Could Your "Problem" Child be Gifted?--How Giftedness is Mistaken for ADHD

A 10 year old boy is a constant problem for his math teacher.  He talks in class and clowns around.  He refuses to turn in homework.  He openly questions her policies and rules.  He refuses to "let things go" when she ends a discussion.  He constantly twitches in his seat, twirls his pencil and bounces his leg.  She wishes he were anywhere but her classroom. Is this problem child ADHD?  No, he's highly gifted.  What I neglected to tell you is that although his textbook still crackles when you open it, he is a constant disruption in class and he never turns in his homework, he makes 100% on every test.  How do I know?  I know this gifted person.  He dropped out of  high school at 16 because he was frustrated and depressed--convinced he was stupid. He was diagnosed as ADHD but never as gifted.

For many parents, the phrase "gifted child" conjurs up visons of a child who reads a lot,  makes all "A's", goes to college  and becomes a neurosurgeon--a parents' an teacher's dream.  Although some gifted children do follow this pattern, many more do not.   A gifted child who is bored will be especially prone to disruptive behavior and he or she may make poor grades and be an underachiever if not challenged.  These children do not fit most people's idea of gifted and are often never identified as such.  Because they share many behaviors in common with children who have ADHD, they are commonly misdiagnosed.  What a tragedy to deprive ourselves of this natural resource and mistakenly drug our brightest children into compliance with the "norms. " 

If you are unsure as to whether your child might be gifted and bored rather than ADHD, please read the article I linked to below.

Characteristics that Gifted and ADHD children share

also be aware that a child can be gifted and have ADHD

Gifted Student with ADHD--Between Two Worlds