By James Webb and Diane Latimer

(Reprinted from LD Coalition of NSW News Nov/Dec ‘97, originally from "Gifted" N/L April "97)

Howard’s teachers say he just isn’t working up to his ability. He doesn’t finish his assignments, or just puts down answers without showing his work. His hand-writing and spelling are poor. He sits and fidgets in class, talks to others, and often disrupts class by interrupting others. He used to shout out the answers to the teacher’s questions (they were usually right), but now he daydreams a lot and seems distracted. Does Howard have ADHD, is he gifted, or both ?

Frequently bright children have been referred to psychologists or paediatricians because they exhibited certain behaviours e.g. restlessness, inattention, impulsivity, high activity level and day-dreaming, all of which are commonly associated with a diagnosis of ADHD.

How Can Parents Distinguish between ADHD and giftedness ?

Seeing the difference between behaviours that are sometimes associated with giftedness but also characteristic of ADHD is not easy, as the following lists show.

Behaviours Associated with ADHD (Barkley 1990)

1. Poorly sustained attention in almost all situations.
2. Diminished persistence on tasks not having immediate consequences.
3. Impulsivity, poor delay of gratification.
4. Impaired adherence to commands to regulate or inhibit behaviour in social situations.
5. More active, restless than normal children.
6. Difficulty adhering to rules and regulations.

Behaviours associated with giftedness (Webb, 1993)

1. Poor attention, boredom, day-dreaming in specific situations.
2. Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant.
3. Judgement lags behind development of intellect.
4. Intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities.
5. High activity level. May need less sleep.
6. Questions rules, customs and traditions.

It is important to examine the situations in which a child’s behaviours are problematic. Gifted children typically do not exhibit problems in all situations e.g. they may be seen as ADHD-like by one classroom teacher, but not by another, or they may be seen as ADHD at school, but not by the scout leader or the music teacher. Close examination of the troublesome situation generally reveals other factors which are prompting the problem behaviour.

By contrast, children with ADHD typically exhibit the problem behaviours in virtually all settings including at home and at school: though the extent of their problem behaviours may fluctuate significantly from setting to setting. (Barkley, 1990) depending largely on the structure of the situation. i.e. the behaviours exist in all settings, but are more of a problem in some settings than in others.

In the classroom. a gifted child’s perceived inability to stay on task is likely to be related to boredom, curriculum, mismatched learning styles, etc. Gifted children may spend from a quarter to a half of their regular classroom time waiting for others to catch up - even more if they are in a heterogeneously grouped class. Their specific level of academic achievement is often two to four grade levels above their actual placement. Such children often respond to non-challenging classroom situations by "off-task" behaviour, disruptions or other attempts at self-amusement. This use of extra time is often the cause of referral for an ADHD evaluation.

Hyperactive is a word often used to describe gifted children as well as children with ADHD. As with attention span, children with ADHD have a high activity level, but this activity level is often found across situations.(Barkley, 1990). A large proportion of gifted children are highly active too. As many as a quarter may require less sleep, however, their activity is generally focused and directed. (Clark 1992, Webb, Meckstroth & Tolan, 1982), in contrast to the behaviour of children with ADHD. The intensity of gifted children’s concentration often permits them to spend long periods of time and much energy focusing on what truly interest them. Their specific interests may not coincide however, with the desires and expectations of teachers or parents.

While the child who is hyperactive has a very brief attention span in virtually every situation [usually except for television or computer games], children who are gifted can concentrate comfortably for long periods on tasks that interest them, and do not require immediate completion of those tasks or immediate consequences. The activities of children with ADHD tend to be both continual and random; the gifted child’s activity usually is episodic, and directed to specific goals. While difficulties with adherence to rules and regulations has only recently begun to be accepted as a sign of ADHD (Barkley, 1990), gifted children may actively question rules, customs and traditions, sometimes creating complex rules which they expect others to respect or obey. Some engage in power struggles. These behaviours can cause discomfort for parents, teachers and peers.

One characteristic of ADHD that does not have a counterpart in children who are gifted is variability of task performance. In almost every setting, children with ADHD tend to be highly inconsistent in the quality of their performance i.e. grades, chores and the amount of time used to accomplish tasks. Children who are gifted consistently maintain high grades in classes when they like the teacher and are intellectually challenged, although they may resist some aspects of the work, particularly repetition of tasks perceived as dull. Some gifted children may become intensely focused and determined [ an aspect of their intensity] to produce a product that meets their self-imposed standards.