A lack of understanding of the full range of characteristics of gifted children (and adults) by parents, professionals and teachers can often lead to the misdiagnosis of learning difficulties. The problem with misdiagnosis is that the 'treatment' or strategies employed are not effective in helping the child and the real reason for the difficulty is ignored. This can often make things worse and lead to frustration and depression.
Many characteristics that are inherent to gifted children can be misinterpreted as a learning difficulties. It is important to realise that many of the 'problems' or behaviours that concern parents and teachers are not actually problems for the child themselves but are the result of unrealistic expectations or a mismatch between the child and the environment they are in. This is probably one of the reasons parents and teachers can often view a child quite differently.
At home the parents often adapt the environment to suit their child. Although they may receive criticism from friends and extended family, in many cases it is simply a case of survival as a family or a parent. For me, my son was like a 'force of nature' from the moment he was born, he was impossible to ignore. He was interested in anything and everything and he never kept still. He also didn't like to sleep. It is exhausting to clash with your child numerous times everyday. And why should we? Our children's demands are normally not 'bad' just 'unusual.' We have our child happiness and well being at heart. So if this means reading two pages of the encyclopedia to your two year old every night, as I did, we will do it. Many parents also recognise themselves in their child and so are more willing to make concessions to aid family harmony.
In school however there is a very different agenda, most schools want children to conform and look for what they consider to be 'good learning behaviours'. Listening to the teacher, sitting still, completing tasks as the teacher asked in a timely fashion, cooperating with their peers are just a few. However most of these simply do not match with a typical gifted profile. Gifted students don't want to listen, they want to find out for themselves or ask the questions. They can struggle to sit still as their active mind demands action. They often have unique ways of viewing things and will often adapt a task to make it more complicated or interesting. They may get distracted by other ideas and not complete the task in time. They may find it hard to work with other children who have such different interests and views.
One the main characteristics of gifted children is their intensity or 'overexcitabilities'. Polish psychologist Kazimierz Dabroswki developed the idea of overexcitabilities as he studied the characteristics of gifted children. He suggested that there are 5 main areas: psychomotor, sensual, intellectual, emotional and imaginational. Most gifted children and adults will have one main area but they may also have multiple intensities. As I discuss these intensities it is easy to see how they can be confused with the characteristics of various learning difficulties.
Many gifted students are hyper aware of their surroundings and can be overly sensitive to sound, light, visuals, touch, smell, taste and textures. This can make the typical classroom environment very distracting. The colours, visuals, sounds and bright lights can feel overwhelming to some children and make it impossible to focus on the task in hand. Even as an adult I find my eye drawn to patterns or bright colours on a display and I get distracted from the conversation I am having. Teachers should consider who the displays are actually for and whether they really enhance the learning experience for children. School uniform can be another distraction, if the fabric or labels 'rub' or irritate. A child may avoid a particular room or area of school because of particular smells. Lunches can also be difficult for some children who are very sensitive to taste and texture. Packed lunches and school dinners are not the same as the food a child has at home. Picky eating can lead to low blood sugar which in turn can lead to distractability or emotional outbursts. Playgrounds can also feel uncomfortable with the noise and constant movement. These sensitivities are often associated with autism and again can lead to a misdiagnosis.
Those children with psychmotor intensities have an intense need to move. They love movement and have endless energy. They will often speak rapidly, fidget and want to take immediate action. The slowness of the classroom and the need to sit and listen to the teacher can be hard to bear. They are excited by learning and just want to get on and do it! This excessive movement and spontaneity can often be mistaken for ADHD as many of the characteristics overlap. Although the cause and solution for gifted students can be quite different. I will discuss this further in a future article.
Some children with intellectual intensity have a mind like pin ball machine where they are being constantly bombarded with different thoughts and ideas. Sometimes this is referred to as a 'rainforest mind' and there are useful websites that discuss this further. It can be very hard for children to filter and prioritise these thoughts making it hard to focus in class. Particularly if work in class is very routine and unchallenging. Students may want to act on their own ideas or may be intellectually excited by a new idea, causing excessive movement. Again the student can seem distracted and too active, leading to suggestions of ADHD. The child's area or areas of intellectual passion may not relate to the school curriculum at all and may not even be discussed or acknowledged within the school context. This very hard for a child who is literally bursting to share their new found knowledge. When my son was in Nursery school he avidly watched 'Time Team' and would pretend to find Roman artefacts in the garden. One morning he asked me if the Egyptians had hypocausts like the Romans. But at school he was supposed to colour pictures and pretend to be an aeroplane with the other boys. Even as a Primary school teacher I was not prepared for the stark mismatch between what he did at home and what he was allowed to do at school. Many schools and teachers are equally unprepared for children with intellectual intensities.
There are no easy solutions for the mismatch between home and school. An honest and open dialogue is the best place to start. Many teachers have not had adequate training in giftedness to realise a child who is not conforming may be gifted rather than 'difficult'. In my next article I will talk about how to approach a school and talk to teachers about your gifted child.
www.verywell.com and www.rainforestmind.com have a wealth of useful advice and articles
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