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How Can Parents or Teachers Distinguish Between ADHD and Giftedness? Barkley (1990) and Webb (1993), provide list that may help parents and teachers distinguish the differences and similarities between gifted children and children who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. After reviewing these short lists, one can easily draw a conclusion that the similarities and differences may be hard to distinguish. BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH ADHD (BARKLEY, 1990)

• Poorly sustained attention in almost all situations
• Diminished persistence on tasks not having immediate consequences
• Impulsivity, poor delay of gratification
• Impaired adherence to commands to regulate or inhibit behavior in social contexts
• More active, restless than normal children
• Difficulty adhering to rules and regulations

BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH GIFTEDNESS (WEBB, 1993)

• Poor attention, boredom, daydreaming in specific situations
• Low tolerance for persistence on tasks that seem irrelevant
• Judgment lags behind development of intellect
• Intensity may lead to power struggles with authorities
• High activity level; may need less sleep
• Questions rules, customs and traditions

What Teachers and Parents Can Do Determining whether a child has ADHD can be particularly difficult when that child has been determined to be gifted. The use of many assessments, administered by trained technicians, including intelligence tests, achievement and personality tests, as well as parent and teacher rating scales, can help determine the differences between ADHD and giftedness. Individual evaluation may allow professionals to develop a rapport with the child to get the best effort on the tests. Since the test situation is interactive and constant, it is possible to make more accurate comparisons among children. Part of the intellectual and achievement tests may indicate that the child has attention problems or learning disabilities, whereas personality tests are designed to show whether emotional problems (e.g., depression or anxiety) could be causing behavioral problems. Evaluations should be followed by appropriate curricular and instructional modifications that provide answers for advanced knowledge, diverse learning styles, and various types of intelligence.

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