Multi-Award Winner!Our brightest, most creative children and adults are often being misdiagnosed with behavioral and emotional disorders such as ADHD, Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, Bipolar, OCD, or Asperger's. Many receive unneeded medication and inappropriate counseling as a result.Physicians, psychologist, and counselors are unaware of characteristics of gifted children and adults that mimic pathological diagnoses. Six nationally prominent health care professionals describe ways parents and professionals can distinguish between gifted behaviors and pathological behaviors. Features include:

• Written for parents and professionals
• Characteristics of gifted children and adults
• Diagnoses most commonly given to gifted children and adults
• Traits of diagnoses incorrectly given to gifted children and adults
• Guidelines to avoid mislabeling gifted children
• Parent-child relationship problems
• Issues for gifted adults
• Advice for selecting a counselor or health care professional

The authors, James T. Webb, Ph.D., Edwards R. Amend, Psy.D., Nadia E. Webb, Psy.D., Jean Goerss, M.D., Paul Beljan, Psy.D., and F. Richard Olenchak, Ph.D. include the President of the National Association for Gifted Children, two clinical neuropsychologists, two clinical psychologists, and a board-certified pediatrician formerly affiliated with The Mayo Clinic.

Tags: misdiagnosis and dual diagnoses gifted children and adults