m.ronksley-pavia@griffith.edu.au