Shauna Pollard, Ph. D., a practicing psychologist providing online therapy to clients in various parts of the United States, explains that for high achievers, ADHD can look like: losing things, having trouble socially or having a lack of focus.
Adult ADHD can have a massive impact on your life. But this doesn't apply to everyone with ADHD. Many ADHDers are high achievers.
Truth: Giftedness and ADHD can look a lot alike; both may need to be considered for some students. We now know that individuals that fit into these categories not only have their own unique challenges, but they also share many similarities as well. Not only that, but they can occur together.
High IQ may “mask” the diagnosis of ADHD by compensating for deficits in executive functions in treatment-naïve adults with ADHD.
For instance, among the 18 studies under scrutiny that did not explicitly state an IQ cut-off point the mean range of IQ among individuals with ADHD reported in the studies is from 102 to 110. Given that lower IQ is associated with ADHD this suggests that individuals with ADHD may be inaccurately represented.
ADHD AND GIFTEDNESS are sometimes described as having the same or similar characteristics. However, one diagnosis is considered a disability and one, a gift. Neither assumption is ideal in supporting the child identified with either ADHD, giftedness, or both, often referred to as twice exceptional or 2e.
It is known that people with ADHD have specific strengths, as a result of their brain functioning difference. They are more spontaneous, creative, energetic, intuitive, imaginative, and inventive.
Gifted students have abilities that exceed those of their typical peers. They learn faster, are inquisitive, curious, and are able to quickly understand complex concepts. However, some gifted students have behavioral problems that correspond with ADHD, so much so that they are diagnosed with the disorder.
Stephanie Sarkis, PhD, licensed and board-certified mental health counselor: Studies have found marijuana decreases executive function when you have ADHD. It can cause you to have a harder time focusing. It can impact your ability to get started on tasks or manage time. Even short-term use has this effect.
Core symptoms of ADHD are difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity, and acting impulsively (such as doing things without thinking through the consequences). Some children may present with difficulties with one or more of these core symptoms.
High achievers may look well put together but have several insecurities behind the scenes. Perfectionism, imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and anxiety, are common among high achievers.
People with ADHD may have a hard time developing healthy social skills from childhood through adulthood, especially if their condition goes untreated. That said, it's possible to improve your social skills at any point in life.
Thus, the population of individuals with ADHD generally falls along a normal distribution in terms of intellectual skills. One might expect that 3% to 5% of those with gifted intellect will meet the symptom criteria for ADHD.
Anxiety among gifted students is controversial. Some studies showed that gifted children had lower anxiety scores than their non-gifted peers (15,16). For example, Guignard et al., (9) reported that gifted children display higher anxiety only when they did not have more perfectionism than their peers.
Signs of giftedness can appear as early as infancy and continue during the toddler and preschool years. Testing for giftedness and high IQ, however, usually takes place around age 5.
The students with ADHD also performed better in certain subject areas than those without ADHD. These included the arts, creative writing, science discovery, and architecture. (Their achievement was self-reported.)
Entrepreneurs. There are some well-known very high-achieving ADHD entrepreneurs including Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Walt Disney. Richard Branson had no interest in anything academic. Still, once he was able to harness his talents and imagination in his own way, he began to build a phenomenal business empire.
ADHD Assessment & Treatment Centres
To legally protect the rights of people with ADHD in Australia, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), a person's ADHD must be classed as a disability according to the criteria as specified in the DDA. DDA disability definition criteria relevant to people with ADHD: 1.
1. Myth: “They've always done well in school, so I don't think they have ADHD.” Truth: Lots of kids with ADHD do well in school, especially in younger grades where there is less homework to complete.
A gifted child's IQ will fall within these ranges: Mildly gifted: 115 to 130. Moderately gifted: 130 to 145. Highly gifted: 145 to 160.
The child may have ADHD, which makes it hard to control their impulses or focus for long periods of time unless it is their area of interest. The child may be both gifted and have ADHD, which presents as an inconsistent (or even average) performance across school subjects.