Differential Diagnostic Differentiation | Diagnosis of giftedness

Differential Diagnostic Differentiation

In order not to misjudge or overestimate the giftedness, it is essential to make a diagnosis as accurate as possible. Both extremes can harm the child and endanger its intellectual development. The preparation of a differential diagnosis means that various abnormalities are examined for their cause.

With regard to giftedness, this means starting from the concomitant symptoms and looking for possible causes for these concomitant symptoms. In the table above, various symptoms of giftedness are listed. According to the symptoms, one now tries to find out the possible causes.

Conspicuous behavior Disinterest: Retreating into oneself: Being an outsider (inner reflection, playing class clown, nerd, know-it-all…): Weak performance: Dissatisfaction: Perfectionism:

• Due to boredom
• Due to constant underchallenge
• Due to ignorance
• Due to boredom
• Due to constant underchallenge
• Due to ignorance
• Because of the feeling of being different and therefore not being accepted.
• Due to different interests, possibly interest in things that interest older childrenAdults
• Because it notices for itself that it is different.
• Because other children notice that it is different.
• Interest in things that peers are not interested in.
• Preference for mental rather than physical activity
• Due to boredom
• Due to constant underchallenge
• Due to boredom
• Due to constant underchallenge
• Due to ignorance
• Due to inner dissatisfaction (feeling of being different, of not being accepted)
• Due to different solution mechanisms
• Because it notices for itself that it is different.
• Because other children notice that it is different.
• Due to constant underchallenge
• Due to poor performance and the feeling of actually being better
• Because of the high demands on oneself and the environment

Even highly gifted children and young people can have problems concentrating and paying attention. Inner restlessness and lack of concentration are often the result, but this is not always a sign of underchallenge. It is also possible that giftedness and ADHD or giftedness and ADHD occur simultaneously.

It is also not uncommon for a highly gifted child to show problems in a particular area of schooling. The simultaneous occurrence of high giftedness in connection with a partial performance weakness, such as dyslexia or dyscalculia, is therefore also conceivable. In addition, it may be necessary to differentiate between the following syndromes, depending on the symptoms: Asperger – SyndromeThis is a syndrome that usually develops at school age – especially in boys – and manifests itself in the form of severe contact disorders.

The syndrome can be traced back to Hans Asperger, a pedagogue from Vienna, who observed behavior deviating from the norm in individual cases when dealing with children. The symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome include a very “adult”, sometimes “precocious” expression, motor deficits and gestures and facial expressions that deviate from the norm. Children with an Asperger syndrome also find it difficult to maintain eye contact with other people.

The differential diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome is often also due to the fact that children with an Asperger’s syndrome can attract attention in early childhood through intellectual maturity. Borderline SyndromeThe borderline syndrome describes a mental disorder with alternating neurotic and psychotic symptoms. Mood swings, unstable relationships with other people and with oneself are as much a part of the appearance as the longing for an interpersonal relationship in combination with fear of the same and much more.