Attention Deficit Disorders and Gifted Students: What Do We Really Know? Senior Scholars Series

• Main Authors: Kaufmann, Felice, Kalbfleisch, M. Layne, Castellanos, F. Xavier
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut 01.11.2000
• Subjects: Attention Deficit Disorders; Clinical Diagnosis; Disability Identification; Drug Therapy; Elementary Secondary Education; Etiology; Gifted; Parent Child Relationship; Student Evaluation; Symptoms (Individual Disorders)

This monograph summarizes current scientific knowledge about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and presents issues related to ADHD in gifted students. Causes, assessment, diagnosis, educational strategies and medical intervention are discussed. A range of perspectives, including behavioral, cognitive, and neurobiological, are applied to the interaction of ADHD and giftedness. Provisional recommendations for parents and teachers are provided along with directions for future research. Recommendations include: (1) be aware that ADHD and giftedness can co-exist; (2) explore multiple perspectives in your pursuit of information about ADHD; (3) remember that the most important criterion for diagnosing ADHD is the degree of impairment experienced by the child in two or more settings; (4) utilize a multidisciplinary team to arrive at diagnoses and to develop comprehensive treatment plans; (5) become familiar with a variety of educational and behavioral strategies to determine which combinations might be effective for the individual child; (6) be cautious about promises of "quick fixes"; and (7) be aware that individuals with ADHD have their greatest difficulties in the "output" stage of cognitive processing. Appendices include the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, a glossary of neurological terms, and user-friendly references and resources about ADHD. (Contains more than 200 references.) (CR)