Parenting & Family

Gifted Program for an ADHD

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Sr. Member
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Jun 24, 2005
745 posts
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Richmond Hill

Gifted Program for an ADHD

Hi,

My 8 yr old son has gone through a comprehensive psychological analysis which has revealed that he is a super genius (top 1%) but with moderate to severe ADHD.

The psychologist indicated that although he is capable of being put in a gifted program, it may not be suited for him. His language vocabulary and ability to express himself is only average and may cause him to not be able to interact as well as he should in a gifted setting.

Does anyone know of any gifted schools in the Richmond Hill area that cater to someone like him?

Thanks!
10 replies
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May 28, 2012
12485 posts
5278 upvotes
Saskatoon
You need to look at the bigger picture. Do you think he will be able to fit in and keep up with the workload? These gifted programs are terrific for individuals who are conscientious and motivated to learn. Imo, there should be other factors to consider (along with intellectual score)...maturity and work ethic are a couple of important ones.
Deal Addict
Jun 9, 2003
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Yeah, as a former student in a "gifted" program, it's far from a full-proof solution for a smart child. I was the classic smart slacker and if there's one thing that a gifted program will not teach you, it's work-ethic.
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Mar 23, 2007
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Edmonton
My son is a 1%er and an ADHDer as well. We started him out in an academic program that was high in discipline, work load and achievement... it was as rigid as it sounds. He was bored out of his head but managed to excel and learned some discipline in the process. 3 years ago we moved him to an academic challenge program, the workload is much lighter but is clearly higher quality. In Alberta the AC program is considered special needs so it receives extra funding. That money is used to maintain smaller class sizes, better access to learning tools and frequent (high quality) field trips. That is all great, but the influence of his classmates is probably the #1 reason I've grown to love the AC program... he is now surrounded by peers that challenge and excite him. These kids memorize pi and the periodic table for fun... they have a blast working to outdo each other! There are a couple that struggle socially, but they aren't condemned for it. Most of these kids excel at sports... of 15 students in his current class, 3 are team captains, at least 2 compete nationally and internationally. The list of charity work, awards and businesses that these kids are responsible for would humble most adults let alone other 11 year old children. My son's peers are almost universally energetic and excitable but there are also extreme personality and skill differences; they learn to forgive and embrace eccentricity in others rather than condemn it like in most social groups. I dig that.

If I had to point to a drawback in these programs it's that schools often push their worst teachers into these classes. I believe the administrative reasoning is that these kids will succeed whether they have a good teacher or not... so we'll save the best teachers for the classes/students that "need" good teaching to avoid failure. The exceptions being grades 3, 6, 9 and 12 where we have provincial achievement testing and schools are ranked according to the results of their students; we get amazing teachers then :p

In my experience, you'll need to build enough challenge into his life to stimulate his mind and enough success to build resiliency but you'll need some failure to maintain humility. As long as you provide opportunities to overcome those failures or coping methods failure can be amazing for kids like this. Things come easily to your son (although he probably doesn't realize it); if you judge or compare him (even if it is favourable) you'll lose him and he'll learn to avoid challenges and opportunities for growth in order to avoid harsh judgements or unfavourable comparisons. Always focus on growth and learning.

Please consider martial arts for your son. He will have a physical outlet which will be calming, maintain fitness, learn/maintain discipline, gain experience with healthy success and (perhaps more importantly) healthy failure. I'm sure it's not the only good sport, but it is the best option we've found for our "gifted" ADHD son.

ok, that got preachy. sorry for that. good luck to you.
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Jun 24, 2005
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Richmond Hill
My son is already in an after school taekwondo program, so he gets 45mins per day during the weekdays. Thanks!
Deal Addict
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Jan 1, 2007
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rngun wrote: Hi,

My 8 yr old son has gone through a comprehensive psychological analysis which has revealed that he is a super genius (top 1%) but with moderate to severe ADHD.

The psychologist indicated that although he is capable of being put in a gifted program, it may not be suited for him. His language vocabulary and ability to express himself is only average and may cause him to not be able to interact as well as he should in a gifted setting.

Does anyone know of any gifted schools in the Richmond Hill area that cater to someone like him?

Thanks!
Top 1% is hardly super genius. Those paid psychological tests are bs and the testers will tell you that your kid is a superstar to get your money lol
"I've been tearing money since my first Holy Communion."
Deal Addict
Apr 30, 2011
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RICHMOND HILL
I was in the same situation years ago. Enroll your son in the gifted program. You won't regret it, and he won't grow up wondering why he's different from everyone else.
Deal Guru
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Mar 31, 2008
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Toronto
pupazzo wrote: Top 1% is hardly super genius. Those paid psychological tests are bs and the testers will tell you that your kid is a superstar to get your money lol
Hmm, I think the ADHD aspect is something they wouldn't play around with. The Dr. diagnosing it for profit purposes probably won't last too long. When you look at alot of 'smart' people, they're usually a little different. I bet if Newton was around to take this test as a kid, he'd fall in it.. but more so in the .000001%. Geniuses are all known to have some or alot eccentricity (ie. Nutty Professor type thing). My general take on this is it manifests itself as 'ADHD' as little kids.
Deal Expert
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Oct 19, 2003
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I personally think that attempting to measure intelligence is a futile activity, the scope is too narrow... you can judge somebody on their ability to follow specific instructions, perform specific tasks, or process information in a certain expected way but that doesn't say anything about the overall picture of their potential. Of course I am not a psychologist, I have no reason to believe that I know more about this than somebody who has studied the topic extensively - it's just my feeling.

Many of the people in our short history who have contributed the most meaningful discoveries or works probably would not fit squarely into any of our current narrow definitions for labeling and special handling. I think it just boils down to giving children opportunities, they will naturally gravitate towards whatever they can excel at.
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Oct 24, 2012
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rngun wrote: he is a super genius (top 1%) but with moderate to severe ADHD.
The bar must be set VERY low for the term "super genius" as 1% is too common, that's 1 out of 100 (for you non super-geniuses).
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Jun 24, 2005
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Richmond Hill
Thanks everyone for the comments!

We want to give him the opportunity to try out the gifted program at his school. Worse case scenario is he drops back out to the regular program.

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