Gifted Students with ADHD:A Complicated Conundrum

Susan Baum, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus

College of New Rochelle

Director of Professional Development

Bridges Academy

www.internationalcenterfortalentdevelopment.com

ADHD

Robin Williams   1952-actor, comedian, ADHD

Early on, Williams applied his inexhaustible hyperactivity to many films

Students with ADD/ADHDClassic manifestations: • Creative thinkers• Difficulty sustaining attention especially

in listening activities• Difficulty completing written work, • Physical restlessness or feelings of

restlessness• Impulsivity • Difficulty following through on

instructions from others (not due to oppositional behavior or failure of comprehension)

• Need to move to learn

IT’S COMPLICATED

COMORBIDITY:THERE IS AN INTERACTION

BETWEEN GIFTEDNESS AND ADHD

• 1, OVEREXCITABILITIES• 2. ROLE OF DRUGS, STIMULATION,

AND THE CURRICULUM• 3. HIGH ABILITIES IN SPATIAL AND

KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCES

Sensitivities of the High-CreativeDabrowski’s “Overexcitabilities”

•Psychomotor

• Intellectual

•Emotional

• Sensual

• Imaginational

Psychomotor

A heightened physical energy that may be expressed as a love of movement, rapid speech, impulsiveness, and/or restlessness.

Sensual

Heightened sensory awareness (e.g. touch, taste, smell).  May be expressed as desire for comfort or a sharp sense of aesthetics.

Imaginational

Vivid imagery, use of metaphor,

visualizations, and inventiveness.  May also include vivid dreams, fear of the unknown, poetic creativity, or love of fantasy.

Intellectual

Persistence in asking probing questions, love of knowledge, discovery, theoretical analysis and synthesis, independence of thought, and the love of solving the problem.

The role of attention and curriculum •

Where the learning breaks down

Attention

Novelty

Intensity

Personalized

Relevance

Symbol System

(Multiple Intelligence)

Sensory

Input

Auditory

Visual

Kinesthetic

Working

Memory

UnderstandingMemory

Expression

Application

Critical & creative thinking

Generalization

“HOW CAN WE HELP STUDENTS SIT STILL AND FOCUS?”

The wrong question:

HOW LONG ARE YOUR STUDENTS SITTING?

VERBAL FLUENCY ACTIVITY: ARE YOU READY?

• CIRCLE TIME?• LISTENING? • DOING SEATWORK?

• Research says that sitting and listening and paying attention is developmental.

• The amount of minutes is related to age up to 15.

• 10 minutes and attention starts to drift if information is boring monotonous

• Digital kids listen faster• 2E students especially

those with ADHD think better when moving

Essential needs

• Novelty and appropriate challenge• Unlimited use of technology for

productivity and learning• Active engagement through spatial,

kinesthetic and emotional activity• Use of movement in the curriculum• Infusion of problem based inquiry learning

as an outlet for curiosity and creativity• Skills to organize and control emotions

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Bicycle_two_1886.jpg

s

Unlimited use of technology• Word processing• Calculators• Focus tool: back

channeling, accelerated lecture

• Note-taking• Web quests

• Voice thread• Animoto• Imovies• Digital pen

(records and writes)

• Xtranormal• Inspiration

Incorporate movement into activities

Let’s Get Up and Move

Let’s Use Drama

• Gift giving• Wonderful World of Words• Character Interviews• Lots more!!!!

Provide opportunities for movement within curriculum

Distance = rate x time

Opposite Board

Movement to support learning

• The walking lane• Travel pair share• Transition dancer-size

WHEEL OF CHOICE

• Teach time and stress management, conflict resolution and anger management skills.

The pond problem:

The pond problem:

The pond problem:

TALENT CENTERED MODEL FOR 2E LEARNERS

What do they need?

Talent Development

Challenging Curriculum

Physical

Environment

Differentiated Instruction

Social & Emotional Support

Targeted Remediation

Susan M. Baum, Ph.D.

Edward Hallowell (2005)

I have learned first and foremost to look for interests, talents, strengths,

shades of strengths or the mere suggestion of a talent.

Knowing that a person builds a happy and successful life not on remediated

weaknesses but on developed strengths, I have learned to place those strengths at the top of what

mattersSusan M. Baum, Ph.D.

Additional Resources

Questions?