The Alphabet Children: GT, ADHD, and More

Many bright youngsters demonstrate behaviors that are indicative of more than 1 diagnosis and, because of labeling confusion, some children are inappropriately served. Misdiagnosis can often worsen the situation and contribute to the student's continued failure to be successful in the learning environment. To address the inadequacy of the original diagnosis, new labels are found and added. Over time we see the birth of the "alphabet child" whose diagnoses contain more letters than wisdom. The multiple labels often blur who the child is and disguise appropriate educational needs. In this article, we explore the dilemma through a case study. We indicate the problems that occur when teams do not consider behavioral characteristics from a multidisciplinary perspective. We suggest guidelines for careful diagnosis and offer a diagnostic matrix for interpreting behavior.