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Sensory Integration and "Out of Sync Children"
Does your student have trouble with penmanship? How about spelling or in sounding out words? How about with the way food tastes or feels? How about sensitivity with the way clothing feels? Or has unusual sensitivity to bright lights? Loud sounds? Sometimes these "twice exceptional" students have sensory integration processing issues. Your student may be overcompensating in one area to "hide" these issues. Remember that one of the qualities you'll find with the gifted student is intense perfectionism. If your student avoids certain tasks, it may be because of a sensory integration issue. It's worth exploring.

"Dysfunction in Sensory Integration (DSI) is a problem in processing sensations. DSI is a neurological disorder, manifested by difficulty detecting, modulating, discriminating or integrating sensation adaptively. DSI causes children to process sensation from the environment or from their bodies in an inaccurate way, resulting in "sensory seeking" or "sensory avoiding" patterns or 'dyspraxia," a motor planning problem." Pediatric Life Care Planning and Case Management by Susan Riddick-Grisham

Read more at:

Sensory Integration Network

Books:
The Out-Of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping With Sensory Integration Dysfunction by Carol Stock Kranowitz, Larry B. Silver

Sensory Integration and the Child by A. Jean Ayres

	Problems with social skills: Children with Asperger's syndrome generally have difficulty interacting with others and often are awkward in social situations. They generally do not make friends easily.
	Eccentric or repetitive behaviors: Children with this condition may develop odd, repetitive movements, such as hand wringing or finger twisting.
	Unusual preoccupations or rituals: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop rituals that he or she refuses to alter, such as getting dressed in a specific order.
	Communication difficulties: People with Asperger's syndrome may not make eye contact when speaking with someone. They may have trouble using facial expressions and gestures, and understanding body language. They also tend to have problems understanding language in context.
	Limited range of interests: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop an intense, almost obsessive, interest in a few areas, such as sports schedules, weather or maps.
	Coordination problems: The movements of children with Asperger's syndrome may seem clumsy or awkward.
	Skilled or talented: Many children with Asperger's syndrome are exceptionally talented or skilled in a particular area, such as music or math.

All of the above characteristics are also commonly seen in gifted children and can easily be mistaken as Asperger's Disorder by someone not familiar with the asynchronous development and special needs of gifted youth. The unusual behaviors of many gifted children do strike many who are not familiar with gifted characteristics as a "qualitative impairment" in social interactions.

Books:
Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals by Dr. Tony Attwood

Pretending to be Normal: Living with Asperger's Syndrome by Liane Holliday Willey, Tony Attwood

ADD & ADHD

ADHD and Giftedness: What Do We Really Know?
"Are gifted kids labeled as having ADHD instead of being gifted? It's actually possible that the two conditions may coexist. Recently, some researchers have expressed concern that children who are gifted are mislabeled as ADHD, and that this mislabeling has been getting out of hand. While there are cases of mistaken diagnosis, no empirical data in the medical, educational, or psychological literature confirms the extent of this concern..." (Continue Reading this Article).

Criteria for two primary subtypes are summarized as follows:

AD/HD predominately inattentive type: (AD/HD-I):
Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes.
Has difficulty sustaining attention.
Does not appear to listen.
Struggles to follow through on instructions.
Has difficulty with organization.
Avoids or dislikes tasks requiring sustained mental effort.
Loses things.
Is easily distracted.
Is forgetful in daily activities.

AD/HD predominately hyperactive-impulsive type: (AD/HD-HI):
Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in chair.
Has difficulty remaining seated.
Runs about or climbs excessively.
Difficulty engaging in activities quietly.
Acts as if driven by a motor.
Talks excessively.
Blurts out answers before questions have been completed.
Difficulty waiting or taking turns.
Interrupts or intrudes upon others.

More information at: CHADD : Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder