Today i read a study that compared gifted kids to kids on the autism spectrum. ??? is what you are thinking, right? me, too.
Yet it was rather interesting. Kids on the spectrum have Sensory Integration problems just like gifted kids. It is thought that the back of the brain, which brings in the sensory information, is firing rapidly and very developed in these kids. But their frontal lobe, which is not fully developed, cannot process the high levels of information that comes in. In gifted kids, this means they present with anxiety, OCD, mood swings, tantrums, crying, confusion. It leads to diagnosis like, Asperger’s, OCD, ADHD, and Bipolar. However, these kids DO NOT have these conditions. Their personalities just appear like these conditions. Hundreds of gifted kids are misdiagnosed every year. It is great that doctors now know to look for these conditions, but there isn’t enough education and information to also look for giftedness FIRST. Many kids are diagnosed as twice exceptional and they are not. We have to get the education out there to parents that their children may be gifted and not actually have ADHD or OCD, etc. The worst situation would be do give these gifted kids medications for conditions they don’t actually have. These medications could seriously harm their growing brains.
So now that these parents know, what do they do to cope with their kids emotional needs? You don’t need to medicate, because your child does not have a mental disorder!
Here are things that have worked for us:
1) recognize this is part of their personality and not a disorder
2) be around whenever they need to talk or cry, don’t punish them for the breakdowns they have
3) help teach them to calm themselves so they don’t get out of control (antianxiety mechanisms can include breathing, imaginative stories like zipping out the world, etc.)
4) avoid the environments that upset their senses (loud lunchrooms, noisy classrooms, loud halls, parties), if they can’t be avoided teach your child how to find a quiet area to unwind and decompress
5) magnesium salts – i say it all the time, but these are the best!!! 2 cups in the bath at night or put in a spray bottle and spray your child’s back and arms every day
6) raw vegetables – spinach, carrots, beans
7) NO sugars, dyes, or preservatives of any kind – they always bring on an attack and if your child gets snacks at school, make sure those are also free from sugars and preservatives
8) yoghurt every day
9) get your child checked for gluten allergies
10) lots of sleep , this is the time for the brain to decompress and it needs it
11) get your child involved with other gifted children through your school district’s gifted coordinator Hope these were helpful!!
