The Nueva School's Innovative Learning Conference

Misdiagnosis most frequently occurs when professionals mistakenly view specific social and emotional characteristics of gifted individuals as signs of pathology, leading to inappropriate treatments or classroom accommodations.  On the other hand, missed diagnosis— an equally problematic situation — occurs when factors of giftedness obscure weaknesses, or problematic behaviors are minimized because one is gifted.  Twice-exceptional children are not identified as such because, for example, their strengths cover up weaknesses or school-related concerns are misattributed to giftedness rather than the handicapping condition such as a learning disability or attention disorder.  In these cases, individuals fail to receive the necessary interventions to address their unique needs.  With a focus on the behavior patterns that lead to misdiagnosis and the similarities between giftedness and clinical syndromes such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, the presenter will outline concerns and ways to minimize the likelihood of these problematic situations.