ADD & Gifted Child

Sometimes a sensory integration evaluation with an occupational therapist is helpful. It may be more a part of how he is processing input rather than solely inattention. the bedwetting could be part of this as well. Just an idea

Although my children haven't reached this stage, I am a teacher and have seen it firsthand. Often, gifted children are misconstrued as ADD because they are not challenged. (In all fairness, many gifted children do in fact have ADD.) My question to you is this... has he been termed gifted by the school and if so, how is it being dealt with? That is, does his school have an honors program, are they differentiating instruction so as to properly challenge him.

Can't help you with the ADD, but I can with the bedwetting. Get a malem monitor. I think you can find them online at the bedwetting store, or something like that. Can't remember. It was the best money every spent. He was dry in a month.

I personally don't think "gifted" and ADD mix. Usually a gifted child requires more stimulation and gets bored quickly which is why they have trouble with things holding their attention.

Before you listen to a doctor that wants to prescribe meds, try nutrition. Get your child tested for candida, get him on supplements, get him tested for food allergies. Bedwetting is often a result of food allergies.

I believe ADD is a SYMPTOM, not a disease itself and can be handled.

Although I am not gifted...I have personal experience with ADD, and it can wreak it's own havoc as well. I think the upside you have here is that he is gifted, so he obviously has an area, or areas where he really excels, so focusing on these areas as method of attaining concentration will be key. Most children with ADD, and ADHD for that matter tend to be able to hyper focus on things that interest them, so I say run with it. As for things he has to do that he may not want to do, you will just have ot find a way. We all have to do and deal with things in life that we do not want to deal with...chalk it up as a life lesson. I know breaking thing up into smaller segments for thing I did not like helped me tremendously as a student, as did physical exertion before studying, or doing something I really liked beforehand as a means of concentration (in my case it was drawing and painting). I also found it helpful to have a t.v on to study (I know that seems couter productive, but the background noise seemed to help me center myself, and I have heard this from others who have ADD/ADHD as well). I have never been, and never will be on medication for this...it is a part of who I am and I have learned to live with it rather than be someone who is afflicted by it. Some of the world's most brilliant people probably have or had some sort of processing disorder, and it allowed them to view the world and all of it's facets in a different way. I guess my point here is embrace his uniqueness (sorry really don't know if that is correct way to say it), and learn to help him deal with the things that are tougher for him in the healthiest way possible.

my son is 8 and gifted. Its difficult for people to know that because it is difficult for him to write and follow simple directions. We discovered this by taking him to a neuropsychiatrist who gave him a series of tested and they were the ones to discover he has Tourette Syndrome. With Tourettes there are many other manifestations- sensory integration, OCD, ADD or ADHD anxiety issues etc.. With a lot of work and help things are getting much better. God Luck!

My son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 7, in first grade. He was a nightly bedwetter as well. He would also have terrible nightmares (not every night but quite often) where he would scream and cry and we had a hard time calming him back down. Once he was diagnosed, we agreed to put him on medication. Oddly, the medication not only helped his ADHD but within two weeks after he started meds he stopped the bedwetting completely. Maybe it was just a coincidence, maybe not. Also, since that time he has been an A student. I know medications for ADD/ADHD are very controversial but parents have to choose was is right for them and their child. For us, I will never regret our choice to give our son medication.

I have a friend whose child is ADD and gifted. He tested into enrichment math and is doing well in that. My son has ADHD and is in the gifted reading.

Although both my son and my friend's child are very smart, they have problems with things like remembering to turn in their homework and being organized at school. Whether you decide to use medication or not, you will need to work with him on these skills which seem basic for other children.

A good online resource is www.chadd.org.

Sorry, I don't have any help for the bedwetting.

If you haven't come across the term, "twice-differentiated" is a buzzword I hear about that a lot. My child is bright and has ADHD. (he's in the gifted program at school.) I think technically, it's all ADHD, but they would call it "ADHD, non hyperactive kind." Or something like that.

I am not an expert on books about it, but I like "The A.D.D. Book" by Sears for a general overview with a lot of information about dealing with schools and so on. My son has a couple of books targeted to his age (he's 8) with information about adhd and how different kids find ways to organize their work, etc.

I highly recommend the book, Is This Your Child? By Dr. Dorris Rapp www.drrapp.com she is a pediatric allergist and discusses ADD and ADHD in her book as well as bed wetting. If the child is older, sometimes allergies can trigger bed wetting, she explains it completely. She's been on Oprah a long time ago, but the book is a must for every parent's bookshelf. You can buy it on amazon. She discusses how environmental, chemical and food allergies can cause triggers in children's behavior, physical capabilities, etc. You can see her blurb on youtube as well, just punch in Dr. Dorris Rapp.

Good Luck,
J. W. MPH
Wellness Educator/Consultant

I question a doctors quick response to meds. It's up to the parent to determine whether the child is gifted or really suffering.

My brother and sister in law had a tremendous amount of difficuly with my nephew age 12. At age 11, they tried the Feingold diet. in summary the feingold diet is the removal of all artificail colors and flavors and preservatives.

they found his behaviour changed dramatically, he is a bright FOCUSED child now, but I know it took a complete rehaul for their family. And it was a decision for him to commit and not just take meds. They hated to set their kid up for a lifetime of medicating the problem. I know there are times and definitely times to medicate. It's just nice to know that there may be more wholistic options available.

Best of Luck...you are a good mom for exploring all options.
M.

Ever watch Extreme Makeover Home edition? Ever wonder what kind of jobs there are for extremely gifted ADHD kids? Ty Penington is the spokesman for the ADD drug Aderall. He has multiple college degrees and as you can see every Sunday night at 7pm Central time has one of the best jobs in the whole world but only an ADHD person could manage to do all that in one week and stay sane and even enjoy it!! My husband was adhd as a kid (before official diagnosis were made just hyper and with attention issues) and he has run a warehouse with dozens of people under him, been a restaraunt manager and now is a maitenance supervisor for our church and school (about 600 in congregation and 350 kids in the school). He runs on very little sleep, and still makes most people who watch him tired just looking at him but he is an amazing worker and always gets the job done. Public schools may be harder for kids with ADD but real life can be another story!!

As a mom of an exceptional child with ADHD and sensory issues (and bedwetting), take your child to a specialist. Ask your pediatrician if he can refer you to someone to formally evaluate your son (such as the psychiatry department at Children's Memorial). In the meantime, talk with his teacher - that perspective will help during evaluation. Once you determine the clinical definition, you can evaluate treatment options. Whether or not medication is an option, I highly recommend talk therapy, which will give you behavior modification strategies that will help your son as he matures and learns how to address his situation in challenging environments. Good luck!

I agree with the advice of small amounts of time on a task. My daughter was not diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD (actually took a test indicating NOT ADHD). However, when she has big projects to do, she loses interest so easily and it can be very frustrating. We have her do it in very small spurts of time. She takes break, and goes back to it later. She gets very good grades and is in a special math class which I found out is a higher level than most other kids in her grade. I ordered the book and dvd from Dr Amen-Change your brain change your life. The book is very intense and if you do not have time to follow it, the dvd is fantastic and easy. It explains exactly how the brain works and what you can do to make changes. It was very insightful for many things. I have not had a chance to watch the dvd yet but just seeing the show on PBS, I think it will help us work with all of the kids. BTW, it is not expensive to order from his website-I think I paid $60 for both book and DVD, maybe less. The dvd is 6 hours long. I think it will be the best money I ever spent once we start to follow it. Amazon has the book for $10.

Have you talked with your child's teacher? As a teacher I have had gifted ADD kids and ADHD. 2 years ago, I had one of the smartest students I have ever taught and he was ADD. He had all enrichment courses. Because he was so smart, I taught him coping mechanisms, b/c his parents were against medication. We worked in short time frames, we would set a timer and he worked against the timer, short focus times. I also found that allowing him to do some work on the computer helped him focus! I had to make accomodations to his work space and time ,but not the work itself b/c he was gifted.
I hope this helps!
M.

Although he had been tested in 3rd grade & they missed it my son was later diagnosed with ADD at age 16. Today he is 22 & pursuing his masters degree in psychology.
Some books I recommend:
Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Dr Daniel Amen
New Skills For Frazzled Parents also by Dr Amen
The ADD Answer by Frank Lawliss
Both my husband & son have treated their ADD with most of the conventional medications & also fish oil supplements, regular exercise & hypnosis. Barring any physical issues hypnosis can also be effective for resolving bedwetting.

Hello Ayanna,

I want to recommend a few things. First I want to say try every other possible positive approach to this before you think about given him drugs. I am not sure what your Doctor has recommended so far. Here are a few things go get a book called Is This Your Child? by Doris Rapp
If you are going to do anything purchase this book. I urge you to get this book. Another is having him tested for allergies. He may not have a runny nose, circles under his eyes or any other obvious symptoms but ADD can be a symptom to of allergies or sensitivities. Here are two links to two Doctors I recommend for your son http://www.rhcpc.com/ Dr. Heather W.
http://www.cchirocare.com/ Dr. Olga Roshior

I hope this helps, any questions let me know
D.

This is not an uncommon mix. ADD and being gifted can go hand-in-hand. My niece is enrolled in a gifted learning center school and has been diagnosed with ADD. She takes Ritalin and is doing great. My son graduated from a gifted learning center school and I was surprised with the amount of children who were ADD. There are others out there with the same issues. Do you have gifted schools in your area? Check your local school district and inquire about the testing to get into these schools.
As far as the bed wetting goes...both of my boys are bed wetters. It's not a nightly thing. I notice it more when they are really tired. We would try and take them to the bathroom before we went to bed. This seemed to help a little. My oldest grew out of it around age 11. We just dealt with it and didn't make it into a huge issue. It seemed to work well for us with taking this approach. Good luck.

This newsletter may be a helpful resource.

www.2enewsletter.com

It is from the "Twice Exceptional" group, or "two e" in shorthand, for parents of kids who are both gifted cognitively, yet challenged in another area.

I have not worked with kids with ADHD who are also gifted, although I know it is quite common. However, there are many children with physical disabilities who also qualify for gifted education, so that is where I came across this newsletter. Each child sure is unique! My best to you and your son.

Sorry, I am not sure how the bedwetting fits in. Perhaps your doc is missing a physiologic reason, or you might look towards anxiety or attention to task issues. Ex: Does he completely empty his bladder before bed? Is he afraid of getting out of bed to void at night? Good luck.

I have two boys of my own that have ADD and ADHD. I knew my boys were intelligent, because I came from a family that had alot of intelligence. The problem is if your son truely has ADD, this will eventually hurt your son no matter how intelligent he is, because he will someday fall behind in subjects he is not interested in. Both my kids fell behind in reading and hated art and music. When their ADD and ADHD were not treated, they could only focus one subjects they liked, which was math and science,and they both have high grades these subjects. As the ADD got worse when they got older, the other subjects suffered too, because they could not concentrate anymore. One son got violent because the frustration he felt and he truly wanted to learn but could not. The school finally gave him a learning disability test to see if he had a disability or the ADD was the problem. The results showed that questions he scored high in were the questions that the instructor was able to give the directions more than once. He scored poorly on questions that the instructor was able to give directions only once. The results finally gave me relief, because I wasn't dealing with children with learning disabilities just attention problems, which is very easy to fix than the other. The doctor put them on medications and WOW...what a difference! The children are now both doing well on all subjects in less than a month. I had a hard time to face this because I still worry if this is something they need to do for the rest of their lives or will they grow out of it.

The bedwetting problem my older son (now almost 9) out grew it, but my 6 year old still has problems with it. Maybe, the bedwetting will come when is ADD is confirmed and treated.

P.S. Susie is wrong so don't listen to her advice. ADD and ADHD are quite different. My youngest child has ADHD because he has attention problems and hyperactivity. My other son has ADD because he has no hyperactivity just attention problems.

ADD among gifted is more common than you think, and more prevalent among boys. I would have been diagnosed, myself, if measured by today's standards. You will hear many people discouraging you from meds. After ruling out side effects of allergy medications etc., I would encourage you to try a trial period of a month. You can always change your mind, but I ask you this: would you want your child to be even more stigmatized? Giftedness is already a burden in school. Don't let "spacey" be added to that. Just my opinion; you can im me if you'd like. ADD drugs are stimulants, like caffeine, that help you focus. They are excreted out of the body with urine. I fiured that out in high school when I started to drink coffee to improve my concentration. I have been a two pot a day drinker since the age of 13...I figured how to help my ADD. I graduated college at 19, grad school at 20. He will be ok. Best of luck!Remember, this is about your child. Not all meds are evil.

Ayanna, you hit a nerve with several people. First, as one person correctly stated below the official diagnosis--as in the diagnostic code used by doctors on all official medical charts and insurance claims--is called ADHD. It was changed from just ADD several years ago. If your doctor doesn't know this, you need to find a doctor who is much more current with the condition and its treatment options. There are over 25 drugs that can be prescribed to treat ADHD and its various forms, let alone other non-medication treatments. Find doctors that know all of this information. Go to the various ADHD websites and try to find a doctor that specializes in ADHD treatment in your area that is recommended. These doctors are usually psychicatrists and not pediatricians. Good luck.

1)Ok if your doc is worth his salt he should sent you out with a Connor Assessment written quiz taken by parent & teachers regarding childs behavior

2)the child is 10 --almost on middle school -- get this figured out before that.

3) if the doc suggests a med., say yes. I am an adult with ADD who was also gifted but my potential was always hindered by inability to organize myself (thoughts, time, papers, keys, glasses, bills...!). Ok top of that we now know my mom also is (5 marriages, 2 bankruptcy, manymoves later --& with an advanced medical degree & good income!) so that added to chaos. So when my daughter was diagnosed as gifted and later ADD, I recognized myself & my momin the difficulties she has. She is medicated & so am I now. I no longer feel like I'm pushing a horse & cart uphill & backwards to get through life (ESP as a mom -- so many details!)

Wish I had had the GIFT of being diagnosed at 10 like your son. Don't let him become part of the vast amount of WASTED human potential out there for lack of one pill in the morning. It has been life-altering for our family.

Please become as educated about the subject as possible before making any decisions regarding your son's "ADD". There are many wonderful books out there for you to research. You might find "Understanding Your Child's Temperament" by William B. Carey, MD. to be helpful. Also, keep in mind that Ritalin will help kids to concentrate even if they don't have ADD or ADHD. The medication may work, but it should not be the only thing used to diagnose.

Hi A.,

I'm a certified coach, specializing in AD/HD. Based on your posting I assume your son does not display hyperactive tendencies.

It is very common for children with Attention Deficit Disorder to also be very gifted. As you may know, AD/HD is a neurological disorder and does not necessarily affect intelligence.

Most children with AD/HD (Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity) learn differently than other children and struggle with inattention.

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Mindfully,
L.

Have you had your child tested for allergies? When I was younger I had bed wetting issues- turned out to be allergy related- allergies can also manifest themselves in hyperactivity and attention problems as well- wouldn't hurt to check it out!