ADHD+and+Gifted

= = =** ADD/ADHD and Giftedness by Tami Millard **=

Definitions
====**ADHD:** a medical diagnosis; may also be referred to as ADD. The current term for a specific developmental disorder seen in both children and adults that is comprised of deficits in behavioral inhibition, sustained attention and resistance to distraction, and the regulation of one’s activity level to the demands of a situation (hyperactivity or restlessness), (Barkley, 2011).====

====**Giftedness:** Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities====

The Overlap of Characteristics
Identifying children as gifted or as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD) or both (twice exceptional) presents a challenge to educators and diagnosticians. The following comparisons from Barkley and Webb demonstrates how similar the characteristic behaviors can be:

**Behaviors Associated with ADHD (Barkley, 1990)** 1. Poorly sustained attention in almost all situations 2. Diminished persistence on tasks not having immediate consequences 3. Impulsivity, poor delay of gratification 4. Impaired adherence to commands to regulate or inhibit behavior in social contexts 5. More active, restless than normal children 6. Difficulty adhering to rules and regulations

**Behaviors Associated with Giftedness (Webb, 1993)**

1. Poor attention, boredom, daydreaming in specific situations 2. Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant 3. Judgment lags behind development of intellect 4. Intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities 5. High activity level; may need less sleep 6. Questions rules, customs and traditions

Is it Giftedness or ADHD?
When considering whether a child is gifted or has ADHD, Bainbridge (2011) suggests that the educator or evaluator consider the following questions first:

**Questions to Ask in Differentiating between Giftedness and ADHD**
 * ===== Could the behaviors be responses to inappropriate placement, insufficient challenge, or lack of intellectual peers? =====
 * ===== Is the child able to concentrate when interested in the activity? =====
 * ===== Have any curricular modifications been made in an attempt to change inappropriate behaviors? =====
 * ===== Has the child been interviewed? What are his/her feelings about the behaviors? =====
 * ===== Does the child feel out of control? Do the parents perceive the child as being out of control? =====
 * ===== Do the behaviors occur at certain times of the day, during certain activities, with certain teachers or in certain environments? =====

Identifying what behaviors appear to be in the student’s control is important as ADHD is a neurological disorder where the behaviors that Barkley describes impact executive functioning. The research on how to identify students who are gifted and ADHD is limited. Parents who are seeking an evaluation for their child should seek out a psychologist who is experienced with twice exceptional children. According to Webb and Latimer (1993), there is one area in the classroom where ADHD and giftedness can be distinguished: performance variability. They state, "One characteristic of ADHD that does not have a counterpart in children who are gifted is variability of task performance. In almost every setting, children with ADHD tend to be highly inconsistent in the quality of their performance (i.e., grades, chores) and the amount of time used to accomplish tasks (Barkley, 1990). Children who are gifted routinely maintain consistent efforts and high grades in classes when they like the teacher and are intellectually challenged, although they may resist some aspects of the work, particularly repetition of tasks perceived as dull. Some gifted children may become intensely focused and determined (an aspect of their intensity) to produce a product that meets their self-imposed standards." There remains some debate about the diagnosis of ADHD in gifted children because of the overlap of characteristics. However, a study done in 2011 confirmed that children and adolescents with high I.Q.s could have sufficient characteristics that are consistent with the DSM IV's criteria for ADHD (Cordeiro, et al, 2011). This validated that ADHD is a real and valid condition that can have co-occurence with giftedness.

The Possible Impact of Age When Entering School on Diagnosis of ADHD
According to Elder (2010), some initial evidence suggests that children who enter school before the cut-off month are more likely to be identified as ADHD and on stimulant medication by 5th grade. Looking at the relationship between the year and month of an entering child and the state cut-off date for entering kindergarten is important to identifying whether some children are misdiagnosed. Children who had an August birthday before a September cutoff were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD and to be on a stimulant by 5th grade. Children with a birthday in November were also more likely to be diagnosed when the kindergarten cut-off date was in December. Therefore a child who has been placed in school earlier do to evidence of advanced cognitive skills may be misdiagnosed for ADHD because of the immaturity of the student in comparison to his or her peers in the class. More study needs to be done on this issue.

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** Resources **
Cordeiro, M., Farias, A., Cunha, A., Benko, C., Farias, L., Costa, M., Martins, L., McCraken, J. (2011) Co-Occurence of ADHD and high I.Q.: A case series empirical study. //Journal of Attention Disorders, 15(6)//, pp. 485-4 90.

Definition of Giftedness by State [] = = "Does Your Gifted Child Have ADD/ADHD?" http://www.addvance.com/help/parents/gifted_child.html

Elder, T. (2010). The importance of relative standards in ADHD diagnoses: evidence based on exact birth. Michigan State University

Webb, J., Latimer, D. (1993). ADD and Children Who are Gifted. []

“Gifted and ADD/ADHD.” National Association for Gifted Children []

“Before Referring a Gifted Child for an ADD/ADHD Evaluation.” SENG. []

“Characteristics of Gifted and ADHD.” []

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http://teg501.wikispaces.com/Twice+Exceptional