Misdiagnosis and Disservice: Gifted Students with Multiple Needs

1. Misdiagnosis and Disservice: Gifted Students with Multiple Needs F. Richard Olenchak, Ph.D., P.C. Professor, Psychologist, and Director Urban Talent Research Institute College of Education University of Houston Houston, TX 77204-5023 Voice – 713.743.4984 E-Mail – rolenchak@uh.edu

2. “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” -- William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

3. “I came to live in a country I love; some people label me a defector. I have loved men and women in my life; I’ve been labeled “the bisexual defector” in print. Want to know another secret? I’m even ambidextrous. I don’t like labels. Just call me Martina.” -- Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova, Being Myself , 1985

4. Mon 10/30/2007 10:20 Hello Dr. Olenchak, My name is ______ and I am caught up in a whirlwind of what is the best course of action to take for my exceptionally bright 8-year-old son who was just diagnosed with ADHD.  Interestingly, since being diagnosed w/ ADHD, his behavior has improved greatly (other than his forgetfulness).  He does well in school, receiving mostly A's on papers, with the occasional forgotten questions and careless mistakes.  I would like to avoid medicating him and possibly dulling his personality and charisma with drugs, but by the same token, I want him to be successful.  He is not currently in a G/T class (but should be) although he is in a class with a very structured strict teacher whom I have a good relationship with.  He tells me that he is bored in school and knows everything they are teaching him. 

5. I would like to find someone in the Houston area (we live in Sugar Land) who is knowledgeable in treating ADHD in Gifted children, who is open minded in considering methods Other than drugs for treatment.  I'm not sure where to begin and who would be most qualified to assist in this journey.  Should I seek a child psychologist, Clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, educational consultant? If you could offer any advice or direction that I might go with this, I would greatly appreciate it.  Thank you very much,

6. What We Know About the Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted and Talented Children Neihart, M., Reis, S.M., Robinson, N.M., and Moon, S.M. (Eds.) (2002). The social and emotional development of gifted children: What do we know? Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

7. General Conclusions • Typically, G/T students are at least as well adjusted as other groups of youngsters. • However, they face risks to their social and emotional development: mismatch with classrooms not responsive to the pace and level of gifted students’ learning and thinking inappropriate accommodations for high creativity, energy, intensity, and aspirations few if any adaptations to their internal asynchronous development (ex – maturity versus immaturity depending on the domain) inadequate support to deal with peer pressures to be “like everyone else”

8. Issues Related to Advanced Abilities Compared To Peers • Educational issues – out of sync with pace and level of instruction calls for differentiation but at a personal level • Peer relations issues – heightened sense of feeling different requires time with peers of similar abilities and interests

9. Issues Related to Internal Asynchronous Development • Self-regulation issues – social maturity lags behind talent areas • Unevenness in abilities – heightened in domain-specific gifts and talents

10. Common Areas of Psychological Vulnerability • Self-concept and motivation – self-concept and motivation are dependent on appropriate challenge • Super-sensitive neurological system – hyper-aware and hyper-reactive • Perfectionism – from whom and how much? • Underachievement – environmental causes versus internal causes

11. Is the child broken or is the school program out of synchrony with the child’s needs? Behaviors that are caused by extrinsic issues can begin to look like problems intrinsic in the individual.

12. What Is It?

14. WHAT ABOUT THE YOUNG PEOPLE I KNOW? With a partner, discuss the types of behaviors used to diagnose ADHD and think about students whom you know who demonstrate some of these same behaviors. Contemplate these students and then think about the circumstances in which these behaviors are demonstrated. Is there any reason to think about the behaviors in terms of giftedness, talent, and creativity? Are there occasions when those same behaviors, viewed as negative in school environments, might look positive? For example, is there some chance these students might be engaged in gifted-like and/or creative activities away from the school classroom?

15. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons

16. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons cont.

17. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons cont.

18. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons cont.

19. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons cont.

20. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons cont.

21. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons cont.

22. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons cont.

23. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons cont.

24. Affective Characteristics Distinguishing G/T Persons cont.

25. Differentiating Characteristics You Have Seen • Think of 2-3 students whom you teach who reflect one or more of the ten categories of differentiating characteristics and contemplate what is happening for those students.

26. Common Dual Diagnoses in Youth (gifted and x ) • Learning Disabilities (asynchronous development) • Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (perfectionism) • Asperger’s Disorder (AD) • Allergies (particularly food) & Asthma • Reactive Hypoglycemia • Sleep Disorders (Nightmare, Sleep Terror, and Sleepwalking Disorders) • Parent-Child Relationship Problems • Relational Problems with Peers • Depression (existential)

27. Nurturing Productive Talent: Roles for Teachers Eliminate judgmental responses:foster an inquiry-based classroom with open-ended questions requiring analysis (Goodlad, 1984; Olenchak, 1999; Renzulli, 1994) Add probing questions:having students explain their thinking allows for both check of comprehension and use of metacognition (Schiever, 1991; Starko, 1995) Use attribution effectively:assessments and ownership of ideas are used carefully, making for a psychologically “safe” environment (Olenchak, 1999; Rogers, 1962; Piechowski, 1991) Model the behaviors yourself:students often follow the style of their teachers’ thinking lead (Feldhusen & Treffinger, 1985; Treffinger, 1988) Encourage reflection:greater detail in thinking emerges when silence and time are available (Amabile, 1989; Olenchak, 1999; Treffinger & Isaksen, 1992) Modify Curricula:where basic material is adapted to individual needs and interests, students are stimulated to create (Kaplan, 1986; Olenchak, 1999; Renzulli, 1994; VanTassel-Baska, 1994) Alter instruction:using a smorgasbord of strategies to ensure challenge, learning how to think, and individualization, teachers nurture creative productivity (Amabile, 1990; Feldhusen, 1994; Olenchak, 1999) Collaborate:where teachers work effectively with other professionals both in and out of schools to develop experiences around student needs and interests, creative productivity is nurtured (Gallagher & Gallagher, 1994; Renzulli, 1994)

28. Nurturing Productive Talent: Roles for Parents Be honest:avoiding delivery of double messages and half-truths to children builds psychological safety needed for creative productivity (Davis & Rimm, 1989; Delisle, 1992; Rimm, 1986) Model the behaviors yourself:as with teachers, parents who use the thinking they want in their children are more likely to get it (Albert, 1980; Goertzel, Goertzel, & Goertzel, 1978; Olenchak, 1995; Renzulli, 1994; Silverman, 1993) Monitor instruction:parents can make sure the school is fine-tuned to their child’s needs (Bloom, 1982; Simonton, 1984) Be ready to volunteer:sharing of expertise demonstrates support for creative productivity (Renzulli & Reis, 1985; Silverman, 1988) Ask questions that seek depth:similar to teachers, parents who probe for deeper explanations from their children stimulate creative productivity (Saunders & Espeland, 1986; Roeper, 1990; Takacs, 1986) Attend to the basics:if the foundations are unmet, it is harder if not impossible to develop creative productivity (Davis, 1992; Davis & Rimm, 1989) Live your words:parents who not only speak supportively of creative production but who also live it themselves are likely to nurture such behavior in their children (Mallis, 1992; Olenchak, 1995; Silverman, 1993) Stimulate but don’t push:passions are developed from exposure to many things but over-programming can squelch interests (Alvino, 1989; Gladieux, 1988; Rimm, 1994)

29. What Do We See At School? With your partner, contemplate one of the students whom you identified as demonstrating behaviors associated with ADHD. When do you see the following happening for that student? • Inquiry-based classroom with open-ended discussions • Metacognition used to explain thoughts • Effective use of attribution producing psychological safety • Overt modeling of thinking by teachers • Time for silent reflection • Curricula are modified to individual needs and interests • Instruction is modified to individual needs and interests • Professionals collaborate to arrange activities around student needs and interests

30. Supersensitivity of Gifted and Talented Persons: Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities 1902-1980

31. Psychomotor Overexcitability • Heightened excitability of the neuromuscular system • Capacity for being active and energetic (love of movement for its own sake) • Organic surplus of energy (rapid speech; marked excitation; intense physical activity; need for action) • Psychomotor expression of emotional tension (compulsive talking and chattering; impulsive actions; restlessness acting out; nervous habits; drive; workaholism; organizing; competitiveness)

32. Sensual Overexcitability • Heightened experience of sensual pleasure or displeasure (seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, hearing) • Intense sexuality • Sensual expression and outlets for emotional tension (overeating; buying sprees; seeking the limelight) • Aesthetic pleasures (appreciation of beautiful objects, words, music, form, color, balance)

33. Intellectual Overexcitability • Heightened need to seek understanding and truth, to gain knowledge, and to analyze and synthesize • Intensified activity of the mind (curiosity, concentration, capacity for sustained intellectual effort, avid reading, keenly observant, detailed planning, detailed visual recall) • Penchant for probing questions and problem solving (tenacity in examining issues & addressing them) • Preoccupation with logic and theoretical thinking (love of theory, metacognition, nonjudgmental introspection, moral thinking, conceptual and intuitive integration, independence of thought) • Development of new concepts (striving for understanding of phenomena by creating new theories, probing the unknown with the intent of developing explanations)

34. Imaginational Overexcitability • Heightened play of the imagination (frequent distraction, wandering attention, daydreaming) • Rich association of images and impressions (real as well as imagined) • Frequent use of image and metaphor (facility for invention and fantasy, detailed and often animated visualization, poetic and dramatic perception) • Spontaneous imagery as an expression of emotional tension (animistic imagery, mixing truth with fiction, elaborate dreams, illusions) • Capacity for living in a world of fantasy (predilection for fairy and magic tales, creation of private worlds and imaginary companions, dramatization

35. Emotional Overexcitability • Heightened, intense positive and negative feelings (extremes of emotion, complex emotions and feelings, empathy, high degree of differentiation of feelings, awareness of range and intensity of feelings) • Somatic expressions (tense stomach, sinking heart, blushing, flushing, sweaty palms) • Strong affective expressions (inhibitions, ecstasy, euphoria, pride; feelings of guilt, concern with death, depressive moods) • Capacity for strong attachments and deep relationships (strong emotional ties to others, places, and things; compassion, sensitivity in relationships, difficulty adjusting to new environments, compassion) • Strongly differentiated feelings toward self (inner dialogue and self-judgment, strong orientation toward self-examination)

36. Overexcitabilities You See • In yourself? • In your spouse or partner? • In a good friend? • In your children? • In your students? • In the student who is most on your mind today?

37. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Perfectionism

38. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Gender-Based Roles

39. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Hyper- sensitivity

40. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Overly- Perceptive

41. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Hyperkinetic

42. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Resident Expert Syndrome

43. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Low Frustration Level

44. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Magnifies Personal Differences

45. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Genuine Boredom

46. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • “Super Star” Syndrome

47. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Absorbed in Interests

48. Recognizing Students at Risk of Talent Destruction • Gullibility

49. When You Thought I Wasn’t Looking When you thought I wasn’t looking, you displayed my first report, and I wanted to do another.When you thought I wasn’t looking, you fed a stray cat, and I thought it was good to be kind to animals.When you thought I wasn’t looking, you gave me a sticker, and I knew that little things were special things.When you thought I wasn’t looking, you put your arm around me, and I felt loved.When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt--but that it’s all right to cry.When you thought I wasn’t looking, you smiled, and it made me want to look that pretty too.When you thought I wasn’t looking, you cared, and I wanted to be everything I could be.When you thought I wasn’t looking--I looked...and wanted to say thanks for all those things you did when you thought I wasn’t looking.  --Mary Rita Schilke Korzan

50. Thank you so much for caring enough to spend some of your day with me! Urban Talent Research Institute University of Houston