Thursday, August 27th

9.30 Opening words
Bjørn Myskja, Dean for Research, Faculty of Arts, NTNU
Mila Dimitrova-Vulchanova, organizing committee
Talent in the face of deficit: past, present and future

10.00 Joel Talcott, Aston University, UK
What is specific in specific learning disabilities?

11.00 Coffee break

11.30 Jussi Niemi, Joensuu University, Finalnd
Heterogeneity of linguistic performance in Asperger Syndrome

12.30 Lunch

14.00 Mila Dimitrova-Vulchanova, NTNU
Language against the Odds or rather not: a case study

15.00 David Saldaña, University of Sevilla, Spain
Word Reading, Text Comprehension and Hyperlexia in Autism

16.00 Coffee and discussion

Friday, August 28th

10.00 Margarita Stankova, New Bulgarian University, Bulgaria
A child with language talent and dyslexia: comorbidity with PDD

11.00 Christina Hedman, Stockholm University, Sweden
A dyslexia profiles continuum: Data from a multiple case study of Spanish-Swedish speaking adolescents with reading and writing difficulties

12.00 Lunch

13.30 - General discussion on comorbidity, discussion leader Joel Talcott

Issues to be addressed:

• What does it take for talent to develop in the presence of deficit?
• Typical combinations (e.g., autism and savant skills)
• Typical Profiles
• Defining talent

15.00 Closing