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Category: Misdiagnosis
Counselors & Counseling
Julia Rutkovsky, LCSW; Melissa Sornik, LCSW; Jacob Greebel, LMSW.

Why Are Assessments and Screening Tools Missing Co-occurring Diagnoses of Gifted Kids?

Gifted children’s co-occurring diagnoses are often missed because they mask symptoms, commonly used screeners are outdated or rely on limited reports, and score discrepancies are overlooked. Evaluations should consider narrative context, observations across settings, and score discrepancies to identify needs and provide appropriate supports.

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Julia Rutkovsky, LCSW; Melissa Sornik, LCSW; Jacob Greebel, LMSW. December 12, 2022
Misdiagnosis
Steven Pfeiffer

Helping Them Climb: Optimizing Favorable Outcomes When Counseling the gifted

This article integrates child psychotherapy research and four evidence-based counseling principles for gifted students: use empirically supported interventions, emphasize the therapeutic alliance and clinical expertise, involve families, and progress-monitor outcomes. It advocates a strength-based focus and illustrates practice with a dialectical behavior therapy clinical case.

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Steven Pfeiffer February 11, 2021
Misdiagnosis
Ruth Carlstrom

Misdiagnosis

Gifted individuals often present complex traits—intensity, sensitivity, divergent learning styles—that can be mistaken for disorders like ADD/ADHD, ODD, or Asperger’s. Misdiagnoses may waste talent; appropriate recognition, tailored curriculum, and reading such as Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults can help correct assessment.

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Ruth Carlstrom February 23, 2016
Misdiagnosis
Marianne Kuzujanakis, MD, MPH

SENG Concerned for Gifted ADHD Diagnosis

SENG warns that intellectually gifted children can be misdiagnosed with ADHD, leading to unnecessary medication. The organization urged pediatricians and diagnostic manuals to consider giftedness in assessments, promoted awareness and education, and sought outreach to the American Academy of Pediatrics to prevent misdiagnosis.

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Marianne Kuzujanakis, MD, MPH January 24, 2012
Miscellaneous
Marianne Kuzujanakis, MD, MPH

Where Does a Pediatric Doctor Fit in the Care of Gifted Children?

Pediatricians can play a vital role supporting gifted children by recognizing how giftedness affects development and health, reducing misdiagnoses, and guiding families. Parents can foster better doctor partnerships by preparing concerns, sharing resources, requesting informational materials, and slowly building community supports.

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Marianne Kuzujanakis, MD, MPH January 19, 2012
Misdiagnosis
Betty Maxwell

Diagnosis Questions

Discusses how giftedness can be mistaken for disorders and offers guidance for parents and professionals. It outlines how gifted children’s intensity and uneven abilities can resemble Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, mood disorders, or ADHD, and stresses individualized assessment, proper challenge, and tailored interventions.

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Betty Maxwell September 14, 2011
Misdiagnosis
seng_derek

Attention Deficit Disorders and Gifted Students: What do we really know?

This article reviews what is known about ADHD in gifted children, distinguishing evidence from assumptions. It discusses diagnosis, co-occurrence of giftedness and ADHD, assessment challenges, risk of mis- and under-diagnosis, and calls for more research to guide identification, intervention, and educational strategies.

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seng_derek September 14, 2011
Misdiagnosis
James T. Webb

Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children

Gifted children are often misdiagnosed with disorders like ADHD, ODD, OCD, mood and learning disorders because professionals overlook traits such as intensity, sensitivity, asynchronous development, and situational factors. Accurate assessment should consider giftedness as a contributing or dual diagnosis to guide appropriate treatment.

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James T. Webb September 14, 2011
Misdiagnosis
James T. Webb

ADHD and Children Who Are Gifted

This article explains how behaviors like inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity can indicate either ADHD or giftedness. It compares diagnostic criteria and overlapping behaviors, offers situational indicators to differentiate them, and recommends thorough professional evaluations, including intelligence and achievement testing, to avoid misidentification.

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James T. Webb September 14, 2011