Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Need Advice for DS10...ADD vs. Gifted

Hello all,

I am posting re my DS10. He was diagnosed with Inattentive ADD 18 months ago and started on Strattera. Although my husband and I thought that the Strattera helped somewhat, after re-testing this year at his teacher's prompting, we came to the conclusion that it was not helping and 3 weeks ago started Concerta. The Concerta has not helped at all.

At parent-teacher conferences, his teacher expressed concern regarding his ability to follow oral directions, maintain social relationships, be receptive to others, and also stated that in her entire career he is the second most un-organized child she has ever seen. Despite this, he earned 4 A's and 2 B's on his report card. He excels in reading and spelling. He adores Legos and other projects requiring complicated directions and step by step processes. He does struggle with math but only because he thinks he knows the answers and doesn't take the time to read thru. When tested, I think his IQ was around 120, but again, I'm not convinced it was entirely accurate, due to his inattentiveness.
He is stubborn, moody, forgetful and infuriating. ( Today, in 19 degree weather, he forgot his coat on the way to school and after I brought it to him he left it in his locker for the weekend).

He has taken guitar lessons for the past 9 months and is doing exceedingly well, and his instructor, who is also an educator, has expressed concern that perhaps he has been mis-diagnosed as ADD and that in fact he might be gifted in some areas, such as music and reading, while struggling in others.

I am having trouble getting his teacher and school counselor to respond to my concerns. I am at a complete loss as to what steps to take next. My husband and I are considering taking him off meds, as they seem to serve no purpose, even after increasing his dosage. Our pediatrician would prompt us on to the next logical med, as would the psychologist we have seen in the past. I believe the teacher is fixated on the ADD diagnosis, and looking to us to "fix" our son.

I apologize for the long post and realize it might belong on an ADD forum somewhere, but really am stumped at this point. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I recommend this book: The Mislabeled Child

http://mislabeledchild.com/

It may give you some ideas of what is going on and how to approach the problem.

If you don't mind my asking, which IQ tests was he given and was he high in some subtests and low in others?

Cathy A;

Thanks for the book suggestion, I will look for it online today.

Dazed;

No, I don't know what IQ test he was given, I had not really educated myself too much at that point. I don't think that it was very involved, as it was done with some other testing in a one hour session at a psychologist office. Again, He doesn't seem to do his best on these kind of tests because of the attention issues.

May I also add after reading through some other posts last night, that our initial encounter with his psychologist was regarding anxiety issues? In second and third grade he had complaints like "his liver was going to blow up" and "his brain was sinking into his skull", in addition to very real anxiety over G.I. reflux. My husband and I are both medical professionals, so I think he may have heard a little too much talk at the dinner table, and the reflux issues have resolved. However at the beginning of this year he was having anxiety about death and dying, and also over much lesser issues like having two girlfriends at once and stressing over a friend who made a prank phone call at our house. ( Crying because he thougth the police were going to come to our house. ) At this point in time he has stated that those issues have resolved. But anxiety seems to be something that hangs out under the surface, regardless.

Thanks for your input

Another book to look at is "Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children" by Dr. James Webb. Very interesting read; I actually got it because I suspected my HG+ ds6 might have ADD (no H for him). It didn't put my suspicions to rest, but it did give me more to think about.

Have you tried behavior therapy in lieu of or in conjunction with meds? I've read that diet changes (fewer carbs, more protein) and behavior modification strategies can work wonders with kids who are borderline, and with my own ds, we definitely see an improvement with a high-protein diet.

You may want to re-do the IQ testing with a tester experienced with gifted kids and see what he thinks. Worth looking into, at least ...

Good luck!

I have to comment on the "too much medical talk at the dinner table." I am the child of a general surgeon, and grew up hearing the same kind of info....plus the medical mags and books lying around the house. And I am a total hypochondriac. To me a headache means brain tumor, a stiff neck is meningitis, etc. Kids are very sensitive to that stuff. I'm trying not to project this on to my kids.

Hello JBR,

You have described our oldest exactly! Anxiety attacks, moodiness, disorganization, forgetfulness, missed homework, unable to follow verbal directions, high IQ, infuriating, highly fussy/oversensitive, temper tantrums.

Ritalin helped him although he didn't start it 'til high school. His social skills improved on it and his grades went from f's and d's to a's and b's, appropriate for the high IQ he has. Overnight. He wss diagnosed with OCD in 6th gr. and the dr. said that med would take care of the ADD. It didn't.

Your son is learning and making good grades despite his disorganization and inability to follow verbal directions. That's amazing. There are other meds for ADD that may work. If he can't take any, he is still achieving decent grades.

Could the teacher be more concerned with the inconvenience his "learning difference" puts on her, rather than on him? Ours eventually became organized when he grew up and was in college.

I want to encourage you by saying that all those years of suffering for him and us have yielded a wonderful 27 yr. old. Polite, organized, spiritual, fun, and a Renaissance prof to-be in 1.5 yrs. Your son is destined to be an amazing adult. Ours was rude and a real firecracker as a child and our worst fears never happened. Your hard work will pay off. Blessings, San

Hi Again,

I forgot. Our district dragged its feet on responding to us for an eval. You might want to write your county superintendent. We ended up having to write the state dept. of ed to get an eval going. Would the principal get the ball going? Our son had to be classified ED to get help from our district. If he does indeed have ADD, he has a right to written directions instead of oral. He can have an aide help him get organized before he comes home without materials. You can call your local learning disabilities assoc. and they can give you a free advocate to go to school meetings to get him aide. The classification of ED or Nuerologically Impaired can be dropped when he no longer needs help. Our son's was dropped in high school. Do you feel the psychologist is helping give him tools to manage? My husband thinks cognitive therapy helped. Hope this helps. --San

Thanks for the response, all.

I have ordered both books through amazon.

I don't think that his teacher is concerned about her inconvenience, she is very focused on getting him ready for middle school next year, is very "diplomatic" in her observations of him, and willing to work with us, especially re organizational skills. I have had to seek her out to get feedback, she's not breathing down our neck because of his issues. However, her focus has so far been on fixing the attention problems as well as the organizational ones rather than exploring the potential GT aspect. For now we are continuing to help him organize paperwork nightly, and she is supposed to send me status e-mails weekly. ( This after he forgot to give her her copy of the Connor's test 2 days in a row, then lost the note that I sent asking her if she got the Connor's form, and then when the note was found in the hallway by another teacher, he realized he lost the Connor's form (!)).

I don't know where to begin to ask for further IQ testing. A teacher friend in the district stated that a school psychologist would only come in if LD/GT testing was warranted,and I am not sure this would be the best route to take. He did not qualify for the GATE program last year, our first year in the district, and I am not sure what testing was involved.
I have searched for a private psychologist specializing in this area in our city and have come up empty handed. Are there resources to better help me identify the most qualified professional?

Thanks again,
Jen

Just wanted to update this thread..

As of today I have contacted our peds to get the name of a qualified psychologist to do testing. We have also stopped the Concerta, pending further evaluation. The pediatrician is suggesting an increase in Concerta and/or a switch to another med. Am I justified in wanting a full evaluation before continuing on a medication that doesn't seem to be working, or do I need to "jump through the hoops" and keep him on it in order to get someone to listen to me?

Appreciate any advice,

Jen