Expert: Carol Bainbridge - 6/23/2008

Question
My son is 11 years old.  He went to a college prep school from K-4th grade and was at the top of his class.  His teachers were all amazed at how bright and insightful he is.  At 5th grade we had him tested for the gifted program in our area which he was accepted.  This was a challenging year.  His teacher told us he was very bright and insightful and he always contributed positively to classroom discussion.  The problem was organization and his grades reflected this.  I have been told since the third grade that he suffers from "absent minded professor syndrome."  I finally took him to see a psychiatrist and he was diagnosed with ADD.  He is starting middle school this year and I am having a hard time with finding people who can assist children with ADD who are gifted.  The public school only has programs for children with ADD who are in special ed.  He is continuing on in the gifted program, however I am afraid without help his grades will continue to not reflect his abilities.  He is going to be starting Strattera which is a nonstimulant medication, however he also needs cognitive behavioral therapy.  How do I go about finding this for the gifted child?

Answer
Hi Charlotte,

I'm afraid I can't help you much as I don't know how to find cognitive behavioral therapy, especially since I don't know where you live.  I'm surprised that the psychiatrist who diagnosed your son can't help with that.

As for the school, what are they telling you about what they can do for your son?  A child diagnosed with ADHD should get an IEP, which would have to include accommodations for all his academic needs. I can't quite understand why a child with ADHD needs to be in special ed.  He should just need some accommodations in his regular classroom, which is the gifted classroom.

BTW, does the psychiatrist who diagnosed your son with ADHD have knowledge of and experience with gifted kids?  If not, I'd be skeptical of the diagnosis.  Disorganization is quite common in gifted kids -- even without ADHD.  This is not to say that your son couldn't benefit from some behavior therapy to help him get organized.  What does your son say about all this? How does he feel?

In what way did your son's organization (or lack thereof) contribute to poor grades? The piece of information I find especially interesting is that your son was at the top of his class in a college prep school through 4th grade, but is just now having problems.  That is not very typical of ADHD.  When exactly did his grades drop?  In 5th grade in the gifted program?  Does your middle school start at 6th grade and so his grades were a problem only in 5th grade?

If that's the case, then something is off. An ADHD kid would not suddenly start having problems in 5th grade. I can't understand how he could be at the top of his class in a college prep school up through 4th grade and then start doing poorly.  From what you say, he was always an "absent minded professor" type.  So what's different?

The school is different, but what is different in the two schools?  I'd look to that before I made any further decisions on what to do.