Gifted kids tend to be more challenging to raise for a wide array of reasons. They are often more questioning, more competitive and argumentative than a normal child. The gifted child who also has behavior issues involving problem relationships with siblings, parents or friends needs special attention.
Gifted Children and ADHD
Giftedness and ADHD are not mutually exclusive. Many gifted children have the syndrome and some who do not have it, are diagnosed with it because of their difficult ways. If a child is diagnosed and does not respond to the medications normally given for ADHD, additional testing may determine that a misdiagnosis has occurred.
The gifted child is naturally very active. Her curiosity and rapid brain development spur her on to continue with learning activities even when she is tiring, hungry or has other physical needs. This phenomenon can result in the fussiness symptoms.
Many in the educational professions would be quick to assert that ADHD is a slap-on, quick fix diagnosis that is more often a convenience than a truism. Sadly, medication is often administered too liberally, masking other problems that are not ADHD, including mental health issues. Any child who is very advanced for his age in terms of reading, talking and math related skills should be evaluated for giftedness at or about the third grade level. Prior to that age, the advanced learner should be assumed to be in the potentially gifted range.
The Gifted Child and Temperament
Just as some kids are particularly introverted or extroverted, some kids are more temperamental and tend to have strong emotional reactions to events including frustration, adversity and arguments with others. Gifted kids are sometimes in this category.
As with any young child who acts out or shows signs of "losing it," he should be encouraged to remove himself from the frustration and relax for a bit. Kids in this high emotion category can be perfectly normal, but if not allowed to react appropriately to overpowering stimuli, could become combative and possibly violent. Prevention of the circumstances, with a gradual introduction to the stimuli in small bites will often make all the difference.
Knowing how a child will respond to his environment is part of the job of parenting a gifted child. Giving stimulation and removing it when appropriate will become more obvious with time, growth and development.
In the case of the difficult child, this is doubly important, since over-stimulation can cause problems with the entire family unit. If the situation is out of control, an objective relative or counselor may prove vital to keeping the gifted child mentally healthy and thriving.
Therese Haberman - With a MS degree and 25 years in HR mgmt, in 2005, Ms.Therese began a writing career specializing in children and HR.
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