Visual-Spatial Learner OR ADD?

[TripMom]

I have had many threads recently about the issues we are dealing with right now with DS re reading, etc. Some of my research has led me to suspect that he is a predominantly visual-spatial learner . . .. . but the other day I was talking with a mom at a birthday party. She started describing her son - he sounded so much like DS. She and I began to compare notes about our experiences with the local school, etc. Her son is 5 years older than mine - she is 5 years ahead of me on this issue. Anyway - the end result is that her son was diagnosed ADD. This started my research on ADD . . . . and I see overlap on the identifying criteria. This scares me to death. Does anyone have any info for me on this topic? Are these two scenarios clearly distinguishable? Are they often mis-identified? How do you tell the difference?

[supervee]

In my recent reading on Sensory Processing Disorder, many of these diagnoses have overlapping symptoms and, depending on which kind of practitioner you go to, you will be working within a different framework and therefore end up with a different diagnosis.

[kmeyrick]

Why would ADD scare you to death? No worries! It's totally treatable and there are plenty of happy, healthy people walking around with it. I think ADD is behavioral, more than it is a learning style. I don't know the differences between the problems you are describing, but if it's ADD, no worries. Don't get discouraged or panicked. My most gifted student is obviously ADD/ADHD. And we are so fond of him!

[TripMom]

Originally Posted by kmeyrick

Why would ADD scare you to death? No worries! It's totally treatable and there are plenty of happy, healthy people walking around with it. I think ADD is behavioral, more than it is a learning style. I don't know the differences between the problems you are describing, but if it's ADD, no worries. Don't get discouraged or panicked. My most gifted student is obviously ADD/ADHD. And we are so fond of him!

I guess I'm scared to death because I don't want to be put in position where docs are telling me I need to put DS on drugs and then I'm forced to make a decision not to put him on drugs with a lingering nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, it IS what he needs and I am denying him that . . ..

[QueenOfThePride]

Check out some books on ADD, there are lots. There are many ways to work with ADD besides medication. Providing a lot of external life structure for instance is very helpful. What specifically are the issues?

[TripMom]

Originally Posted by QueenOfThePride

Check out some books on ADD, there are lots. There are many ways to work with ADD besides medication. Providing a lot of external life structure for instance is very helpful. What specifically are the issues?

The traits that seem to overlap are the spaciness. He is very distracted. He is the kid I send up to get dressed in the morning and he gets distracted 5 times along the way . . . I may even find him naked engrossed in legos because he got distracted while actually getting dressed.

[kmeyrick]

Originally Posted by TripMom

I guess I'm scared to death because I don't want to be put in position where docs are telling me I need to put DS on drugs and then I'm forced to make a decision not to put him on drugs with a lingering nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, it IS what he needs and I am denying him that . . ..

Legally, you cannot be forced to medicate your child except in instances of protecting the child's health, like insulin. Keep it in mind if you ever start to feel pressured.

[joensally]

I strongly recommend the book Dreamers, Discoverers and Dynamos, by Paladino. A nice summary is here:
http://www.network54.com/Realm/Spiri...s/dreamers.htm

You'll see a lot of overlap with ADHD.

My son has diagnoses of gifted and sensory processing disorder. He meets many of the criteria for ADHD, as well. Every ADHD behaviour he demonstrates I can explain by applying the gifted and SPD diagnoses.

ADHD is supposed to be the diagnosis applied when all other possible diagnoses have been ruled out. It is highly subjective.

The particular label is important if your child is in the school system. If the school applies the wrong label, they may utilize approaches and techniques that are not productive, or even detrimental, to your child. ADHD is comfy to schools because they figure they know how to deal with it. If your son is not ADHD, you may continue to have problems. If he is ADHD, then you'll have some strategies you can employ.

[quaz]

Originally Posted by kmeyrick

My most gifted student is obviously ADD/ADHD. And we are so fond of him!

Do you know the person is ADD/ADHD??

One of the items that HIGHLY concerns me about my dd entering K this year are statements such as the above.



When dealing with a gifted student, a child may 'seem' to be ADD/ADHD and not be. The Dual-Diagnosis and Mis-Diagnosis of Gifted Kids is a good read. Too often gifted kids can be very wrongly mislabeled. The Dreamers, Discoverers and Dynamos, that was also recommended, is also a good read.

While a gifted student maybe be both gifted and ADD/ADHD, it may also just be an expression of the giftedness.

My oldest is highly visual. She 'may' be a Visual-Spatial Learner. Her temperment is such that (and I mean based on myers-briggs..whatever it is called), that I've read papers that have explained her temperment in a school situation may be such that she just completely tunes things out if she has no interest in them. She is over the top on all five overexcitabilities.

I very much fear that she will enter K, be bored (reading at a 2nd grade level...), and she will get incorrectly labeled. I saw this in a swimming class she had... the instructor who had dealt with many kids with over the years, kept hitting on the 'attention' issues with my oldest.

- My oldest is highly sensitive to noise. The aquatic area messed with her hearing
- She was highly scare of her face getting wet. (OE's in force)
- She is the sort that will seem to be utterly ignoring you, but paying FULL attention

The instructor really did not get dd.


OP- I understand your concern. I've been looking into V-S and ADD... Right now, I believe it's more a V-S learning style, gifted and intense OE's. I don't know if there is a good way to tell, and if your child does fall on the gifted scale at all.... be sure if you have any eval, you deal with someone familiar with gifted students.

Tammy