Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional ADD in gifted kids

Does it look different than in others?

We are having our 6 and 4 year olds screened next week. We have not had IQ testing done with either child,but we feel they both have 2E tendencies.

Does anyone have any suggestions for approaching this so that we don't just get a doc to offer meds because that is not what we want. I also feel that our 4 year old has sensory problems which are exacerbating his issues. Do we want a full evalution with a psychologist? I'm obviously new to this and want to make sure we cover all bases before getting a diagnosis. Our family doc is rather layed back and this is going to be a hurdle,so I feel I need to present it in a way that will make him realize it's more than boys being boys.

Thank you

I'd go in with a print out from the internet of the signs of ADD/ADHD and the signs of Gifted. Then talk to your Pediatrician about what you and your son's educators experience on a daily basis. In my opinion, if the Pediatrician immediately reaches for the prescription pad to try meds, you need to ask for the referral to the psychiatrist for a full evaluation.
Good luck!

If you can afford it, I'd go for the full evaluation. There are so many overlapping signs and symptoms of sensory processing, giftedness and ADD that it takes someone that really knows what they are doing to sort it out. The sensory processing issues are probably best evaluated by an occupational therapist who specializes in sensory processing.

I agree with perplexed, you really want a full assessment by someone, or a team of someones, well experienced with SPD, giftedness, ADHD and related issues that can look similar.

Thank you for the responses. The appt. went well for our ds6,but he did not mention an eval. He felt based on what I told him, and the genetic factors, that he does infact have ADD and wants to start a 2 week trial.

The appt. for our 4yo is thursday and with the spd issues, I REALLY feel he needs to be evaluated.

I pretty much know we can't afford 2 evaluations and it's hard to know what to do. We have one going back to public school in the fall and one who could possibly need time to mature,but who has some odd behaviors, so do we pick and hope he is the one who needed this most?

If we do the med trial and see improvements is this the answer? What sort of tests suggest ADD? My head is spinning at this point.
Thanks

Speaking only as an adult diagnosed with ADHD, I am surprised your child was not administered the TOVA test. I believe it's normalized for ages 4 and up.

I took it as part of the overall diagnosis prior to trying any medication. In fact the psychologist made me stop caffeine two weeks before the test. Then I took the TOVA, then the diagnosis was made, then after two-weeks on the medication, I retook the TOVA and the differences were dramatic and easily verified by comparing the two tests, even to what "flavor" of ADHD was causing the trouble.

I imagine at younger ages, however, accurate test results are harder to achieve because the test is very boring. Nevertheless, if they truly have a variety ADHD, I think the test would be very revealing. I recall going into it feeling very confident, and coming out of it very frustrated due to certain parts that I simply could not perform accurately despite how hard I was trying. It was quite unsettling, as were the test results.

I would encourage you to look into this and get as much objective data you can so that you can compare it after the medication kicks in, since that phase can be quite a rollercoaster ride itself.

Thanks for your input. I go back tomorrow for our 4 year old to discuss sensory issues and I am going to request something more than, yeah he has it.

I think that there is some controversy about the TOVA with some clinicians believing that it isn't a valid test and others liking it a lot. I don't think that anyone local to me uses it. My dd10 was dx with ADD w/out any formal testing beyond observation, input from her and us, and review of prior achievement and IQ data which is highly variable from one testing to another.

I would be leery of starting any meds without a formal evaluation from someone trained to really figure this out. We took our ds8 to a psychologist for a full evaluation, which was expensive but it really helped us find out what was up with pretty good precision. At the time the diagnosis made was utterly unexpected and not good news, but treatable. And in time, it does appear the doctor was right on with most if not all of his recommendations.
It was a HUGE relief and I believe will save us $$$ in counseling and avoid huge problems with the boy down the road.

If you have insurance, and you feel there is a learning disability, some of the testing you need done may be covered. I think one catch was 'a diagnosis has to be made', in other words they have to find something wrong.
You have to call the insurance company to find out what sorts and how much, of course. Have you looked into that?
Iirc, about 1/2 our costs were reimbursed, which was very very helpful.
Good luck!!