Question:

Hello, Shari-

My little boy is 7 years old. He was diagnosed with ADHD during kindergarten and takes stimulant medication that has tremendously improved his attention and behavior.  We decided to homeschool him for his first grade year. The PhD who tested him suggested that if we place him in public school next year, we should speak with the principal about grade acceleration. 

Can you offer any advice or insight into children who are gifted and ADHD?  I am concerned about bringing this up to the principal, but I know my son, and he would really benefit from grade acceleration. Socially speaking, his friends are all older and he is well-accepted by them. 

Christina

Answer:

Dear Christina,

How fortunate you are to be parenting such a special child! As you are just starting on the school journey, each year will reveal more.

Characteristics of giftedness can be variously identified. IQ is often used as the determining factor, but most experts agree that it should not be the only consideration. Other traits considered important in determining giftedness include creative problem-solving, inventiveness, high abstract reasoning ability, social and artistic talent. Your son’s psychologist may have mentioned to you that IQ does not tend to be reliable until about age eight years. So, you may expect some some changes in his tested ability in the future.

Each child is an individual, so I urge you to be cautious about applying generalizations to your son. However, it may be helpful to aware of some characteristics of gifted and ADHD children identified by experts.

Most children who are gifted demonstrate the ability to learn quickly and sustain attention for long periods of time. Studies of gifted children (Gottfried, 1994) have indicated that children who show giftedness at age eight have superior intrinsic motivation. They tend to have advanced attention, persistence, curiosity, enjoyment of learning, and the tendency to pursue challenge and mastery.

They are able to produce prodigiously and are often perfectionistic about performance. In contrast, many children with ADHD are slow processors, have difficulty with motivation and have problems producing enough schoolwork to keep up. Children who are gifted often have excellent fine and gross motor coordination. Many children with ADHD have problems with handwriting and fine motor skills. Gifted children are often emotionally sensitive and excitable. This excitability can be confused with the impulsivity of ADHD. Children who are gifted often need less sleep than the typical child. Children with ADHD have difficulty sleeping and, as a result, are often drowsy and have problems with alertness.

Giftedness and ADHD have many characteristics in common including:

• Uneven development and abilities
• Restlessness
• Sleep anomalies
• Underachievement
• Frustration
• Openness to new ideas
• Moody
• Misses details
• Tendency to question authority

ADHD and giftedness share many common characteristics, but these are often expressed differently.

ADHD and gifted children have some educational needs in common. Both benefit from intense, fast-paced instruction that revolves around personal interests. Acceleration is often appropriate for the gifted child, may not be appropriate for the child of average ability with ADHD, and can be problematic for the gifted child with ADHD. Your son seems not to have the three to four year social and emotional delay typical for most children with ADHD, but he is still young. This is something to watch for as he matures. In addition, he may require an adjustment period as he transitions from home schooling to public schooling where his instruction may not be as individualized. Whatever program he enters, I urge you to look for “differentiated” instruction. This general education approach take individual needs, interests, and learning styles into consideration.

Thank you for sharing information about your son and posing this interesting question. Please keep me posted about his progress in school.

Resources:

Books

Besnoy, K.(2006) Successful Strategies for Twice Exceptional Children. Waco TX: Prufrock Press

Johnsen, S & Kendrick, J. (2005) Teaching Gifted Students with Disabilities. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

Kiesa, K. (2000) Uniquely Gifted: Identifying and Meeting the Needs of the Twice Exceptional Student. Gilsom, NH: Avocus Publishing

Lovecky, D. (2004) Different Minds: Gifted Children with AD/HD, Asperger Syndrome and Other Learning Deficits. Great Britain: Jessica Kingsley.

Websites

SENG: Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted. www.sengifted.org