The "gifted" Child

The “Gifted” Child

The gifted child or adolescent with ADD may not fit classical definitions of educationally handicapped or gifted. On one hand, he or she may be able to use their skills to cover up the ADD and never receive help or guidance. Giftedness has been defined in a variety of ways. In the past, giftedness was defined by a global score on an IQ test. More recently, professionals have been interested in looking at different types of talents instead of a global number. The term gifted is often used to refer to students with academic excels in language or mathematics. Individuals with specific gifts in the areas of art, music or athletic performance are sometimes more plainly called talented. In this paper, I will be focusing on ADD students with great strengths in verbal or mathematical skills.

Gifted children and children with ADD can share many characteristics. Both groups may tend to question authority. A gifted child without ADD may become restless or even disruptive if the curriculum is not challenging. Some teachers may not appreciate a gifted child’s creative solutions to problems. Some studies have suggested that gifted children may be more active and sleep less than normal children. In the past, many educators felt that the gifted showed “across the board achievement.” More recent studies show that unevenness in abilities is greater in the gifted than in people with average intellectual ability. Unlike ADD children, gifted children usually pay attention quite well when placed in accelerated classes. An exception is the small group of profoundly gifted children whose abilities are so divergent that regular programs for the gifted cannot serve them. In this small group, there may be an increased incidence of educational and emotional problems whether or not ADD is present.

A gifted student with ADD may have particular challenges. A bright individual, often more self-aware, is more likely to perceive himself as inadequate. If the task is repetitive or below the student’s achievement level, they will tune out everything including the topic at hand. Consequently, they will miss out on important information presented later in the lesson. The same student, engaged, can perform brilliantly. Teachers may interpret poor performance as laziness or conflicts with particular teachers. In some cases, ADD students may spend time in resource room, unequipped to meet his or her unique needs.

When a student is gifted and also has ADD, while tests may indicate that he or she is gifted while he is performing at only an average level in classes. Their homework and class work may be poor but their actual test and exam grades may be excellent. A student may be placed in a slower curriculum because the school may place many types of special needs students together. The student, bored and frustrated, may act out more, making administrators less likely to place him in a more challenging curriculum. While, they may feel that an unchallenging curriculum is exacerbating the child’s inattention or impulsivity, the school, on the other hand, may resist placing the student into an accelerated class until he can show improved performance.

Proper evaluation and diagnosis is essential. The comprehensive assessment should include a careful psychiatric evaluation to diagnose the ADD. The psychiatrist should also look closely for signs of depression, anxiety and other conditions that can co-exist with ADD. Psychological and educational testing are important parts the evaluation as well. Psychiatrists and psychologists often use continuous performance tests to help assess ADD. Gaps between intellectual ability and actual performance may indicate areas of learning disability. If the student is particularly creative, the parents may want to bring a portfolio of his work to the assessment. Proper evaluation is beneficial even if the student doing fairly good work in school.