Gifted, or ADD-ADHD?

Can Gifted Children be Improperly Diagnosed?

Oct 2, 2007 Douglas Parker

When gifted children misbehave in the classroom, is it ADD-ADHD, or are they just bored to distraction?

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002 set many lofty goals for schools to meet, including having all students achieve grade specific levels. While the concept of bringing ‘up’ students who were achieving below grade level is admirable, what happens to the children who were already above grade level, and in particular to gifted students?

Can a Gifted Child Appear to be ADD-ADHD?

The answer to that question is obviously very complicated; however, a conversation that is taking place these days has some potentially ominous overtones. If the classroom has to proceed at a pace that every child can follow, a gifted child who needs even greater stimulation can easily become uninterested. When gifted children are not interested in what’s happening around them they can display ‘bad behavior’ by becoming inattentive or disruptive by talking out of turn, and this behavior can be viewed as symptomatic of Attention Deficit Disorder-Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Consider that the top three indicators of ADHD as determined by the American Academy of Pediatrics are impulse control, hyperactivity, and inattentiveness. Don’t most gifted kids talk a lot when they are not supposed to be talking, can be easily distracted when something more interesting comes along, and can be impatient when things take too long to happen?

It’s truly a double-edged sword. On the one hand, in order to create the kind of environment that can be supportive of the NCLB-mandated, test-focused curricula that schools use, the classrooms need to be quiet and focused on the process of learning. Further, since the grade level tests target only core curriculum areas, many of the arts and creative programs have all but disappeared from the school day in favor of test readiness. This is not the kind of classroom environment that works best for a gifted child who needs to explore and be creative and expressive. On the other hand, when gifted children’s behaviors are outside of the classroom’s established norms, their actions can be lumped together with children who are truly exhibiting ‘bad behavior,’ or who in fact can be diagnosed with ADD-ADHD.

Consequences of ‘Bad Behavior’

What is the consequence of this? The gifted child’s parents are encouraged to have him or her tested for ADD-ADHD.

There are many children in schools for whom a diagnosis of ADD-ADHD is appropriate and they will benefit greatly from the treatments. There are also many gifted children who are ADD-ADHD. However, when a school does not provide the kind of learning environment that meets the needs of a gifted child, and then holds the child responsible for a predictable behavioral outcome by assuming the child needs an ADD-ADHD label, it seems time that some serious questions are raised.

What is happening in this aspect of gifted education is not necessarily the fault of the schools and certainly not the teachers. Gifted children are not protected on the federal level; it is up to the individual states to provide legislation and support for gifted education, and they need help from everyone. While the No Child Left Behind Act does establish positive educational goals for some students, it does little for the children who were never behind and are now being pushed out of the way.

The copyright of the article Gifted, or ADD-ADHD? in Gifted Education is owned by Douglas Parker. Permission to republish Gifted, or ADD-ADHD? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.