Gifted Students with ADHD: A Complicated Conundrum

1. 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

2. ADHD

3. Robin Williams 1952-actor, comedian, ADHD Early on, Williams applied his inexhaustible hyperactivity to many films

4. Students with ADD/ADHD • Classic 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

5. IT’S COMPLICATED

6. 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

7. Sensitivities of the High-CreativeDabrowski’s “Overexcitabilities” • Psychomotor • Intellectual • Emotional • Sensual • Imaginational

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

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

10. Vivid imagery, use of metaphor, visualizations, and inventiveness.  May also include vivid dreams, fear of the unknown, poetic creativity, or love of fantasy. Imaginational

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

12. The role of attention and curriculum

13. Where the learning breaks down Sensory Input Working Memory Attention Novelty Intensity Personalized Relevance Symbol System (Multiple Intelligence) Expression Understanding Memory • Application • Critical & creative thinking • Generalization Auditory Visual Kinesthetic

14. The wrong question: “How can we help students sit STILL and focus?”

15. HOW LONG ARE YOUR STUDENTS SITTING? VERBAL FLUENCY ACTIVITY: ARE YOU READY? • CIRCLE TIME? • LISTENING? • DOING SEATWORK?

16. 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

17. 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

21. s

22. 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

23. Incorporate movement into activities

24. Let’s Get Up and Move

25. Let’s Use Drama • Gift giving • Wonderful World of Words • Character Interviews • Lots more!!!!

26. Provide opportunities for movement within curriculum Distance = rate x time Opposite Board

27. Movement to support learning • The walking lane • Travel pair share • Transition dancer-size

29. WHEEL OF CHOICE

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

31. The pond problem:

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