Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: Adhd, Bipolar, Ocd, Asperger's, Depression, and Other Disorders (2nd Edition)

I cannot express my gratitude enough. Almost half my life has been plagued by missed diagnoses and misdiagnosis, and being silenced and forced into improper treatment plans. Gifted lead to a lifetime of invalidating the only part of me I knew was truly grand. There’s nothing like the psychological damage of being told your exceptional brain is broken just for working better than the accuser. I finally have the proper dual diagnosis and I am finally free of falsely being labeled crazy- it’ll take time to get over the trauma no doubt, but this book has finally enabled me to start truly healing. Thank you!

If your children and/or you have high IQ, this book is a must read. Written by a panel of experts, it is the definitive book on understanding how the "gifted" are "different" but not in a negative way - just things to manage.Personally I dislike the term "gifted" because while high IQ can help with academics, the intensity of living with it - yourself and others around you - is emotionally challenging and often tiring. This book helps understand and manage that.

As the parent of an exceptionally gifted little boy currently going through some major behavioral/mood problems, this book was VERY helpful. This book explained so many things that had me utterly baffled before, not just about my son, but about myself and my husband, too. I think many people who are gifted spend a lot of their lives wondering if they could give their 'gift' back because being so sensitive, so curious, and so intense can be a real burden.Of course, as I like to include in all my behavioral health reviews (Which I've been writing a lot of in the past six months, as I think it is only right to follow up on the successes and failures we have had with feedback for others to reflect upon) this book will not give you the whole picture. I recommend 'Parenting a Child Who Has Intense Emotions' by Harvey and Penzo, Dr Greene's 'They Explosive Child' and finding a good therapist for both yourselves and your child because whoever your child is and whoever YOU are, you are facing a complicated picture with many facets.But yes, this was one piece of our puzzle that fit very snugly. When my son was very young, people would see him reading at three or building fractal-like designs with his blocks and say, "It must be WONDERFUL that he is so smart!" And yes, of course it is, but it comes with its own problems, to be sure! Of my three sons, I have always playfully called him my 'complicated' one, not as an insult, but because it is TRUE!

I’m an adult who had an autism evaluation scheduled for myself within a week of having received this book in the mail. I have spent most of my 30 years feeling like an alien and having difficulty relating to same-aged peers. When I was a kid in 2nd grade, I was drawing at a high school level, and it was a self-taught skill. Adults around me were fascinated by it, but also criticized my behavior and expressed concern for my unusual ways of playing and over-imagining.I grew up in a small town and until recently, I wasn’t aware of the “gifted” term as used in the education system. The discovery has been revelatory, and I saw myself in so many pages of this book. I showed my mom and she agreed wholeheartedly.I’m grateful for the nuerodiversity movement that is currently popular on social media and which caused me to embark on my soul searching journey in the first place, but I sincerely believe that it can cause great confusion for asynchronously-developed individuals with a history of being outcasted and bullied like I was, and for whom high-functioning autism/Asperger’s or ADHD aren’t appropriate diagnoses. They certainly may be accurate diagnoses for many, but this book prompted me to do more research and conclude with full confidence that this isn’t the case for me.Best of all, I saved about 2k for having cancelled my autism evaluation and saved that spot for someone who truly needs it!

Highlights a severe problem endured by a segment of society who are desperately in need of help they can't get. Not only do they not get the help they need, they are usually sent to those who will only cause more harm. A MUST READ for physicians, psychologists, teachers, parents, gifted (aka cursed,) people and more.

So glad I read this book. It offers a nuanced perspective on many behaviors and traits that are often diagnosed as one thing but may be indicative of something else as well. Even if your child's diagnosis of ADHD, autism or other is ultimately accurate, this book is a great reminder that each child is uniquely individual and never fits neatly into a box. Especially in an era where there has been such an uptick in certain diagnoses, looking at other possible explanations, causes etc can only deepen one's understanding of one's child. This book may be especially helpful for parents whose children have behaviors that straddle the grey area between high functioning autism and giftedness. Highly recommend.

I loved the intellectual honesty of this book, presenting state-of-art unbiased evidence of a clear over-diagnosis of several conditions in the United States. Enlightening at times. It would be an extremely useful read for any elementary or middle school teacher who has a particularly bright kid in his/her classroom. Although it has lots of technical information, it was a breeze to read it.

Must have book if you have a child with any of these diagnosis and/or a gifted child. It helps ensure proper diagnosis and with not many professionals familiar with gifted kids I think it is a very important book.

Gifted children are at risk of misidentification. Giftedness may be misconstrued as ADHD or aspergers. Specific learning difficulties may be overlooked by educators if the child is bright enough to compensate. Often children who are both gifted and have an underlying difficulty may have only one half of this profile identified, or their strengths and weaknesses may mask each other so that neither are identified.This book provides a unique resource for parents or others who feel that the labels don't fit, or that something has been missed.

A distinctly uninspiring title conceals a truly uplifting book. Academic in style (referenced) yet accessible, it describes perfectly many of the traits and experiences I had always thought were typical of me. The authors describe those with an IQ of 155 of higher as profoundly gifted; I like that, because my IQ is 155. It's always nice when an author reaches out of a book and recognises your difference as acceptable!Enlightening for the professional and at times moving for those who read here about themselves

This is a very positive book that examines a wide range of misdiagnoses of gifted children and explains the reasons they can be so misunderstood. There is sensible, extensive information on dual diagnoses too (where gifted children also have other special needs.) There are several case studies that are extremely useful.It is well written, very well researched, confident, supportive and celebratory. Without it I wouldn't have had the courage to make sure my own child was properly diagnosed by someone who understands giftedness, asynchronous development and why exceptionally bright children sometimes display behavours that don't fit into the 'norm'.A must for anyone who feels that their bright child is being misunderstood in a destructive way by others.

This book contains interesting research and case studies, but ultimately it feels tainted by the authors' rather negative attitudes to autism and ADHD.

Helped me both professionally and personally. While being accessible it is based on wide knowledge and well referenced research. Highly recommended.