Gifted High School Students
High School Senior Female Client:
She was a high achiever who made excellent grades from
elementary, even high school AP courses. However toward the end of her senior
year, the client was working so hard her parents had to take her to a heart
specialist. This is when her parents found out she had ADHD. She worked harder
than the gifted brain should have had to work. Her IQ was above average, but
due to the ADHD, she was mentally absent during her school day. When she went
home at night, she would teach herself how to complete the assignments and
learn the material as she completed her homework on her own. Although her parents sought ADHD
medication, the client progressed but needed cognitive help in the areas of
auditory and visual memory. After cognitive training, she went on to become a
successful high school counselor who helps students who struggle with the same
issues she dealt with as a teenager.
High School Male Client:
He was diagnosed early with ADHD and later excelled in
school, even when enrolled in Honors classes and AP English classes in high
school. He managed to maintain a “B” average, in spite of the fact that he did
not read one assigned novel all year. He displayed awesome auditory memory so
he remembered almost everything from class by simply listening to the
discussion. The memorization of class discussion provided enough information to
make above average grades on tests and written assignments. He was so
brilliant, that he was able to cover up the fact that he had trouble reading. He
was completely capable of reading; however, he did not like to read due to eye
strain caused by weak eye muscles. After cognitive training and integrated
exercises, and at the age of 20, he finally read his first book cover to cover.
Interestingly enough, the book was about ADHD.
