Many gifted and talented children (and adults) are being mis-diagnosed by psychologists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and other health care professionals. The most common mis-diagnoses are: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (OD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Mood Disorders such as Cyclothymic Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder, Depression, and Bi-Polar Disorder. These common mis-diagnoses stem from an ignorance among professionals about specific social and emotional characteristics of gifted children which are then mistakenly assumed by these professionals to be signs of pathology.
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on Friday, February 16th, 2007 at 7:36 pm and is filed under ADD/ADHD, Learning Styles and Special Needs.
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April 3rd, 2007 at 7:16 am
If it has been suggested that your child be tested for ADD/ADHD, I suggest doing some research first on visual/spatial learners. There is an excellent book out there called “Right Brained Child in a Left Brained World.” I can’t remember the author, but you’ll find it on Amazon. These children have wonderful abilities, but go through life thinking they are stupid because they don’t learn best in a conventional classroom setting. I have used some of the spelling techniques mentioned in the book with some struggling students, with amazing results. Not only do the children learn to spell the words for the spelling test, but the words remain in their longterm memory. Their brilliance is truly untapped.