Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional ADHD symptoms in girls

I was hoping parents of girls diagnosed with ADHD could share not only what variety of ADHD the child has (compulsive, hyperactive, etc), but also what symptoms. And also, at what age did the ADHD harm school performance, or at what point did you decide it was time for testing?

I was diagnosed (or diagnosed myself more accurately) with ADHD inattentive as an adult. It wasn't an issue prior to that due to giftedness, and somewhat of a photographic memory (and being a compliant, rule-following, teacher-pleasing girl) compensating for it. I remember specific instances that IMO were caused by ADHD as early as 4th grade. There were also behaviors that *looked* liked ADHD but were actually caused by being a bored gifted kid in an environment that wasn't challenging enough. The first time I remember it being an issue with school performance was in AP English my senior year of high school. It was a BIG issue in college. (The lack of enough challenge prior also meant that I my study skills were poor). It was real life and adding a 3rd child that finally made it clear my coping skills were not working and it was time to figure out what was going on.

My dd4 (adopted) who I think is prob. in the vicinity of HG could look to a teacher like ADHD (hyperactivity and impulsive) but I really believe with her it is caused by giftedness and with appropriate stimulation the behaviors go away.

My ds7 (bio.) has Down syndrome, but I am just beginning to think that he may also have ADHD (impulsive and inattentive). I know there is a genetic component and see it clearly in my father, brother, and 2 cousins (inattentive for all of them--although as kids it may have looked more like hyperactivity).

I can certainly understand being wary about medicating a child, and so being nervous about getting a diagnosis, but I think it would have made a profound difference for me (and my brother) to have been diagnosed sooner.

Interesting you should mention your own diagnosis. I too was diagnosed late in life, five years ago, with ADHD impulsive. It sure explained a lot in a sad "if only" kind of way.

Knowing it is generally considered hereditary, obviously I am on high alert for DD. I will do everything in my power to prevent her from going through what I went through because of it. That makes me quite sensitive to possible signs and obviously I will need to strike a balance and rely on objective third parties.

DD definitely has the hyperfocusing I had. Oddly enough she crafts intricate worlds for her little toy friends, exactly as I did when I was a boy, to the point of obsession.

My signs started very early like kindergarten getting in trouble and being the class clown. I distinctly remember writing in my 4th grade journal how little I liked school. She is already saying she wishes she didn't have to go to school.

I figure it should become obvious by 4th grade especially under Daddy's watchful eye. The nasty comorbid stuff like depression didn't really hit me until 7th grade.

It's nice to know that there are so many good treatments now so if it turns out she does have it.

I would really encourage you to read the book http://www.amazon.com/Misdiagnosis-Diagnoses-Gifted-Children-Adults/dp/0910707642

A gifted kid who isn't challenged in school can def. look impulsive, and become the class clown out of boredom. Or she (or you) could be both gifted and have ADHD.

Have you read about OEs?
http://www.sengifted.org/articles_social/Lind_OverexcitabilityAndTheGifted.shtml

Not everyone is in agreement on this, but it made a HUGE difference for me in understanding myself and my girls. For example, I see the impulsivity in my dd4 very differently than in my ds7. For her, it is caused by an intense curiousity and need to figure out how things work and understand her world, and it just makes sense to me that is more of psychomotor OE also. For my son, i.e. when he kicks over someone's blocks or knocks things off of a table, or hits his sister (whom he loves) while walking past her, it is simply impulsive. I don't know if I am articulating it well, but the difference is really clear to me.

I feel for your dd--and in a way it is good she is verbalizing her dislike of school already so you can try to make it better for her. I just became a slacker and sort of quietly defiant (and the slackerness in elementary and middle school wasn't related to ADHD, but lack of appropriate challenge.

Good luck!

My DD is 8.5 now and we started suspecting ADHD when she was just a toddler. She was incapable of sitting still unless strapped in her car seat. She has always been impulsive, climbing things, talking incessantly. In short.... she was exhausting! We could not keep up with her. We did not have concerns about inattention until grade 1. Some days, she couldn't even get her name on her paper by herself. The sad part was that she would try so hard and end up frustrated with herself. Her teacher at the time said that she apologized all day long for her behaviour, she knew that she was struggling and wanted the teacher to know that she wasn't doing it on purpose.

She started medication in grade 1, shortly before her psych-ed assessment. It was a big transformation for her. Not to say that everything is fixed, but her brain isn't itchy anymore (her words). Even on meds, her assessment was highly indicative of ADHD. We feel completely confident that being HG confounds the issue, but it does not explain her difficulties. She has problems in all of life's scenarios...whether she is interested and excited or not. Without medication, she cannot focus for more than a few minutes.

I can sympathize with your daughter's feeings about school. My DD voices them daily. We are still trying to find the right balance of ADHD accomodations and enrichment for her. Somedays, I wonder if we will ever find it.

Good luck!

Just wanted to add because I think I wasn't totally clear--I don't think that a gifted person can't also have impulsivity and hyperactivity--just that in my particular family, I see it differently in my 2 kids. I'll come back in a few years and correct the record if I am wrong about dd4 though!

Kathleen'smum--so glad that medication made a difference for you, and for her.

deacongirl = Thanks for sharing your insights and what looks to be excellent reading. You have put some rusty gears in motion.

kathleen'smum = a motto of mine is "nothing is simple" and sadly it is usually true. Your love-fueled motivation will no doubt empower you to keep uncovering into what works best for your DD.

I have many times wondered if I could not have learned far better as a child out on the play field, where we could literally run around our lessons, using words and lesson objects we could handle and run and pass around.

Today, as then, it is a sort of torture for me to sit still unless I�m totally engaged. But today I have adult will power, yet at meetings or anything like that there is a bubbling anxiety inside of me, a tapping knee, and a desire to just flee and move around. That's where the medication works wonders. The only time this does not happen to me is when the subject matter or the speaker is absolutely engaging, and by that I mean the things they are saying or ways in which they are saying them are newer, richer or deeper than what already exists in my mind.

So imagine that reality inside a 5 or 6-yo child. They have almost no will power and certainly no insight into what's going on inside. They know they just want to escape the source of discomfort or confusion or anxiety--physically or into their imagination--and the typical adult response is to interpret these coping methods as negative behavior and return to trying to pound the round child into the square seat.

So I am assuming very little about my DD. Her tests reveal her to be gifted in some subjects, her home life is stable and secure, and yet almost every school night and often morning she gets stomach aches and seems to want to avoid school entirely even though she's very popular and outgoing. As parents we should consider every little clue and evaluate it and assume nothing.

Anyway, enough rambling; I need to go off and read more from the experts who think about this stuff for a living!

I totally get where you are coming from. It is smart to avoid assuming when it comes to GT kids, as it seems they are all so different and each have complex profiles. Our noble goal is to get our DD to a point where she is happy and then go from there. Seems like such a low standard to have, but there it is.

And I have to agree with your points about suffering as an adult, as well. Yesterday and today, I attended a conference at work on a somewhat interesting topic. The first few hours were interesting. Yesterday, after lunch, my butt went to sleep, then I couldn't get comfortable in my chair and then I had to stand at the back of the room for a while and pace. Dinner last night was more of the same and I had thoughts of bolting the room (the excellent food kept me there, though ;-). This morning was pure torturous hell. I had pretty much gotten their message yesterday morning and just could not take anymore. It got me to thinking... is this what my poor sweet girl goes through everyday at school??? No wonder she doesn't like to go!!