Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Nothing works help me.....

Hello,
I am new here and have been searching for something to help me with my son.
We knew he was gifted from an early age and have struggled continously with behavior issues, mostly at school, some resulting in violent outbursts.
He has been on some type of rewards based behavior system since he was about 2 years old. I have taken him to therapist who only have me try the same things I have already done.
My most recent and expensive attempt of my now 8 year old has esulted in a full battery of testing with a psycologist, which half way through I can already say are going to be useless. The doctor feels my son is ADHD & OCD, which in my mind contradict each other, and I do not see how he is ADHD when the only symptom he shows is impulsivity.
So here is my question... Does anyone know a good resource to help me? or could anyone reccomend a local psycologist with expecience dealing with gifted children? (Miami, Fl) Everyone I meet just wants to slap a label on my son and medicate him.

http://www.amazon.com/Kazdin-Method...mp;s=books&qid=1243365178&sr=8-2

Have you seen this? He was the head of the Yale Child Study center, and it's research-based, not opinion/ideology-based. he talks about how exactly rewards systems have to be set up to be successful in changing a child's behavior. He says people think they're doing rewards but often have the system set up to subtly undermine the goal. you may already be doing the most effective system possible, but it seems worth a check. He's v. good at validating parents' frustration while pointing toward effective measures. I found it extremely thought-provoking and to some extent behavior changing. (I lack time and energy to implement now so it's more changing my thought.) I wish the title didn't use defiant, b/c i think it would help anyone.

For additional resources look at this link, I know you probably don't want more testing at this point.
http://giftedissues.davidsongifted.org/BB/ubbthreads.php/topics/43477/1.html
Nadia Webb, N.Orleans might be close-ish...?

Have you looked at applying for the Davidson Young Scholar program? People on this forum speak highly of it regarding getting help they didn't know even existed for school and other issues. (children have to score 99.9th percentile on certain tests)

Also, please check out SENG.org, 'Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted'. The upcoming national conference happens to be in Orlando, if that is nearby you. Might be a good opportunity to meet people and get some good perspectives/resources.

I am sorry to hear about your struggle, my ds is 8 also, and although behavior is really good most of the time, he feels isolated for several reasons and has ended up depressed because of this.
You sound like you are doing a good job seeking out things that work but just haven't found a fit yet. Tons of good info on this forum - Welcome!

Another resource you might want to look at is "Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults". See link: http://www.amazon.com/Misdiagnosis-...mp;s=books&qid=1243387127&sr=8-1

This is an excellent read and may help you see whether your child really has these diagnoses -- or whether he is just gifted. It doesn't really help you in dealing with the specific behavioural issues, but it does help you to recognize those traits which are a function of simply being gifted, as opposed to some (other) disorder.