Is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder a valid diagnosis in the presence of high IQ? Results from the MGH Longitudinal Family Studies of ADHD

Abstract

Children with a high IQ and ADHD showed a pattern of familiality as well as cognitive, psychiatric and behavioral features consistent with the diagnosis of ADHD in children with average IQ. These data suggest that the diagnosis of ADHD is valid among high IQ children.

Attentional WM is not necessarily specifically related with fluid intelligence: the case of smart children with ADHD symptoms

“…Although the literature suggests that children with ADHD may have a lower IQ than children without ADHD (see Frazier, Demaree, & Youngstrom, 2004, for a metaanalysis), differences in IQ between children with ADHD and controls seem small and disproportionate to the differences observed in active WM. Furthermore there is evidence that ADHD disorder may occur in presence of high IQ (Antshel et al, 2007) and it is not clear whether children with ADHD with an average or above-average intelligence also have an active WM deficit, which would be in contradiction with a theory that assumes WM and intelligence are strictly related. If this is found, how can it be explained?…”

Comparison of Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Depending on the Age of Being Diagnosed in Childhood and Adulthood: Based on Retrospective Review in One University Hospital

“…Pediatric patients with ADHD and high IQ can show similar accomplishment to children of average intelligence without ADHD, and ADHD-related problems in high IQ patients are not evident because of this. 27) Thus, ADHD treatment can be delayed or terminated early even if the treatment was initiated. In this study, high intelligence could be the reason that adults were first diag-nosed as ADHD without previous childhood diagnosis.…”

Children’s Giftedness and Associated Problems. The Twice Exceptionality Phenomenon. Giftedness and Learning Problems. Giftedness and Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (А Review of Literature). Part I

“…Трудности обучения определяются как несоответ-ствие между потенциалом и реальными результатами выполнения школьных заданий [3,6,8]. У детей име-ется несоответствие между способностями и уровнем достижений в одной или нескольких сферах.…”