Studies have shown that 50% of kids who are gifted have ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. But that doesn't mean that 50% of people who have ADHD are Gifted.
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. In fact, about 50% of gifted children also have ADHD which adds complexity and additional challenges.
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.
However, there is no correlation between this condition and intelligence. In fact, according to one study , ADHD affects people in the same way across high, average, and low IQ score ranges.
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.
Even when academic performance is high, the hidden cost of ADD (ADHD) is often taking a toll. Gifted students with ADD (ADHD) often struggle with anxiety, even when grades are high. They may suffer from boredom when required to do unnecessary, repetitive work that less gifted students may need.
Conversely, the attention disorder may be so strong that the child underperforms, masking their giftedness. Finally, it is also possible that the giftedness and the attention disorder hide each other, called the masking effect.
High IQ may “mask” the diagnosis of ADHD by compensating for deficits in executive functions in treatment-naïve adults with ADHD.
Lots of creative people have ADHD. ADHD challenges, like impulsivity and risk-taking, could lead to creative thinking. If people with ADHD follow through on ideas, their creativity can flourish.
About 70% of autistic people have an intellectual disability, which means they have an IQ lower than 70. The remaining 30% have intelligence that ranges from average to gifted. Autism and intelligence are two separate characteristics. A person can be autistic with any level of intelligence.
Consider these advantages afforded to those with ADD or ADHD: They excel in unstructured situations and conversations. They tend to be more intuitive. They tend to be much more creative.
I want to emphasize that giftedness is one form of neurodiversity, and it is not exclusive. Many people have giftedness as one part of their neurodiversity experience, and they may also have other kinds of diagnoses, for example ADHD.
However, there is another reason to lower the IQ cutoff for giftedness below 130. For example, the most widely used studies on gifted education identify gifted scores in the range of 115–129 IQ points for students who are non-native English speakers or come from low-education families (e.g., Crabtree et al. 2019).
About 3 to 5 out of every 100 children could be considered gifted. Giftedness in a statistical sense is something that's very unique.
Many people with ADHD struggle to learn new things because several ADHD symptoms affect their focus, time management, and organization. Getting easily distracted and being inattentive, for instance, are not conducive for learning.
Individuals with ADHD often perform at a lower level on intelligence tests than those without ADHD, because these tests require sustained mental effort.
Conversational skills and humanity
Those with ADHD are often talkative , which means that they can spark an intriguing conversation in most scenarios. Another study highlights that people with ADHD may have higher levels of social intelligence, humor, and recognition of feeling, or empathy.
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.
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.
Hyperfocus and esoteric interests can be a problem.
Gifted students often have intense focus on things of interest to them to the exclusion of all other things that other people find of value (like eating, sleeping, and personal hygiene). This is common in people with ADHD (called “hyperfocus”).
Neurotypicals misinterpret this as being callous, narcissistic, uncaring, or socially inept. Taken together, the vulnerability of a person with ADHD to the negative feedback of others, and the lack of ability to observe oneself in the moment, make a witch's brew.
ADD can sometimes go unnoticed because the symptoms may be less obvious. ADHD is more often diagnosed in boys than girls. Girls are more likely to have symptoms of inattentiveness only, and are less likely to show disruptive behaviour that makes ADHD symptoms more obvious.