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http://waikato.researchgateway.ac.nz/ Research Commons at the University of Waikato Copyright Statement: The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). The thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: Any use you make of these documents or images must be for research or private study purposes only, and you may not make them available to any other person. Authors control the copyright of their thesis. You will recognise the author’s right to be identified as the author of the thesis, and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate. You will obtain the author’s permission before publishing any material from the thesis. The learning experiences and preferred teaching strategies of children who have been identified as Gifted with ADHD A thesis submitted in fulfilment for the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at The University of Waikato by Kylee Edwards The University of Waikato 2008 Abstract This qualitative study investigated the educational and social experiences of six children who had been identified as Gifted with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The children were aged from six to ten years old. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with the children and their parents and a staff member of the George Parkyn Centre (now The Gifted Education Centre) to explore their educational and social experiences in order to identify their preferred strategies that were also expected to be the most effective educational strategies. It is important to identify effective educational strategies for Gifted children with ADHD. This is because there are children in New Zealand (as this study has found) who have been identified as Gifted with ADHD but according to the literature review conducted for this study there does not appear to be a significant amount of literature from New Zealand or international writers that informs educators about how to assist these children to learn. Instead, the literature appeared to focus on misdiagnosis of Giftedness as ADHD, however, these children may benefit from having assistance with their learning as some literature suggested they are not being identified and could be underachievers. It seems that the use of effective educational strategies may be the only way these children could reach their academic potential. Therefore, this study sought to move on from the misdiagnosis debate evident in the Gifted/ADHD literature to identify some effective educational strategies. This study also investigated the social experiences of Gifted children with ADHD. This is because the literature maintained Gifted children with ADHD could have difficulties with social interactions. Talking to the children about their social interactions could indicate whether the literature’s implications are correct and if they are it should allow further understanding regarding how we could assist the Gifted child with ADHD to have more positive social interactions that could also positively impact on learning as social interactions occur within the classroom. The key findings of this study indicated that some Gifted children with had specific learning preferences that could stimulate them to learn (e.g., when their interests were recognised, information was presented visually, tasks had a meaningful purpose and movement and use of computers was allowed). Ineffective educational strategies were also addressed although not in detail as for the most part they seemed to be the opposite of effective educational strategies. The findings also indicated Gifted children with ADHD could benefit when they find their ‘true peer’ as this seemed to result in the children within this study wanting to work with others. Although specific suggestions were recommended (e.g., the use Renzulli’s 1977 Enrichment Triad Model) the findings emphasised the depth of information that could be gained by simply talking to children and their parents about their learning. A wider implication may be this Gifted group of children may benefit from the use of specific educational strategies that personalise their learning. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank the following people • Dr Sally Peters (University of Waikato) the supervisor of this thesis who supported me throughout the process and gave up her valuable time. • Dr Roger Moltzen (University of Waikato) who ignited my interest in Gifted education and who made time to answer extra questions. • The George Parkyn Centre (now The Gifted Education Centre) for allowing me to find participants for this thesis through their members. Thank you to those ladies who also took time out of their weekends to allow me access to the centre. • The parents and their children who gave me their time and shared their personal experiences and who without which this research would not have been possible. • My Mother who has encouraged me throughout my education, including this thesis process. iii Table of Contents 1 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................1 1.1 My interest ....................................................................................................4 1.2 Underlying perspective evident in the literature ...........................................5 2 Chapter 2: Gifted..................................................................................................9 2.1 Introduction...................................................................................................9 2.2 The New Zealand definition of the Gifted and talented................................9 2.3 A brief history of some of New Zealand’s educational policies for the Gifted and talented ........................................................................................9 2.4 What are some social and emotional issues that relate to the Gifted and talented? ......................................................................................................12 2.5 What are some educational strategies that have been suggested for the Gifted and talented? ....................................................................................14 2.5.1 Differentiation.........................................................................................15 2.5.2 The Enrichment Triad Model..................................................................15 2.5.3 Gifted and talented models of enrichment: The Schoolwide Enrichment Model (1985)...........................................................................................16 2.6 Chapter summary ........................................................................................18 3 Chapter 3: ADHD ...............................................................................................20 3.1 Introduction.................................................................................................20 3.2 The New Zealand definition of the term disability .....................................20 3.3 From exclusion to inclusion, a brief history of educational policy development for children with disabilities..................................................21 3.4 The New Zealand definition of ADHD.......................................................22 3.5 What are the social and emotional issues related to ADHD? .....................24 3.6 What are some educational strategies that have been suggested for those who have ADHD?.......................................................................................25 3.6.1 Introduction.............................................................................................25 3.6.2 Educational strategies..............................................................................26 3.6.3 Stimulation..............................................................................................28 3.7 Chapter summary ........................................................................................31 4 Chapter 4: Gifted and ADHD .............................................................................33 4.1 Introduction.................................................................................................33 4.2 The history of Giftedness with ADHD .......................................................33 4.3 The current focus in the Gifted/ADHD literature .......................................34 4.4 Identification issues.....................................................................................36 4.4.1 Introduction.............................................................................................36 4.4.2 The similarity between Gifted and ADHD characteristics .....................36 4.4.3 Masking...................................................................................................37 4.4.4 Intelligence Quotient tests (IQ tests).......................................................38 4.4.5 The environment .....................................................................................39 4.4.6 Teachers’ lack of knowledge ..................................................................40 4.5 How could the Gifted with ADHD link to Gifted literature?......................41 4.5.1 Creativity.................................................................................................41 4.5.2 The Gifted who like to move ..................................................................43 4.5.3 The Gifted who are not easy to teach......................................................44

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