Can giftedness be mistaken for ADHD?

Many gifted children are being mis-diagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The gifted child's characteristics of intensity, sensitivity, impatience, and high motor activity can easily be mistaken for ADHD.

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Which behaviors are associated with both ADHD and giftedness?

The behaviors that are associated with giftedness (i.e. restlessness, inattention, impulsivity, activity and day-dreaming) could also be characteristics of ADHD (Webb, 1993).

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Can you be gifted and have ADD?

Many gifted students with ADHD are told by professionals that an ADHD diagnosis is impossible given their high level of achievement. This sad, but common occurrence — a denial of the possibility of ADHD — results in many gifted individuals never receiving treatment that can help them to feel and function at their best.

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Which personality disorder is the most common in gifted children?

Gifted children like to organize things into complex structures. They tend to be perfectionists and idealists. They can get upset when others do not go agree with them. This may be thought to be obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

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What does gifted ADHD look like?

Gifted children often are asked “If you're so good at doing that, why can't you do this?” Gifted children with ADHD often show heightened intensity and sensitivity, but they are set up to fail in a system that only recognizes and expects intellectual proclivity without consideration of their emotional needs.

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The Misdiagnosis of Gifted Children

45 related questions found

What are early signs of giftedness?

Early Signs of Giftedness Include:
  • Unusual alertness in infancy.
  • Less need for sleep in infancy.
  • Long attention span.
  • High activity level.
  • Smiling or recognizing caretakers early.
  • Intense reactions to noise, pain, frustration.
  • Advanced progression through the developmental milestones.
  • Extraordinary memory.

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Do most gifted kids have ADHD?

Gifted traits and ADHD can look similar, so it's important for parents to be aware that both misdiagnosis and dual diagnosis are possible in gifted children. Does My Gifted Child Have ADHD? Some gifted children suffer from ADHD, a neurodevelop- mental disorder that impairs a child's functioning.

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Do a lot of gifted children have ADHD?

Because of the similarities outlined above, 2e children who are both gifted and have ADHD can be especially difficult to detect. While many experts agree that these children do exist, there is currently no formal criteria to identify giftedness in children who are ADHD or to identify ADHD in children who are gifted.

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What percentage of gifted people have ADHD?

Studies have shown that 50% of kids who are gifted have ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

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Is ADHD and gifted twice exceptional?

Gifted learners with a learning difference like ADHD are also referred to as twice exceptional or 2e. They have brains that are wired to notice all sorts of things going on around them simultaneously. Oftentimes they are affected by stimuli in a more profound way than their neurotypical peers.

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What 2 characteristics are present in a gifted child?

Common Characteristics of Gifted Children:

Ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers. Surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age.

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Are gifted kids Neurodivergent?

Giftedness is a form of neurodiversity; the pathways leading to it are enormously variable, and so are children's resulting learning needs.

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Can people with ADHD have high IQ?

ADHD can make completing tasks such as school work, homework, or work projects much more difficult. However, there is no clear link between ADHD and IQ. A person may have a high, average, or low IQ score and also have ADHD. ADHD may cause a person to interrupt in class or perform poorly on tests.

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What kind of trauma causes ADHD?

Traumatic stress, apart from other factors like premature birth, environmental toxins, and genetics, is associated with risk for ADHD. The connection is likely rooted in toxic stress – the result of prolonged activation of the body's stress management system.

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Is there a link between ADHD and high IQ?

It has also been reported that children with ADHD tend to have an approximately 9 point lower intelligence quotient (IQ) score than children without the diagnosis [7]. Nevertheless, the literature demonstrates the possibility of having both ADHD and high IQ.

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Can clever children have ADHD?

Gifted students have abilities that exceed those of their typical peers. They learn faster, are inquisitive, curious, and are able to quickly understand complex concepts. However, some gifted students have behavioral problems that correspond with ADHD, so much so that they are diagnosed with the disorder.

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What is the mental age of gifted children?

IQ and other tests for giftedness are optimal around age 5.

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What is the average IQ of a gifted kid?

A gifted child's IQ will fall within these ranges: Mildly gifted: 115 to 130. Moderately gifted: 130 to 145. Highly gifted: 145 to 160.

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Which parent passes down ADHD?

Thayer's study shows that the ADHD group of children had larger and more frequent variations. Fathers with ADHD will pass this code discrepancy to offspring. Barkley explains that the heritability of ADHD runs around 80 percent. Genetics account for 80 percent of the components that define ADHD.

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Do gifted kids have behavioral issues?

Gifted children may be under-stimulated or bored in typical social or education settings, [which] may result in behavior challenges like school refusal, tantrums, distractibility, or general acting out.

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Are gifted children harder to parent?

The Gifted Child's Struggle

Giftedness can create problems and conflicts; being a gifted child can also mean difficulty socializing with age peers, thinking styles that don't always mesh well with the demands from the environment, even children who see themselves as little adults, challenging teachers and parents.

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Does giftedness run in families?

Giftedness tends to run in families, so many of the traits that indicate giftedness are common among extended family members. Parents may see a sign of giftedness and consider it perfectly normal, average behavior if several family members have the same trait.

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How do I know if my child is gifted or just smart?

Signs of Giftedness in Children Include:

an insatiable curiosity, as demonstrated by endless questions and inquiries. ability to comprehend material several grade levels above their age peers. surprising emotional depth and sensitivity at a young age. enthusiastic about unique interests and topics.

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Are gifted children made or born?

The research shows that while children are born with the potential to be gifted, the environment and nurture plays an important role in developing those innate abilities. In fact, researchers estimate conservatively that environmental influences can add 20-40 points on measured intelligence.

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Are IQ tests accurate for people with ADHD?

Individuals with ADHD often perform at a lower level on intelligence tests than those without ADHD, because these tests require sustained mental effort. In addition, as previously mentioned, the structure of most intelligence tests can limit the success of a child with ADHD.

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