Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults (2nd edition, 2016) remains a practical clinical guide to a problem many child psychiatrists, psychologists, and pediatricians still meet too late: behaviors typical of intellectually or creatively gifted children are treated as psychiatric disorders – or a real disorder is missed because giftedness masks it.
What the book is about
James T. Webb and colleagues argue that misdiagnosis is common and often reflects a training gap: most clinicians receive almost no education about the social-emotional profile of gifted children and adults. The second edition walks through diagnoses frequently attached to gifted people – ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, bipolar disorder, OCD, autism-spectrum presentations, depression – and asks whether the behavior is impairing, whether the environment is a poor fit, and whether giftedness, twice-exceptionality, or both are present.
Why it matters clinically
- Context before label. Impairment often reflects mismatch between child and setting.
- Overlap is real. Intensity, rapid speech, uneven attention, and sensory sensitivity can look like pathology when giftedness is unknown.
- Twice-exceptional (2e) children exist. Giftedness and ADHD, autism, or learning disabilities can co-occur.
- Practical guidance. Helps parents and professionals choose assessment and counseling thoughtfully.
Related reading on ChildPsy: Gifted Children and Misdiagnosis.
Get the book
Verified product link for ISBN-10 1935067435 / Gifted Unlimited, LLC (2016). External product link; ChildPsy Today may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
