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Historically, diagnoses have mostly looked at how someone’s behavior has affected others, or their outside achievements, but don’t look internally at how the stress may have affected their mental health, self-esteem or even physical health. They don’t factor in how giftedness may compensate in some areas, but make it more difficult in others, or how they may have developed elaborate coping mechanisms or masking that take an internal toll.
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I have heard many late diagnosed, or not yet diagnosed, folks say that they were first told they were “too smart” to have ADHD, or “too social” to have Autism, or they made too good eye contact.
#Gifted adults full#
It can be helpful to share comprehensive screenings that pinpoint your symptoms and why you are pursuing a diagnostic evaluation.ĭiagnostic evaluations are invaluable for getting accommodations, guiding treatment and directing you towards resources and strategies, but if an evaluator is unfamiliar with the intersection of giftedness and other neurodivergence, they may either dismiss the struggles, or misdiagnose them without a full understanding of how giftedness may play in.
#Gifted adults professional#
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The tools that I use are mostly educational in nature, and look at how we think and learn, but each of them has specific limitations and strengths, so I choose a variety that complement each other. I am actively working to learn more about first hand experiences of folks who are late diagnosed with other neurodivergences such as Autism etc. For example, I am aware that as a person with ADHD, I will see ADHD related patterns more quickly than other neurodivergences so I use other screening tools that factor in a variety of neurodivergences in case someone wants to pursue a formal diagnostic evaluation. Evaluators should be transparent about the potential limitations of their assessments tools and personal biases, along with the benefits of their modalities. Knowing their strengths and limitationsĮvery type of assessment has its limitations and strengths and every evaluator has their own biases that affect interpretation. If you’re just looking for a diagnosis for accommodations or medication treatment, it could be enough for the evaluator to acknowledge that you can’t be “too smart” to have a specific diagnosis, but if your want more comprehensive analysis of strengths and challenges, and strategies to support you then someone who has experience with gifted and twice exceptional assessment for adults will see patterns that others may miss. If you do pursue an evaluation, it is crucial that evaluators have a strong understanding of giftedness and twice exceptionality.