Gifted and ADD/ADHD
Children who are gifted might mistakenly be diagnosed as ADD or ADHD, especially in situations with too much stimulation (exciting, interesting events with lots of sensory overload) or not enough (repetitive, low interest level). Signs of ADD, such as trouble sitting still, fidgeting, trouble waiting for a turn, impulsivity, or "spacing out," can also be used to describe high ability children. Think about a child who is lost in thought because he's solving a complex problem in his mind. What about the child who is so excited about what she is learning that she blurts out answers whenever the teacher asks a question.
Because students who are not sufficiently challenged by classroom curriculum often show ADD-like behaviors, parents and teachers need information to help discriminate between gifted and ADD/ADHD characteristics before labeling a child. For example, children who are high ability will have a logical (to them) explanation for their behavior while a child with ADD/ADHD will not. A gifted child who is multi-tasking may not appear appropriately attentive to a teacher, but will be able to repeat what was said. A child with ADD/ADHD will miss blocks of information when unable to focus. A gifted child will focus on subjects that are of high interest and/or challenge; however, subject matter or challenge level will generally not increase the focus of an ADD/ADHD child.
Since many teachers have not been trained to recognize this special category of GT/LD students, it is not uncommon for teachers to concentrate only on the child's responsibility for problem behaviors. If it appears that a child would benefit from more advanced or faster-paced curriculum, it is simply good practice to experiment with higher-level materials to see if the child's attention and classroom attitudes improve. A child with ADD/ADHD will have difficulty controlling their behavior under most circumstances (school, outside of school activities, and home), while a gifted child's problem behaviors will fluctuate from situation to situation.
Children are not necessarily either gifted or ADD/ADHD. They can be both. There is not a lot of specific research in this area, so parents must be especially creative in finding, assessing, and using different options and strategies. If you are living with or teaching a child who is high ability but also meets the description of ADD or ADHD, a full evaluation with a specialist experienced with both exceptionalities should be considered. [See How Do I Find a Professional]
More Information
Parenting for High Potential article: "Parenting Gifted Children with AD/HD " by Sidney Moon, Ph.D. (June 2001)
NAGC's ERIC Archive document "Gifted Children with ADHD ".
From the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT), "Attention Deficit Disorders and Gifted Students: What do we really know?" by Kaufmann, Kalbfleisch, and Castellanos addresses the issue from behavioral, cognitive, and neurobiological perspectives. http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt/kaufkalb.html
The book, Dreamers, Discoverers, and Dynamos: How to help the child who is bright, bored and having problems in school by Lucy Jo Palladino, gives an explanation of how strong divergent thinkers struggle and fail as typical classrooms become more diverse, more focused on traditional testing, and more crowded with students. She then offers strategies for helping families support these children while also encouraging the development of self-regulation.