Students who are gifted and have dyslexia have lots of strengths. Let these students know about and give them opportunities to develop their areas of strength. Common strengths among students who are gifted and have dyslexia:

• able to identify and determine more quickly whether it's possible or impossible to build/create "impossible objects" (examples include M.C. Escher paintings or Mobius strips)

• excellent three dimensional visualization

• many have artistic talent

• can easily recognize patterns and anomalies

• can be especially creative

• have entrepreneurial abilities

• divergent thinkers

To support their disability while focusing on their strengths, do the following:

• have them work with manipulatives, such as clay, when creating and learning words

• illustrate any written work that they do so that they can express their learning using visuals

• provide them with opportunities to verbally communicate, such as telling stories and practicing applying vocabulary

• use assistive technology, such as speech-to-text apps

• encourage them to think about career opportunities that align with their gifts and/or how to create their own business utilizing their creativity

• show them positive role models, especially famous people who have learning disabilities and maximized their strengths and became successful