Is my 9 year old ADHD or gifted? Teachers vs Dr.?

Question

My son was tested by a Dr a few years ago and he said my son is gifted but may appear to some to be 'ADHD' because of his active "must learn" nature. Every year I've had to deal with teachers telling me that I should consider medicating my child. I've always told myself that I would not even CONSIDER medicating him unless his grades were poor. The teachers at his school have nicknamed him "Pixi Stick Boy" and ask him every morning "how many Pixi Sticks did you eat this morning before you came to school?" - my son has been labeled as 'ADHD' in the schools but 'gifted' by the Dr. Can a child be gifted ~AND~ ADHD? I'll be the first to admit he is QUITE active and his mouth never stops moving, lol - but is that reason to medicate when he's a straight A student? Just looking for opinons on the matter or experienced parents/teachers/Dr's who have been through it- thanks :)

Answer 1

As a teacher, I can't believe anyone would label your son as a pixie stick boy. That made me mad. Medication is not the answer. When my son was 4, he had the same problem. He was extremely smart and the teacher couldn't keep up with his learning ability, therefore it made him restless. This woman had the ordacity to tell me "he might be autistic". To her surprise, I used to work with autistic kids and I snatched my son out of that school quick as I could. Once I took him to a school who was willing to do extra things with him after surpassing the class, he was a totally different child and they never had a problem with them. He is now an A student in school, and he goes to a class once a week for gifted children.
I am sorry to say, but those teachers are too lazy to come up with work specifically your child. I understand that the classes may be over the qouta, but it is still their job to help ALL kids. I teach part-time at a school, and I can't stand seeing lazy teachers who just want to get through the day and collect a check without real concern for the children. Yes, it is not always easy to be a teacher, but you still have to be responsible to help a child's needs. You might want to look at transferring him or talking to an administrator at his school. You deserves better than some lazy teacher saying medication is the answer to her being too triffling to find a real solution to this problem. Do what you have to do for your son to protect your son's educational needs. Obviously he is focusing enough to make straight A's.....he doesn't sound ADHD to me. They sound like they just want him drugged out to keep him quiet. Now I do believe there are a few cases where kids need medication, but after working in special needs classes, yours definitely doesn't sound like this case. Good luck and please take your Dr's option over theirs!
P.S.- If you haven't done so already, I would look into finding an extra curricular activity for your child to help him challenge himself more. I put my son in sports, and its great for him!

Answer 2

The teachers will always tell you to medicate your child Some schools even get a certain amount of money back each year for the medicated children they have at the school. But anyways, DEFINITLEY DONT medicate your child, especially if he is an A student. My 9 year old has Aspergers Syndrome (which has some characteristics of ADHD, and he is also very talented. His teacher said that it would be nice if they had some gifted classes for him, because he is more advanced than the other students, but has concentrations issues, etc...Anyways, I listened to the teachers and put him on medication. Well, I have never felt so guilty in my life and stressed about it, because that Medication, completely changed him. He was blah, irritable, emotional, etc...Also it gave him tics where he would jerk his head and he had constant eye blinking! It was the most terrible thing. We went through 3 different medications and they ALL did the same thing. I would just sit there and cry because I thought I had ruined my son. Some parents enjoy their kids being like zombies I guess, But It was terrible to me. I have e 6 year old also that makes great grades and is sooooooo active and never ever stops talking. But I would never think of medicating him because of what happened with m7y 9 year old. It is your sons personality and I think active, talkative kids are wonderful:) Dont listen to the teachers please. Some of them just want their jobs to be easier and think medicating the child will help that.. Good Luck with your son..

Answer 3

NO, that is not a reason to medicate. Those teachers should know better than to label too, it does have detrimental effects on a child, they picked a nickname for my son too, though I forgot what was, too long ago. My son was very smart, he even had the audacity to tell his teacher she is only allowed to call him by his name, if it is not his name he will not answer. Smart, eh? (That stuck in memory because he was 6 at the time he said that, and the teacher called to complain about his "behavior")
Teachers are full of it, my other son (who is ADHD) has many problems with his grades, he passes, but barely. Now, Scott, (the smartelic) has straight A's and they all told me he was too, but I already had him tested because his older brother was and the Doc told me he was just smart, slightly OCD, but definitely not ADHD. The point, the teachers are not doctors, so they do not know what they are talking about. Not every child who is hyperactive is ADHD. He is nine, I would expect him to be hyperactive, as many children are. If the Doc says he is not, then show the teachers that you DID have him tested and you will NOT put him on medication for something he does NOT have. That medication can cause serious problems with his brain, even worse if he does not have ADHD.

Answer 4

I believe that we have similar situations. I have a so who is now 9. He is very intelligent always reached milestones early, always been VERY active. Always made straight A's. He started having issues when he was 7 with impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and excessive talking to the point that he would be so hyper that he was out of breath all the time. He also has Tourettes which is the main reason that we decided to put him on medication- to control the tics, but it also helps the symptoms of ADHD. He is by no means a zombie, he is still very smart, He may be put in advanced classes now that he an better control his impulsiveness.
I think that all children are born with special talents as well as limitations we as parents are to nurture the talents and help them to deal with their limitations.
I was shocked to read that your sons teachers call him pixie boy? That is totally unacceptable If the other children pick up on this they could start to treat him very badly. That could ruin his love of learning. I would take action immediately.
I also took my son to three different doctors just to make sure of a correct diagnosis and they all gave him the same thing. Tourettes with ADHD as a co disorder. if you would like to talk further about what your options are with your school you can IM me or e-mail me at [e-mail]

Answer 5

My nine year old son is ADD and we had a lot of problems with his school. We refused at that time to medicate him and instead chose behavior modification techniques. When everything stopped working for him and his grades began to stip we decided that it was best to put him on medicine. The only advise I can give on that part is, if you think the doctor could be wrong, seek another opinion. I got five opinions before I finally admitted something was wrong. There is nothing wrong with having doubts.

No two children are the same. If your doctor told you that your child is not ADD/ADHD, I would be more inclined to beleive him/her than your son's teacher. Teachers don't go to medical school. Anymore there are teachers that would rather have children medicated than to have to deal with their disruputions. This is no way to treat kids.

As far as calling your son "Pixie Stick Boy", I would be furious if someone treated my child this way. I understand that children the age of your son can be cruel and pick on each other but for a grown person that is being paid to teach, protect and nurture our children, that is rediculous. I would have the teacher reported.

Answer 6

Coming from a 2nd year special education teacher I would say that yes, your son can be both gifted and ADHD. Even though the over-active behavior is not bothering you or hindering his grades, it may be disruptive to the other students in his class. Perhaps this is why the teachers at his school have given him this label. I would definitely talk to his teachers to get their perspective. Maybe you could even go into his school and observe his behavior during his classes. The might open your eyes at to what is occurring and school and not necessarily at home.
I hope this helps. I think every student needs an opportunity to learn in their own special way. Good luck to you and your son. I hope you find the answers you are looking for!

Answer 7

We went through this with my younger brother, and with me when i was a child, although no so much (it was the early 90's and medication wasnt pushed as much).

You have to understand that schools are main streamed, the teachers teach an entire class of 20-30 kids all at the same pace. Those who get bored, or cant keep up are just labled as poor learners so that the teacher isnt responsible. And the schools, in and effort to keep the balance, try to medicate these children to ease the teachers troubles.

From 1st grade to 5th grade my brothers teachers, and at times, the principal, tried to get him tested for ADHD, in fact, they made the appointments and called in the school nurse to do some testing without my parents notification.

My parents refused EVERY test and insisted that the school cater to my brother and not the teachers.

The child doesnt have ADHD or any other disorder. He's freaking gifted. He's now 13, home schooled and taking physics and computer programming.... at age thirteen.

I was the same way, teachers insisted I didnt learn well in school, and that I needed medication. But I tested post collegic from 2nd grade through highschool, and graduated early at 16.

Tell that school to stuff it where the sun dont shine.

Iam so sick of schools labling children just because the system is not suited for our children.

Answer 8

It is EXTREMELY inappropriate for the teachers to be saying that type of garbage to your son, you or anyone. You have every right to talk tot the principal and insist that they cease immediately. They are not physicians, and can not make the claim that he is ADHD and are not allowed to label him. You can ask your Dr. to write a note to the teachers discussing his IQ and his high need for stimulation due to his intelligence. I would not ever medicate him! Most parents medicate their ADHD child so that they can slow down and learn with other children. It is to help them perform well at school. Your son already does perform well. He does however, need to lern the limits of the classroom and not disrupt if he is finished but wait quietly or he will be punished like anyone else. I would also enlist the teachers help in offering him some sort of special work to keep him busy while the others finish. My son is also very advanced, and his teacher has found that giving him puzzles (crosswords, wordsearches, etc.) has helped her to keep him busy and keeps his mind stimulated. The teachers need to work with you, not shame you and push you away. You are his advocate- if they will not treat you the way you deserve, explore taking him to another school. Good luck.

Answer 9

Yes, a child can be both gifted and ADHD. Grades are not the only reason to medicate a child. He may be disturbing other students in the class so that they can't learn. He could be doing even better and learning more if he's ADHD and he gets the medication he needs. A child with ADHD is hyper to keep himself awake. The brain is missing a chemical. If you medicate him and he calms down, then the medication is helping him stay awake and he doesn't have to be moving all the time to keep himself awake. If he gets more hyper with meds, then he's not ADHD and the meds are pointless.

Answer 10

I would like to share a bit about myself on this question. When I was in third grade [aged 9] I scored in the top 3 on the state tests. You'd think wow, she must have gone far and everything worked well for her. Well it didn't. I was what they called way back then "hyper" It wasn't that I was hyper, I just had a hard time controlling my mind. Thusly, my grades went down over the years and I ended up dropping out of school.
You know what I needed? Someone like you in my life that cared, I didn't need medication, I needed love and to be taught how to use my mind in a positive way.
My son is the same way, scored top 2 in our state! He's also in the Gifted Music Class. You know why he's like he is? Because he does have people who care. He behaves very well in school but at home? Look out!!! He's just like you described about your child. Last year he had three major problems in school, I mean he got into trouble for three big things.
I don't beleive your child has ADHD. I believe your child is intelligent and is bored and easily stimulated. If one child laughs in class or acts out your son probably does worse. It's just a matter of children feeding off each other.

You may not know this, but many, if not all, children who are "gifted" have this problem. It seems their minds grow far too quickly compared to their emotional and social skills. I just don't think you should medicate the child, I fear that if you do he'd have trouble and may not do as well in school.

I have the same problem as you do and my eldest son was much worse! He is incredibly brillant but he really had a hard time dealing with it so he got himself into a lot of trouble. He's grown up now and on his own but he's still messing up. I'd say give your love to your child but at the same time discipline him. I call it loving with one side while discipling with the other. Just be there for your child...that's the best you can do.