I am wondering what inattentive ADD would look like in a otherwise gifted preschool boy? Seems like non-hyper ADD is mostly seen in girls and is usually diagnosed in elementary or later school years as a result of unexepectedly poor school performance. What would it look like in a preschooler?
Polly
ADHD-I is common enough in gifted and highly gifted boys. They also say that medication is 'less helpful' in ADHD-I but with mine and many others it's been very very helpful. Like the common knowledge that being able to focus rules it out - NOT.
It's possible that ADHD-I in gifted kids is a totally different disease, and that 20 years from now it will be recognized as such. There is a subtype called 'Slow cognitive tempo' worth looking into.
Also check if your child is actually having mini-seizures!
My observation is all about doing things that there is no internal drive to do and self control. OverExcitabilities may be a huge part of these children's lives, and their reaction to the OverExcitabilities maybe more intense than expected.
I don't think it's caused by parenting, but 'super-parenting' can go a long way in these situations. My favorite book is 'Transforming the difficult Child Workbook' by Lisa Bravo.
Also -Preschool is a great age for OT treatment of Sensory Integration Disorder if OEs are an issue.
It isn't going to be easy to find a professional who will be subtle enough to diagnose ADHD-I in a preschooler. Read up on 'MisDiagnosis and Duel Diagnosis' by James Webb (Any of those authors would be good choices for testing when the time comes.)
'Different Minds' by Dee Lovecky is a very dense book jammed with info about gifted kids with ADHD and AS. When you've read that you know you've read it all.
If your (like me) have a parenting perspective where you child is mostly getting settings and activities that they like, it may be hard to notice Intense behavior. Remember that children 'shape' parental behavior as much as parents shape children's behavior. Some of us gifted moms are very sensitive, good at problem solving, imaginative, and open to being shaped behaviorally. We run into the situation of children who are well enough behaved as long as Mamma is running the show, but stressed or acting out in other situations. It's easy for us to take a political view and say, "Well, who came up with the idea of having child........, anyway?" or "He's just bored, this stuff is totally wrong for kids."
You seem ahead of me in that you know your child is gifted, and you know that your family is ADHD-o-genic. I was still taking that 'Political' perspective during my son's preschool years - plus I was working 20 to 30 hours a week outside the home and that seemed to be enough different from my own upbringing that 'all bets were off.'
Genes are the largest cause of ADHD. If you look around at your ADHD-hyperactive relatives, you will notice that many of then resemble ADHD-I as they grow up, yes?
Great topic - Thanks for bringing it up!
Grinity
