Hello-

I recently received results from my DS8 Tag testing and the highest area was in nonverbal ability. This is my third child who has tested high in this area and identified as gifted. I was wondering is there a strong genetic link in areas of giftedness? Also, is there a link to nonverbal learners and ADHD? Are future jobs best for these types of learners involve building or creating? I have noticed a common theme in which they all love things like origami, building structures with magnets but none are interested in legos if it involves following directions. What is the best learning environments for these types of learners? Thank you for any suggestions.

The significance of a strength in nonverbal ability is somewhat dependent on the instrument, as the kinds of measures used for GT screening may not all define nonverbal ability exactly the same way. For example, sometimes what is meant by nonverbal ability is really fluid reasoning, while in other cases, it's visual spatial processing. I also hesitate to put too much interpretive weight on group measures, especially if you're inquiring about links to ADHD.

More importantly, you are attentively observing your children's interests and joys. I agree with Portia that following their interests organically is the way I would prefer.

Thank you for your responses Portia and Aeh. Yes I totally agree with following the child’s interests and in our house they make the decisions on what they want to do or be involved with. If it was up to me they would all be in sports but that is my interest not theirs. I focus on a lot of free choice and decision making by the child. I guess I really do not think of our home as a learning environment but maybe it is more than I realized. I was thinking of school in which they often must sit and listen to verbal instructions most of the day. I just wondering if sometimes children would benefit with more hands on and visual instruction. I was just curious about ADHD but not with too much significance just with having one of my DS8’s past teachers thinking they had this. Luckily, I had him seeing a therapist who really got to know DS and determined he did not have it but with some of their behaviors in the classroom appeared that way.