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ADHD: The Ongoing Controversy
No one will argue that ADHD is a long time subject of controversy. But some question whether it is really a disorder or just a collection of personality traits that may be undesirable. A few conservatives even see ADHD as being an attack on traditional masculine traits.
The online magazine, Slate, recently published The ADHD-ventures of Tom Sawyer, suggesting that today, Tom would have been diagnosed as having not only ADHD, but also Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). When Mark Twain wrote his books about Tom Sawyer, the boy’s behaviors were described quite differently than they would be today. Tom had a wandering mind, his heart ached to be free, he had to sit far away from the seductive outside summer scenes, he was unable to take responsibility for his own actions, he aggressively provoked his peers, he ignored rules, defied adults, he was dishonest, and skipped school. No one described him as having ADHD.
For some critics, the label ADHD is merely an excuse for frustrated parents and teachers and overzealous doctors to medicate away a child's annoying behaviors. Other critics concede that ADHD exists, but believe it is vastly over diagnosed. ADHD and Education, on the University of Michigan Web site, states one “controversy is that of teachers and schools wanting students to be on medication so that they are not a disruption in class.”
Does ADHD Exist?, from the archives of Frontline, offers six different viewpoints about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Some opinions are from active opponents of ADHD and some are from true believers of the disorder. Reading these will give you a broader perspective.
In some circles, it is felt that ADHD may be a misdiagnosis. Instead of suffering from ADHD the child (especially a gifted child) may be expressing overexcitabilities as described by Polish psychiatrist and psychologist Kazimierz Dabrowski. You can read more about overexciteabilities in Overexcitability and the Gifted at the SENG Web site.
It is important for parents and teachers to understand that there is not a consensus about ADHD. Before jumping to any conclusions, those who work with young people should educate themselves thoroughly about the topic.
Online Resources for Twice Exceptional Students
An oxymoron it is not—twice exceptional, 2e, GT/LD, gifted with learning disabilities—these are all labels given to people who are very bright, yet have learning difficulties. The phenomenon is much more common than most people realize.
There are online resources to help parents and teachers better understand and work with students who fit into this category.
2e Newsletter: Lots of free articles and an online newsletter to which one can subscribe.
Twice Gifted: Lists characteristics of children who are gifted but are visually impaired, hearing impaired, or have physical disabilities. Suggests strategies to use with students who are twice exceptional. The Web site also discusses savants, those with Asperger’s syndrome, and gifted students who suffer from depression.
Uniquely Gifted: There are many resources, including articles and personal experiences of both parents and students. A long list of types of disabilities is presented with links to supporting information. Also included are treatments, training, and therapies to use with twice exceptional students. Numerous support groups and email lists are given.
Explore these resources for a better understanding of kids with learning difficulties and suggestions of ways to help them compensate, while taking advantage of their wonderful strengths.
Autism and the Nature of Intelligence
The debate about the nature of intelligence and giftedness continues.
Led by psychologist Laurent Mottron of the University of Montreal, a team gave both autistic kids and normal kids two of the most popular IQ tests used in schools: the WISC, which relies heavily on language; and the Raven’s Progressive Matrices, which measures the ability to infer rules, to set and manage goals, and to do high-level abstractions. The Raven’s presents arrays of complicated patterns with one missing, and test takers are required to choose the one that would logically complete the series. The test demands a good memory, focused attention and other “executive skills,” but—unlike the WISC—it doesn’t require much language.
The difference between the scores of the autistic and normal children on the WISC and the Raven’s test was striking. Not a single autistic child scored in the “high intelligence” range of the WISC. In fact, a third of the children with autism had WISC scores in the mentally retarded range. Yet fully a third scored in the “high intelligence range” on the Raven’s.
The scientists ran the same experiment with autistic and normal adults, with the same result.
While it is probably true that people with autism possess extraordinary perceptual skills, and that they use unique cognitive pathways for problem solving, their intelligence clearly goes far beyond rote memory and perception to include complex reasoning ability.
I would like to know…
What implications does this research have for the education of autistic children?
Asperger's Syndrome -- An Overview
On April 5, 2007, ABC News ran a nice introductory article about Asperger's syndrome that I believe offers a good overview of the topic. The article, Asperger's Syndrome: Separating Myth From Reality, includes this brief description of the condition: In short, the syndrome is a developmental disorder most often characterized by certain social deficiencies or "quirks." This often includes an unusual preoccupation with a particular subject, repetitive routines or rituals, peculiar speech patterns, and other behaviors that may make interacting with peers difficult.
"Basically, you get an individual who might have a real restricted repertoire of things they are interested in," Roane said, adding that those with Asperger's may attempt to engage in conversations with others that focus only on their particular area of interest to the exclusion of all other topics.
However, what separates this disorder from many [autism spectrum disorders] is the fact that in most cases, those with Asperger's have normal, or even above normal, intelligence.
The rest of the article goes on to discuss ways Asperger's is diagnosed, common misconceptions about the condition, and provides a look at future directions for research.
Treatment for Kids with Asperger's Syndrome
The article was interesting to me because of our newly released book, School Success for Kid With Asperger's Syndrome by Stephan M. Silverman, Ph.D., and Rich Weinfeld. The most important feature of this book is its focus on interventions that help kids who have the disorder. With their wide ranging background in psychology and exceptional education, the authors have written a book that focuses on practical, effective ways that parents and teachers can help kids with Apsperger's syndrome.
Asperger's Syndrome and School Success
 Back in September of 2006, I posted a blog entry about Asperger's syndrome in response to a reader's question. In that post, I mentioned that Prufrock was preparing to release a book on the topic titled, School Success for Kids With Asperger's Syndrome by Stephan M. Silverman, Ph.D. and Rich Weinfeld. I'm proud to announce the release of this new book from Prufrock Press. Hundreds of thousands of children face life with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism spectrum disorder that affects a child's language and social skills. In their book, Silverman and Weinfeld describe 10 of the most common school concerns faced by students with Asperger's syndrome, including:
- problems with social interactions;
- very focused areas of interest and expertise;
- need for predictability;
- problems with language;
- problems with abstract reasoning;
- problems with sensory hyper- or hyposensitivity;
- problems with anxiety, depression, and emotional regulation;
- problems with attention, organization, and other areas of executive functioning;
- problems with motor issues including written production; and
- problems with ritualistic, repetitive, or rigid behavior.
The authors provide detailed explanations of each of these problem areas and describe field-tested strategies to help teachers adapt their classrooms to provide opportunities for students with Asperger's syndrome to overcome their weaknesses in these problem areas. The book also offers strategies for parents that will help their child with school success.  School Success for Kids With Asperger's Syndrome includes an excellent chapter about the behaviors a parent might see in their child with Asperger's syndrome. Feel feel free to share this link with others. I think the chapter offers some important insights. When the authors of this book first approached Prufrock Press, they made it clear that they wanted to write a sensitive book that would focus on the strategies that would promote school success for kid with Asperger's syndrome. They wanted to write a positive book that focused on ways parents and teachers can take positive action to help these children. They have achieved this goal, and I would recommend that anyone touched by this issue purchase this book or check it out from their local library.
Asperger's Syndrome
A reader, Danielle, posted the question below as a comment to a post I wrote a few weeks ago. Because I felt the question was an especially important one, I've moved it here and tried to offer a brief answer that I hope will be enough to point Danielle in the right direction. Please feel free to post other ideas, suggestions, and resources if you have some knowledge of this topic. Joel,
I am new to the world of gifted children. I work at a center for children with autism but came head on to a child with severe behavioral problems none of which are related to autism.
This child speaks as an adult and is very inquisitive and knowledgeable about concepts I find hard to grasp. He is also is very defiant, runs away, and always knows just the right thing to do wrong (if that makes sense). I have a feeling this child is very intuitive because he sees whole concepts without needing to see the sequence of events. Also, he is very inquisitive and always wants to know how things work.
He is five years old and on the verge of getting kicked out of school. The only power I have is to talk with his teachers on how to promote good behaviors and challenge him.
What should I say? What difference can I make when the parents would laugh at me if I even brought up the fact that he was possibly gifted.
Thanks for reading and I would appreciate any input you could give me.
Danielle
Hi Danielle. It sounds like you have your hands full. I want to commend you for taking such a caring interest in the child you write about. It does sound like this child has some special needs.
I am not qualified to diagnose a disorder and I'm drawing my conclusions from the small amount of information about the child included in your post, so I could be a bit off base with the following suggestions. However, let me suggest that you gather some information about a form of Autism called Asperger's syndrome. Wikipedia offers a concise introduction to Asperger's syndrome that you may find of value.
I've excerpted the following information from Wikipedia; however, you will find much more on the subject on the Wikipedia Web site:
Asperger syndrome — also referred to as Asperger's syndrome, Asperger's, or just AS — is one of five neurobiological pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) that is characterized by deficiencies in social and communication skills. It is differentiated from other PDD's in that a person with AS also has normal to above normal intelligence, . . . and standard language development compared with classical autism. The diagnosis of AS is complicated by the lack of a standard diagnostic screen, and the use of several different screening instruments and sets of diagnostic criteria. The exact cause of AS is unknown and the prevalence is not firmly established, due partly to the use of differing sets of diagnostic criteria.
I would explore the the Wikipedia page and scroll down to the page's "External Links" section. You will find several recommended external links there.
Also, please visit the Autism Society of America's Web resources devoted Asperger's syndrome. This organization offers a really reliable and informative introduction to the topic.
Certainly, there may be more going on with this child than Asperger's would explain, but this information may offer a start. Armed with a bit of information about Asperger's syndrome, you may be better able to talk to the child's parents and other teachers about this child's special needs and some interventions that might help him.
We have a book coming out in May 2007 titled, School Success for Kids With Asperger’s Syndrome by Stephan Silverman, Ph.D., and Richard Weinfied. So, keep an eye out for that book's release next spring. I'll be posting more about the book and the topic as we get nearer to it's release date.
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