All About GEP

[ooioo]

Lists of Characteristics Similar in Giftedness and ADHD


Research indicates that in many cases, a child is diagnosed with ADHD when in fact the child is gifted and reacting to an inappropriate curriculum (Webb & Latimer, 1993). The key to distinguishing between the two is the pervasiveness of the "acting out" behaviors. If the acting out is specific to certain situations, the child’s behavior is more likely related to giftedness; whereas, if the behavior is consistent across all situations, the child’s behavior is more likely related to ADHD. It is also possible for a child to be BOTH gifted and ADHD. The following lists highlight the similarities between giftedness and ADHD.

Characteristics of Gifted Students Who Are Bored

Poor attention and daydreaming when bored
Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant
Begin many projects, see few to completion
Development of judgment lags behind intellectual growth
Intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities
High activity level; may need less sleep
Difficulty restraining desire to talk; may be disruptive
Question rules, customs, and traditions
Lose work, forget homework, are disorganized
May appear careless
Highly sensitive to criticism
Do not exhibit problem behaviors in all situations
More consistent levels of performance at a fairly consistent pace
(Cline, 1999; Webb & Latimer, 1993)


Characteristics of Students with ADHD

Poorly sustained attention
Diminished persistence on tasks not having immediate consequences
Often shift from one uncompleted activity to another
Impulsivity, poor delay of gratification
Impaired adherence to commands to regulate or inhibit behavior in social contexts
More active, restless than other children
Often talk excessively
Often interrupt or intrude on others (e.g., butt into games)
Difficulty adhering to rules and regulations
Often lose things necessary for tasks or activities at home or school
May appear inattentive to details
Highly sensitive to criticism
Problem behaviors exist in all settings, but in some are more severe
Variability in task performance and time used to accomplish tasks.
(Barkley, 1990; Cline, 1999; Webb & Latimer, 1993)

Questions to Ask in Differentiating between Giftedness and ADHD

Could the behaviors be responses to inappropriate placement, insufficient challenge, or lack of intellectual peers?
Is the child able to concentrate when interested in the activity?
Have any curricular modifications been made in an attempt to change inappropriate behaviors?
Has the child been interviewed? What are his/her feelings about the behaviors?
Does the child feel out of control? Do the parents perceive the child as being out of control?
Do the behaviors occur at certain times of the day, during certain activities, with certain teachers or in certain environments?


Gifted students with disabilities must be provided with appropriate challenges. The personal and societal costs of not developing their potential cannot be overstated.

Author: Colleen Willard-Holt
May 1999

[ooioo]

There are many gifted child that was misdiagnosed with ADHD, gifted Child with real ADHD is very very rare.

[laikiasu]

Thanks ooioo for the comprehensive analysis.


I’d brought my DS to a psychologist at the beginning of this year following school teachers’ complains of his inattentiveness. I was told that DS was in the ADHD "high-risk" category as he was born prematurely. The psychologist ran the full package test on him and the conclusion was he had working memory problem; tardiness in recalling info/process info. IQ was in the higher percentile though.

I thought it could be due to the IQ so left it be but my DS continued to miss pages in tests and constant episodes of "blank-out" so I got more concerned. In the end, went to see a doctor who prescribed ADD medication. With the medication, it somewhat helped DS to focus better and do his school work faster. However, I do notice that if I were to give him P6 English assessment worksheets or Maths Olympaid workbooks, there’s no need for medication to sustain his focus. It may be due to interest, I guess.

Seriously I can’t tell if he is under-stimulated in school and hence the missed out pages as I do not have a challenging environment to benchmark against. As such, I’m just curious if kids with diagnosed ADD/ADHD will be able to cope or, on the other end of the scale, to even excel in GEP due to correct amount of stimulation, even though it has been suggested that GEPpers with real ADHD/ADD are rare.

[ooioo]

Hi laikiasu,


Many, many Geppers are comprise of the below;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twice_exceptional

The term twice exceptional, often abbreviated as 2e, is commonly applied to intellectually gifted children who have some form of disability. It refers to the fact that these children are exceptional both because of their intellectual gifts and because of their special needs.

A 2e child usually refers to a child who, alongside being considered intellectually above average, is formally diagnosed with one or more disabilities. The disabilities are varied: dyslexia, visual or auditory processing disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sensory processing disorder, Asperger syndrome, Tourette Syndrome, or any other disability interfering with the student's ability to learn effectively in a traditional environment. The child might have a diagnosis of attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity, or diagnoses of anxiety or depression.

There is no clear-cut profile of twice-exceptional children because the nature and causes of twice exceptionality are so varied. Some 2e children may have no formal diagnosis, but do have learning differences of other kinds, such as in learning style or preference, that make it hard to function in a standard classroom. This variation among twice-exceptional children makes it difficult to determine just how many of them there might be. Some estimates place the number at 2 to 5 percent of all gifted children,[1] while others believe it to be higher.

[ooioo]

Many Geppers are 2e. Thus the reason why they are often termed "weirdos".


In that sense, god is fair.

But imagine, if you have 2 brains and everyone else only have one, if you are only an 8 year old kid, it is a very scary situation. To know that your teachers are wrong, or sometime immature, and experiences shows that pointing that out, most of the time have very large negative consequences.

The best thing to happen to a weirdo, is one day discovering that there are actually other 2 brains like them, they can finally have friends that are like themselves.

In life having friends will make life much more easier to cope, especially if your family is not like you. The ugly duckling is finally at peace when she discover that she is actually beautiful.

[laikiasu]

Thank you ooioo!


Need to digest the link..
I agree that people alike do crowd together well.
I'm glad that I've learnt a new term here.

Thanks again for the time.

[8228]

Selection test results are out as my friend’s child has been selected! Wondering why is it so quiet in this thread?

[Endure]

How did your friend get to know, my child school is quiet too

[porcupine12trade]

Hi


I have qn. If we live within 2 km of nyps and 4km away from Henry park, is the possibility of going nyps high? Thank you.

[Miracle Child]

8228:

Selection test results are out as my friend's child has been selected! Wondering why is it so quiet in this thread?

Because the talk is in the other thread \"2012 GEP Screening and Selection\".