ADD possibility

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

I am the dad of a 6 years old that has been diagnosed as highly gifted. We learned a lot about giftedness, read a huge number of books etc…

The more I was reading, the more I was suspecting that I too was a gifted person. After a year or two thinking about it, I finally took some tests (WISC).

I am just out with the result.

A gifted profile is identified (98 percentile), however, the doctor’s been pretty adamant that I was showcasing ADD/Impulsive characteristics throughout the tests.

I know ADD is a common “side effect” of giftedness, and I feel that my abilities to learn have made my going through life a bit easier, despite ADD.

Now the question.

Doctor (psycholog) has given me a couple books to read (I can read a full book even though it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so), some therapists (I have to manage a very low self esteem and biased view of myself) and has asked me to try medication.

Do I need more specific tests? From the video I saw it seems diagnostics are really hard to make. This doctor is specialized in ADD and giftedness therefore I feel confident about the diagnosis but I am a bit worried about medication without a well defined diagnosis.

Who should I see? (I live in Quebec).

I now have to deal with two news… Intellectual giftedness and ADD on top of that. It’s going to be a rough week.

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[Bibliophile]

Being ADHD does not convey improved mental acuity or faculty. What evidence do you have that it often goes with high intellect? If anything, being ADHD might reduce ones mental intelligence in any number of ways, e.g. digressing from the topic or difficulty completing tasks. Some people with ADHD claim that their ADHD offers them the ability to “think outside of the box” or “be more creative”, but this would not be the same as a High IQ or innate talent at math. In fact, many people with ADHD also suffer from oppositional defiance and or learning disabilities which might get in the way of translating their intellect in any practical means.

Map out what ADHD symptoms you wish to address and choose a treatment option that would assist you to that outcome. There are loads of options for you, including stimulant drugs, cognitive behavioural therapy, increasing exercise, etc.

Also the Wikipedia page on WISC mentions a couple of studies that questioned the value of WISC testing for ADHD and learning disability diagnosis: Watkins, M.W., Kush, J., & Glutting, J.J. (1997). Discriminant and predictive validity of the WISC-III ACID profile among children with learning disabilities. Psychology in the Schools, 34(4), 309-319 and Ward, S.B., Ward, T. J., Hatt, C.V., Young, D.L, & Mollner, N.R. (1995). The incidence and utility of the ACID, ACIDS, and SCAD profiles in a referred population. Psychology in the Schools, 32(4), 267-276.

For reference watch “Dr Russell Barkley – ADHD Is Not A Gift” on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xpEBE9VDWw

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[Anonymous]

My question would be – was only the WAIS performed (the WISC is the children’s version, the WAIS is the adult version)? My son has recently been disgnosed with ADHD and he sat through a battery of tests, including the WISC, the Individual Achievement Test, Abbreviated Connor’s Questionnaire, and a self concept scale. Additionally, when he performed poorly on the mental maths section of whatever test he was doing, the tester took it upon herself to see how my son would go if given pencil and paper. He did much better, which was just one more clincher in the ADHD diagnosis. On top of that, we were interviewed for half an hour without my son there, and his teachers would have been asked to supply information too, if needed (I already had verbal reports from the school which, along with the test results, was conclusive enough).

It is interesting that you still scored on the 98th percentile with ADHD raised as an issue. My son’s ADHD dragged him down in certain areas so that his overall intelligence would have rated as average (50th percentile) instead of the high average (75th percentile) he would have probably would have rated if his ADHD hadn’t been an issue. It was the big gap between the scores (verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning, compared to working memory and processing speed) that was an indicator of ADHD, on top of his performance in the other tests, which looked at reading, spelling, writing, maths, concentration, memory, personality, behaviour and social relations. Exhausting!! But, that said, I don’t know how things would differ in an adult either. I have certainly compensated for many of the difficulties I experienced when I was younger.

I would read up on ADHD to get more informed, decide yourself if the diagnosis fits, then I would closely examine how it affects your life, if it does at all. If you don’t feel you have any issues with how you are coping with life at the moment, then it’s really worthless trialling medication. Read around in forums like this, and you will get a better idea about the issues people with ADHD face, and you can then get an idea about ADHD and you. If you truely do have ADHD, then you will probably find many of the stories here could be all about you, and you will feel you fit comfortably into the online ADHD community. It’s as good an indicator as any!

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[Wgreen]

L_C– I want to thank you for pointing me in the direction of Russell Barkley. He rings true, and he certainly speaks to my condition and experience.

But there is so much static out there, it’s often hard to know what to think about ADD. To make matters worse, everybody has “an expert” they can quote to defend their own point of view. (e.g., the psychiatrist who posted the other day, claiming ADD/ADHD had been a great asset to his career. Then you have Dr. Barkley over on Youtube categorically asserting that all credible research proves ADHD does NOTHING, EVER, to make you more successful. Period. Au contraire…)

In fact, how many times do you read an article about anything controversial and see “recent research suggests/proves” in the first paragraph? It has become the bunker-buster of thoughtful discussion and debate: “I have a scientific study on my side, so you’re wrong and I’m right. Not only that, but you’re a moron!” The problem, as NYT columnist David Freedman has pointed out, is most (medical) research findings wind up being debunked within three years. So what are we to believe? What’s the truth? Sometimes I feel like all the time I spend reading about ADD—and other things, as well—is just a massive waste of time, and that I’d be better served continuing to bump into walls and trying to wade through, say, Plutarch’s “Parallel Lives”—if I could ever finish it.

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[Bibliophile]

@Wgreen I hear you on the conflicting reports. Some of it comes from the media wishing to create a sensational headline to grab viewers. Who would read an article titled: “we think that ADHD does not make you more creative, but more work needs to be done”. I liked Michael Freedman’s book Wrong: Why experts* keep failing us–and how to know when not to trust them . He admits that while double blind trials are the best we have, even they can go astray. Hopefully the DSM V will clarify some of this.

As for Dr. Barkley, he speaks to my own situation as well and that of my family’s, both my parents and children. I am not trying to say that others that focus on the positive and negative aspects, e.g. Dr. Edward Hallowell, are less valid. But I prefer a neurophysiological approach. I do have problem with those that stress the positive aspects while overlooking the negative ones, e.g. Dr. Lara Honos-Webb.

I look at my own and the experiences of others close to me and fail to see the “positive” in the disorder from a holistic perspective. Sure, some of the changes to the thought process are great for brainstorming, but you have to say to yourself, how often is brainstorming what I need to be doing. The hyperfocusing on tasks when I need to get on with something else is dehabilitating. I particularly like Barkley’s comments on the efficacy of behaviour modification (BMod) to teach a behaviour for someone with ADHD. With my son, this is the case. BMod doesn’t work unless it is always there. The behaviour is never learned, ingrained. It might change over time, but not as a result of the BMod.

I feel like this guy every time someone claims ADHD is a “gift”: http://www.youtube.com/user/jeffsaddmind#p/u/1/c09aZkzyzgE

I am not saying we shouldn’t be positive. There are loads of things that we can do to improve our condition and I am trying to focus on that.

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[Anonymous]

Just got diagnosed, and the first suggestion for treatment is neurobiofeedback training. Does anyone here have experience with this? Apparently there are only 2 possibilities in my area, and it is difficult to be taken on as a patient with the person who actually takes health insurance, which is a must for me. The 2nd recommendation is medication and cognitive therapy, as well as a lifecoach for assistance.

Any thoughts in this area would be greatly appreciated

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[Anonymous]

I’ve never heard of neurobiofeedback training – it’s not even been mentioned by my doctors so I have no idea how widespread or successful it is. On the other hand, medication and cognitive therapy are the most common treatments. Medication alone cannot accomplish what medication and therapy can. Medication gives you the tools, therapy teaches you how to use them. Good luck.

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[Author]

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