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CONSIDER THE SITUATION AND SETTING
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It is important to examine
the situations in which a child's behaviors are
problematic. Gifted children typically do not
exhibit problems in all situations. For example,
they may be seen as ADHD-like by one classroom
teacher, but not by another; or they may be seen as
ADHD at school, but not by the scout leader or
music teacher. Close examination of the troublesome
situation generally reveals other factors which are
prompting the problem behaviors. By contrast,
children with ADHD typically exhibit the problem
behaviors in virtually all settings_including at
home and at school_though the extent of their
problem behaviors may fluctuate significantly from
setting to setting (Barkley, 1990), depending
largely on the structure of that situation. That
is, the behaviors exist in all settings, but are
more of a problem in some settings than in
others.
In the classroom, a gifted
child's perceived inability to stay on task is
likely to be related to boredom, curriculum,
mismatched learning style, or other environmental
factors. Gifted children may spend from one-fourth
to one-half of their regular classroom time waiting
for others to catch up_even more if they are in a
heterogeneously grouped class. Their specific level
of academic achievement is often two to four grade
levels above their actual grade placement. Such
children often respond to non-challenging or
slow-moving classroom situations by "off-task"
behavior, disruptions, or other attempts at
self-amusement. This use of extra time is often the
cause of the referral for an ADHD
evaluation.
Hyperactive is a word often
used to describe gifted children as well as
children with ADHD. As with attention span,
children with ADHD have a high activity level, but
this activity level is often found across
situations (Barkley, 1990). A large proportion of
gifted children are highly active too. As many as
one-fourth may require less sleep; however, their
activity is generally focused and directed (Clark,
1992; Webb, Meckstroth, & Tolan, 1982), in
contrast to the behavior of children with ADHD. The
intensity of gifted children's concentration often
permits them to spend long periods of time and much
energy focusing on whatever truly interests them.
Their specific interests may not coincide, however,
with the desires and expectations of teachers or
parents.
While the child who is
hyperactive has a very brief attention span in
virtually every situation (usually except for
television or computer games), children who are
gifted can concentrate comfortably for long periods
on tasks that interest them, and do not require
immediate completion of those tasks or immediate
consequences. The activities of children with ADHD
tend to be both continual and random; the gifted
child's activity usually is episodic and directed
to specific goals.
While difficulties and
adherence to rules and regulations has only begun
to be accepted as a sign of ADHD (Barkley, 1990),
gifted children may actively question rules,
customs and traditions, sometimes creating complex
rules which they expect others to respect orobey.
Some engage in power struggles. These behaviors can
cause discomfort for parents, teachers, and
peers.
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.
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WHAT TEACHERS AND PARENTS CAN DO
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Determining whether a child
has ADHD can be particularly difficult when that
child is also gifted. The use of many instruments,
including intelligence tests administered by
qualified professionals, achievement and
personality tests, as well as parent and teacher
rating scales, can help the professional determine
the subtle differences between ADHD and giftedness.
Individual evaluation allows the professional to
establish maximum rapport with the child to get the
best effort on the tests. Since the test situation
is constant, it is possible to make better
comparison among children. Portions of the
intellectual and achievement tests will reveal
attention problems or learning disabilities,
whereas personality tests are designed to show
whether emotional problems (e.g.,depression or
anxiety) could be causing the problem behaviors.
Evaluation should be followed by appropriate
curricular and instructional modifications that
account for advanced knowledge, diverse learning
styles, and various types of
intelligence.
Careful consideration and
appropriate professional evaluation are necessary
before concluding that bright, creative, intense
youngsters like Howard have ADHD. Consider the
characteristics of the gifted/talented child and
the child's situation. Do not hesitate to raise the
possibility of giftedness with any professional who
is evaluating the child for ADHD; however, do not
be surprised if the professional has had little
training in recognizing the characteristics of
gifted/talented children (Webb, 1993). It is
important to make the correct diagnosis, and
parents and teachers may need to provide
information to others since giftedness is often
neglected in professional development
programs.
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NOTES
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*
Note.
DSM-III-R Diagnostic Criteria For Attention-Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder reprinted with permission
from the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders," Third Edition, Revised,
Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association,
1987.
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REFERENCES
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American Psychiatric
Association (1987). "Diagnostic and statistical
manual of mental disorders," Third edition,
revised. Washington, DC.
Barkley, R. A. (1990).
"Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A
handbook for diagnosis and treatment." Guilford
Press: New York.
Clark, B. (1992). "Growing up
gifted." Macmillan: New York.
Parker, H. C. (1992). "The
ADD hyperactivity handbook for schools."
Plantation, FL: Impact Publications.
Webb, J. T. (1993).
"Nurturing social-emotional development of gifted
children." In K. A. Heller, F. J. Monks, and A. H.
Passow (Eds.), "International Handbook for Research
on Giftedness and Talent," pp. 525-538. Oxford:
Pergamon Press.
Webb, J. T., Meckstroth, E.
A., and Tolan, S. S. (1982). "Guiding the gifted
child: A practical source for parents and
teachers." Dayton: Ohio Psychology
Press.
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***
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This ERIC Digest was
developed in 1993 by James T. Webb, Ph.D.,
Professor and Associate Dean, and Diane Latimer,
M.A., School of Professional Psychology, Wright
State University, Dayton, Ohio. ERIC Digests are in
the public domain and may be freely reproduced and
disseminated. This publication was prepared with
funding from the Office of Educational Research and
Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under
contract no. RR93002005. The opinions expressed in
this report do not necessarily reflect the
positions or policies of OERI or the Department of
Education.
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Tourette
Syndrome "Plus" © Copyright 1998 - 2005 Leslie
E. Packer, PhD. except as noted.
All rights reserved
This page last updated January 7, 2005.
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