The notion of “gifted” – highly capable has expanded through the years to the point where it is almost impossible to nail down an absolute definition or create an identification process for Gifted students especially when we see so many gifts within ALL kids.
But the ones that are having a difficult time being identified and may not be noticed for their “gifts”, may often be those who are the most inconvenient, such as students with ADD/ADHD tendencies. It’s become almost conventional wisdom to associate autism and giftedness. Nevertheless, the ADD/ADHD profile often gets left off the gifted education referral list. Can you imagine what Robin Williams was like as an Elementary kid? How about those amazing folks who perform for Cirque De Soleil? I have seen lists on the internet like “Famous ADHD Celebs” or “Famous People with ADHD in History” and the same names seem to pop up: Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, and Emily Dickenson. Funny, the same crowd often make the “Famous Autism” lists as well.
Here’s what has recently been written as “best practice” for those with the twice exceptional perspective called Gifted and ADD/ADHD: Just a glimpse from http://www.athealth.com/consumer/disorders/adhdgifted.html
“What is Appropriate Intervention and Support?
The available research suggests that we should not assume that all interventions recommended for ADHD children are appropriate for gifted children who have the disorder. Early findings suggest that there may be some differences in the way we intervene with gifted ADHD children. Treatment matching is crucial. Effective interventions are always those that are tailored to the unique strengths and needs of the individual. There is wide agreement in the literature on gifted children with learning problems that as a general strategy, intervention should focus on developing the talent while attending to the disability. Keeping the focus on talent development, rather than on remediation of deficits, appears to yield more positive outcomes and to minimize problems of social and emotional adjustment (Baum, Owen & Dixon, 1991; Olenchak, 1994; Olenchak & Reis, 2002; Reis, McGuire, & Neu, 2000).
In addition, there is limited evidence that some of the commonly recommended interventions for ADHD children may make problems worse for ADHD children who are also gifted (Moon, 2002). For instance, since gifted children tend to prefer complexity, shortening work time and simplifying tasks may increase frustration for some gifted ADHD students who would handle better more difficult and intriguing tasks. Similarly, decreasing stimulation may be counterproductive with some gifted ADHD children who, as a group, tend to be intense and work better with a high level of stimulation.”
And here’s the rub…
How do we present “interest based learning” within the context of “core curriculum” and “standards based learning”; the latest craze within public education? Can we truly expect to meet the needs of these kids when we have a constellation of special needs within every classroom? ABSOLUTELY! For the gift within these kids are often most remarkable when given the opportunity to blossom.
So that’s where I come in. I would love to engage in a conversation with parents and teachers and explore ways in which we can reach these kids. For the gift within is not just extraordinary, it is TWICE EXCEPTIONAL!