Please cite this article in press as: Burger-Veltmeijer, A. E. J., et al. The co-occurrence of intellectual giftedness and Autism Spectrum Disorders: A literature review. Educational Research Review (2010), doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2010.10.001 ARTICLE IN PRESS G Model EDUREV-78; No. of Pages 22 Educational Research Review xxx (2010) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Educational Research Review journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/EDUREV Review The co-occurrence of intellectual giftedness and Autism Spectrum Disorders: A literature review Agnes E.J. Burger-Veltmeijer ∗ , Alexander E.M.G. Minnaert 1 , Els J. Van Houten-Van den Bosch 2 University of Groningen, Department of Educational Sciences, Grote Rozenstraat 38, 9712 TJ Groningen, The Netherlands article info Article history: Received 2 July 2009 Received in revised form 11 October 2010 Accepted 12 October 2010 Keywords: Giftedness Intelligence Autism Asperger Needs-based assessment abstract This systematic literature review explored the state of the art concerning the theoreti- cal and empirical knowledge of the twice-exceptionality of Intellectual Giftedness and Autism Spectrum Disorders (IG + ASD) 3 , in relation to diagnostic and assessment issues. After searching and examining publications in peer-reviewed journals and dissertations, we encountered a variety of methodologies being used. The results showed the absence, until now, of theoretical conceptualisations of the phenomenon IG + ASD. Nevertheless, this contribution revealed some converging tendencies concerning both personal charac- teristics and diagnostic and assessment issues, between publications with and without Systematic Identification Measures (SIM). Some findings, like the ‘superior non-verbal abilities’, are discussed in relation to (controversial) image formation of IG and IG + ASD. Altogether, the results indicated the need for an in-depth exploration and conceptualisation of the phenomenon IG + ASD. Meanwhile, future research should also address the practical psychological-educational need for both classification-based and needs-based assessment procedures, regarding students with (suspicion of) IG + ASD. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 00 1.1. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) .......................................................................................... 00 1.2. Intellectual giftedness (IG) .................................................................................................. 00 1.3. IG in co-occurrence with ASD (IG + ASD) ................................................................................... 00 1.4. Research questions .......................................................................................................... 00 2. Method .............................................................................................................................. 00 2.1. Search ....................................................................................................................... 00 2.2. Inclusion criteria ............................................................................................................ 00 3. Results .............................................................................................................................. 00 3.1. Definitions and identification ............................................................................................... 00 3.1.1. SIM publications ................................................................................................... 00 3.1.2. Non-SIM publications ............................................................................................. 00 ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +31 402432675. E-mail addresses: A.E.J.Burger-Veltmeijer@rug.nl, info@agnesburger.nl (A.E.J. Burger-Veltmeijer), A.E.M.G.Minnaert@rug.nl (A.E.M.G. Minnaert), E.J.van.Houten@rug.nl (E.J. Van Houten-Van den Bosch). 1 Tel.: +31 503636495/503636566. 2 Tel.: +31 503636880/503636566. 3 All abbreviations are explained below Table 1 in ‘abbreviations Tables 1 and 2’. 1747-938X/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2010.10.001