Let’s look at a sample scenario … Your child has been complaining he’s* bored at school, but you receive conflicting reports from his teacher saying that he doesn’t even finish his work. He’s full of energy and seems to make impulsive choices. He requires very little sleep on most days. He has a hard time following directions and sometimes gets into power struggles with adults. “What’s up?” you ask. He doesn’t appear to have these problems at home. Is he having a hard time because he’s gifted and intellectually higher than a typical child his age? Or, is his behavior a sign of ADHD? Maybe it’s a combination of both.

Distinguishing the Difference Between ADHD and Giftedness

Actually, these behaviors show signs of both ADHD and giftedness, leaving parents and professionals with a difficult task to determine the actual case. First, let’s take a look at how similar the behaviors are in both cases:

ADHD Behaviors

  1. Difficulty staying focused in almost all situations
  2. Difficulty finishing tasks when no reward is immediate
  3. Impulsive, difficulty delaying gratification
  4. Difficulty following directions and acting appropriately in social situations
  5. Activity level exceeds that of normal children
  6. Difficulty following rules and guidelines

Gifted Behaviors

  1. Difficulty paying attention, boredom, daydreaming in certain situations
  2. Difficulty completing tasks that seem irrelevant
  3. Impulsive, actions are immature when compared to the level of information they understand
  4. Actions are driven and may lead to power struggles with adults
  5. Activity level is high, even with less sleep
  6. Challenge rules and question regular activities, such as traditions

Looking at these lists, it’s apparent why professionals and parents may struggle to develop a diagnosis for this child. The key factor that most try to verify is whether or not these problem behaviors present themselves in all situations. Oftentimes, a gifted child will appear to be hyperactive to one teacher and not another. This can be due to a variety of factors: the child may be more interested in a different subject area, the teaching style may better match the child’s learning style, or the structure of the situation may be more tolerable for the child. Taking a close look at the situations typically reveals other factors that are causing the problem behaviors.

Boredom remains a base problem for gifted children. Because they are typically 2-4 grade levels above their actual placement, gifted children may spend up to one-half of their classroom time waiting for their peers to catch up. As we all know, if a child has nothing to do, they will find ways to entertain themselves and it usually is not a positive outcome. The behaviors used to self-entertain are perceived as off-task and disruptive. It is these off-task behaviors that often lead to a referral for an ADHD evaluation.

Hyperactivity is a key descriptor for ADHD, as well as giftedness. The largest difference here is the situation(s) in which hyperactivity is displayed. While gifted children are often energetic and driven, they can focus on the activity that they are excited about. Their excitement and interest in a topic allows them to remain focused on it for an extended period of time. In contrast, an ADHD child with hyperactivity has a difficult time focusing regardless of the situation. This inability to focus will also be present in several situations outside of school. Also, an ADHD child’s hyperactive behaviors will appear randomly and continually, while a gifted child’s behaviors are usually temporary and related to a certain situation.

Task performance is one area where there are significant differences between ADHD children and gifted children. ADHD children consistently have difficulty completing tasks and when they do, they are often completed quickly and poorly. At the other end of the spectrum, gifted children consistently complete tasks they are interested in, with a high quality of work and consistent effort. They maintain high grades and work production even though they may resist completing repetitive tasks that seem dull.

Assessment and Evaluation

When there is such a fine line between gifted and ADHD children, it’s crucial that a thorough evaluation be completed. Using many instruments will allow for subtle differences to be found. These may include intelligence tests, personality tests, achievement tests, and parent and teacher rating scales, along with extensive interviews and observations. Once your child has received a diagnosis, the evaluation will continue as various modifications will be tested.

In many cases, ADHD children who are gifted benefit greatly from behavior modifications along with appropriate curriculum and instructional modifications; however, these changes are not the typical adjustments one may employ for a child with just ADHD. For example, an average ADHD child has difficulty completing complex tasks, so a common modification is decreasing the amount of work to provide them with a task they can finish. With gifted ADHD children, the opposite may be true. These children often crave complexity and shortening a task may just lead to frustration. The change to a more advanced curriculum that matches their learning style provides them with stimulating content and motivates them to learn.

Conclusion

It can be challenging to develop a good school plan for gifted children with ADHD. They require a high level of intellectual challenge, coupled with support for their emotional and social immaturity. However, developing this is by no means impossible. With consistent feedback from teachers, you and your medical professional will be able to develop a plan that meets the needs of your child and sets him on the path for success.

* A single gender is used to ease reading and is not intended to reflect a gender bias in this article or this site.