The study showed that gifted learning disabled students did not perform as well as the gifted students on digital span coding, and block design. This suggests that the learning disabled students may demonstrate the characteristics of organic brain syndrome, which suggests areas of deficit in rote auditory memory. These students may have difficulty with writing, reading, math, or higher level skills necessary for subject matter mastery and high achievement. Underachievers were equal to achievers on more wholistic skills such as reading comprehension and vocabulary. Successful approaches to reversing patterns of underachievement have been based on a view that the problem behavior has been shaped by forces within the school experience that can be altered.
Successful interventions create positive forces to shape achievement behavior.
One of these techniques is called bibliotherapy. This is the attempt of an individual to promote his mental and emotional health by the use of reading materials to fulfill needs, relieve pressure, or help his or her development as an individual. This therapy helps to change undesirable behaviors and improve positive thinking. It is used in situations where the students may be showing poor performance on tests, is below grade level expectations in reading, language arts and math, is not consistent in doing daily assignments, and also have a high retention of material that is interesting. The second program that is suggested in dealing with underachieving gifted students is a mentor program.