09-14-2007, 12:49 AM
Quote:
clock Sep 13, 2007 2:50 pm US/Mountain
ADHD Mistakenly Applied To Gifted Kids
(KUTV) Is your child labeled a troublemaker at school? Have they been diagnosed with ADHD? In our Parent 2 Parent report, why some of these labels are mistakenly applied to gifted children.
Nadia Webb is a neuron-psychologist who has just co-authored a book- Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults. Webb says labels like ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, depression and Asperger's Syndrome are often mistakenly applied to gifted kids.
“With gifted kids, because they're children, they're often under challenged. They find ways to entertain themselves and it's not always constructive,” said Webb.
They can often be disruptive in classrooms and perform in ways parents and teachers may not expect.
“I think we tend to think of gifted kids as the ones who get straight A's and that's actually not true. They tend to fly under the radar,” said Webb.
Signs may include:
A vivid imagination/
Excellent reading and verbal skills
Intense curiosity
Questions authority
Unfocused behavior
“They can look ADHD because they can have 9 projects, 8 of them unfinished so they look scattered because they’re just broadly curious,” said Webb.
That can be a challenge for parents and teachers. Webb says their issues are just as unique as kids who have learning disabilities. She says parents and educators must find a way to correctly identify them and meet their needs.
“It's easier to give them an interesting assignment, instead of spending time watching them be off task, having them disrupt the classroom, having them pick the laminate off the top of the desk,” said Webb.
Webb says about 25-percent of gifted children eventually drop out of school because they're misdiagnosed and under challenged and says the key is for parents to work closely with teachers to help these kids meet their potential.
ADHD Mistakenly Applied To Gifted Kids
(KUTV) Is your child labeled a troublemaker at school? Have they been diagnosed with ADHD? In our Parent 2 Parent report, why some of these labels are mistakenly applied to gifted children.
Nadia Webb is a neuron-psychologist who has just co-authored a book- Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults. Webb says labels like ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, depression and Asperger's Syndrome are often mistakenly applied to gifted kids.
“With gifted kids, because they're children, they're often under challenged. They find ways to entertain themselves and it's not always constructive,” said Webb.
They can often be disruptive in classrooms and perform in ways parents and teachers may not expect.
“I think we tend to think of gifted kids as the ones who get straight A's and that's actually not true. They tend to fly under the radar,” said Webb.
Signs may include:
A vivid imagination/
Excellent reading and verbal skills
Intense curiosity
Questions authority
Unfocused behavior
“They can look ADHD because they can have 9 projects, 8 of them unfinished so they look scattered because they’re just broadly curious,” said Webb.
That can be a challenge for parents and teachers. Webb says their issues are just as unique as kids who have learning disabilities. She says parents and educators must find a way to correctly identify them and meet their needs.
“It's easier to give them an interesting assignment, instead of spending time watching them be off task, having them disrupt the classroom, having them pick the laminate off the top of the desk,” said Webb.
Webb says about 25-percent of gifted children eventually drop out of school because they're misdiagnosed and under challenged and says the key is for parents to work closely with teachers to help these kids meet their potential.
