Kids with ADHD may be more likely to bully

And those pushed around tend to exhibit attention problems, study finds

When her 5-year-old son showed up at the door with a black eye and a bloody cut on his head, Brooke Fike knew it was time to take on the bullies. For weeks, several boys at school had been swinging their backpacks into her son's head. One day they dumped a carton of milk over him during lunch.

As Fike tried to remedy the problem, she realized that the bullies seemed to be the kids in class who couldn’t sit still and listen. They didn’t do their homework. They were almost constantly in motion.

Turns out, those behaviors could have been the first clue to parents and school officials that these boys might be the ones who were going to turn into bullies.
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A new study shows that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are almost four times as likely as others to be bullies. And, in an intriguing corollary, the children with ADHD symptoms were almost 10 times as likely as others to have been regular targets of bullies prior to the onset of those symptoms, according to the report in the February issue of the journal Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology.

The study followed 577 children — the entire population of fourth graders from a municipality near Stockholm — for a year. The researchers interviewed parents, teachers and children to determine which kids were likely to have ADHD. Children showing signs of the disorder were then seen by a child neurologist for diagnosis. The researchers also asked the kids about bullying.

The results underscore the importance of observing how kids with ADHD symptoms interact with their peers, says study co-author Dr. Anders Hjern, a professor in pediatric epidemiology at the University of Uppsala in Stockholm. These kids might be making life miserable for their fellow students. Or it might turn out that the attention problems they’re exhibiting could be related to the stress of being bullied.

"You can't learn if you're being bullied, if every day you're frightened of how you're going to be treated," says William Pollack, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

As for the bullies, they often need help with other issues, Pollack says. It’s not uncommon, for instance, to find that the aggressor is acting out because he’s depressed. And often, the kids who are doing the bullying have been bullied themselves, he adds.

Alan Kazdin, a specialist in child development, says the new results may help sensitize parents and teachers to the possibility that some kids with ADHD might have issues that go beyond antsy behaviors and attention problems. Estimates of how many kids have ADHD range from 4 percent to 12 percent.

Unfortunately though, treating ADHD won't remedy the bullying because drugs for the condition impact a child's ability to focus in school but not the aggression that could lead to bullying, says Kazdin, a professor of psychology and child psychiatry and director of the Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic at Yale University, and president of the American Psychological Association.

Battling bullying
Still, the new study could help teachers and parents identify who's at potential risk of bullying and being bullied.

“This is a huge problem in the schools,” says Dr. Joyce Nolan Harrison, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and director of Preschool Clinical Programs at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Studies show it's particularly common in grades 6 through 10, when as many as 30 percent of students report they've had moderate or frequent involvement in bullying, she says.

  Share your strategies for dealing with bullies. Join the chat.

From the thread:

... I have a son that is ADHD and he has never bullied other kids. He has been bullied by others. So I am not to sure if that is totally correct.  I am not saying that it isn't some but I feel you should not label kids. It has a lot to do in how they are raised. I have always taught my kids to treat others as to how they want to be treated. He has also been made fun of. We just talk about things.

—busybee mom
The best solution for bullying is for schools to develop programs that help both the bullies and the bullied, experts say.

“Bullies are like the lion looking for a deer that’s left the herd,” says Patrick Tolan, director of the Institute for Juvenile Research at the University of Illinois. “They try to single out the weakest kid. The best way to stop this is to work on increasing inclusion by helping the bullied kids with social skills.”

Another strategy that can work: Help the bullied kids find each other. “If there are a bunch of them together, they can stand the bully down,” Pollack says. “They don’t have to beat the bully up. They just have to say, ‘Why are you treating my friend this way?’ The bully will often move on.”

Parental role

In the end, though, schools might not have the inclination or resources to deal with bullying. In that case, parents need to take matters into their own hands. To do this, you’ll need to enlist the help of all the other parents of bullied children, says Pollack. “Parents have to work as a group,” he explains. “One parent is a pain in the [butt]. A group of parents can be an educational experience for school authorities.”

One thing you shouldn’t do, Pollack says, is call up the bully’s parents. “You have no idea of what is going on in that kid’s home,” he says. “He may get hell for bullying your kid — or he may be told to keep it up.”

Ultimately, you may not be able to stop the bullying. “If schools are not prepared to take action, which is sometimes the unfortunate case, I believe parents should consider changing schools,” Hjern says.

That’s what Fike chose to do a few years ago. “I moved him to a different school where there’s a lot more parent participation,” she says. “It had gotten so he didn’t want to go to school and would cry in the morning. Now he can’t wait to go.”




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Parent's guidance to their children with ADHD is really needed. It's important that they understand that they should listen to whatever you say. Training them is the best way to maintain a good character to your children.

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Gifted Children with ADHD

Terms of Use: This educational material is made available courtesy of the author and Attention Deficit Disorder Resources. You may reprint this article for personal use only.

There are a number of reasons for considering gifted children with AD/HD. The dual exceptionality of being both gifted, and AD/HD, often means that such children are not recognized as having either exceptionality, and thus, their needs for an appropriate education are not met. AD/HD, in this paper, refers to the mixed type, those children with symptoms of both inattention, and hyperactivity. ADHD is considered to be a deficit in ability to inhibit responding with consequent deficits in self regulation and self monitoring of behavior. The underlying deficit in ADHD is hypothesized to be biological, and based on differences in neurotransmitter regulation of dopamine. Most affected are the areas of the brain that deal with the executive functions, that is the ability to regulate, modulate, produce on demand, organize, and sustain focus.

Giftedness, for the purpose of this paper, is defined as an IQ of 120+ or outstanding achievement in one or more academic areas. However, it should be noted that some children with full scale IQs in the average range may also be gifted but ADHD can decrease some scores enough that giftedness may not be readily expressed in this way, especially in older children with years of failure behind them.

Gifted children with ADHD differ from more average children with ADHD in a number of ways that impact assessment of both giftedness and AD/HD, and which affect planning and treatment for these children. Based on years of assessments of several hundred gifted children with ADHD at the Gifted Resource Center of New England, data have been collected on both an anecdotal and more formal basis. Anecdotal data have led to conclusions about the social, emotional and cognitive status of gifted children with AD/HD. More formal data explore how these children differ from other gifted children and from average children with ADHD on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children and on neuropsychological assessments (Lovecky, 1999).
Gifted Children with ADHD Differ from Average Children with ADHD in Cognitive, Social and Emotional Variables

On tests of intelligence and achievement, gifted children with AD/HD, mixed type, show a greater degree of inter- and intra-test variability. They miss many easier items and are correct on much more difficult items. They have greater amounts of scatter with performance usually ranging from average to highly gifted. In addition, highly gifted children (IQ 150+), particularly those who are mathematically gifted, are so adept at recalling, using and hearing numbers that arithmetic and digit span subtests may be among their highest scores. For these children, the freedom from distractibility factor of the WISC-III scale simply does not measure the problems they do have with sequential processing. Thus psychologists who rely exclusively on the Wechsler tests to determine ADHD patterns will miss many gifted children (Lovecky and Silverman, 1998).

The gifted ADHD child is also likely to show higher level functioning in at least one subject area. Abstract reasoning ability in particular is often well developed and in advance of other more basic skill levels.

Gifted children with ADHD may also differ from more average children in the greater degree of asynchrony (differences in degree of development across cognitive, social and emotional areas compared to age and IQ) they show. They may behave less maturely than average peers some of the time, but more maturely at other times, for example, making airplane noises in school at age 7 and 8, but on the other hand, having advanced ideas about how to play complex games. They also can be far more emotional than age peers with AD/HD. Sensitivity is an important aspect of giftedness, and gifted children with ADHD show their sensitivity in awareness of the external environment, internal states and feelings, projective identification with aspects of their field of interest, in empathy and compassion for others and in passionate feelings for people and causes. When feelings are negative, gifted children with ADHD can become overwhelmed by worries that would never occur to the more average child.

Gifted children with ADHD often have more specialized interests than age peers, and perform similar activities in more complex ways. Gifted children with ADHD need and like more complexity than age peers, and seek it out in activities and interests. Interests may be pursued over a number of years and to an intense degree. Some also pursue many activities over the course of years, and become proficient in several diverse areas of accomplishment.

Friendships tend to reflect both the giftedness and the ADHD of the child. These children have advanced needs for complexity in friendships, want to share complex interests, and have more advanced understanding of rules, games and strategies than age peers; however, they also exhibit deficits in social behavior, misreading social cues and showing poor timing and lack of understanding of group goals and group dynamics. Often concerns about fairness are paramount and reflect the gifted children's advanced moral reasoning ability, while immature emotional development is shown in the children's inability to act on these same moral issues. Thus, the child insists on fairness in game rules, until he or she starts to lose. Then fairness becomes less salient than winning.
Gifted Children with ADHD Differ from Other Gifted Children

These children show a greater degree of asynchrony among cognitive, social and emotional areas of development, and much greater variation in their ability to act maturely. Cognitive deficits, compared to other gifted children, are shown in less ability to think sequentially, to use working memory adequately, to solve problems using part to whole relationships, and to reason inductively especially since they have trouble picking out the main or salient feature among data. Gifted children with AD/HD, compared to gifted peers, complete less work, tend to try to hurry through it, often change topics on projects, or take inordinately long to complete simple exercises. They find it particularly difficult to work in groups, even groups of gifted children. Gifted children with ADHD also find completing tasks less rewarding than do other gifted children, that is, for many, the intrinsic reward of completion is not as satisfying to them. On the other hand, when working on a self-chosen activity, gifted children, with and without AD/HD, are able to immerse themselves in the task and work for long hours without much external reinforcement. This ability to hyperfocus, the falling into "flow" (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996), is what makes creative work so satisfying to so many gifted children, whatever their other problems.

In terms of social and emotional development, gifted children with ADHD tend to show more difficulty with self-control and self-monitoring of behavior, less ability to judge situations for their salient features, less ability to predict cause and effect in behavioral situations and difficulty inhibiting action.
Assessment of Gifted Children Needs to Be Done by Those Knowledgeable About Both Giftedness and ADHD

Misdiagnosis of ADHD can occur in two directions. Highly energetic gifted children can be seen as AD/HD, and some gifted children who can concentrate for long periods of time on areas of interest may not be seen as ADHD even when they are. Thus, knowledge about what is giftedness and what is ADHD is vital in assessing AD/HD, and in ensuring that gifted children are not misdiagnosed. This is particularly the case for those children who are very inappropriately placed academically and who receive little academic stimulation (Baum, Olenchak, and Owen, 1998). For many gifted children with mild AD/HD, a stimulating school environment coupled with small classes will significantly decrease symptoms of ADHD (Hartmann, 1996). In fact, for some children with very mild AD/HD, the stimulation of a specialized gifted class may help them organize their energy significantly. These children can utilize the stimulation of the class, with their own abilities to hyperfocus, well enough so that they can achieve impressive results. Many of these children have the ability to self-reflect on their own behavior, something more severely affected ADHD children do not have. This reflection can allow mild ADHD gifted children to compensate for deficit areas while using their ADHD abilities to their advantage.

Children with ADHD symptoms at moderate to severe levels are unlikely to be helped enough if the only intervention is changing classroom parameters to more meet their stimulation needs. ADHD is not only a school problem. It often affects social and emotional areas as well. Children may need multiple interventions in all of these areas in order to function better. This is particularly the case for those ADHD gifted children whose asynchrony is much greater than that of other gifted students, because the ability to meet demands across a variety of situations is diminished by the greater asynchrony. Changing the school environment then is necessary, but not sufficient for gifted children with moderate to severe AD/HD. It is also not sufficient to meet the needs of even mildly affected children who lack the skills to learn compensatory mechanisms themselves. Often these are students whose ADHD will show as more involved than previously thought as the demands of academic requirements increase.

In assessing AD/HD, gifted children need to be compared to gifted peers in a stimulating environment rather than average children in regular classes. Checklists and teacher observations need to be considered in the context of the type of classroom in which the child is placed. Thus, a profile of strengths and weaknesses needs to be collected from various sources including home, school and other activities. These then should be compared to the children's own mean, rather than to absolute age norms. Deficit areas of gifted children with ADHD can be overlooked if only age norms are used as a measure of ability or achievement. This applies also to tests of executive functions, memory and processing when used to determine areas of strength and weakness. Furthermore, intelligence should not just be based on the Wechsler scores. Use of the Stanford-Binet LM as a supplementary test should be considered when two or more verbal subtests of the Wechsler are in the SS 17+ range. Use of the Stanford-Binet LM in this manner provides a better estimate of intellectual potential since the Wechsler test may have too low a ceiling for some gifted children (Silverman and Kearney, 1992). The Stanford-Binet V, when available, will provide a better assessment of strengths and weaknesses of gifted children in general.
Recommendations About IEP or 504 Planning Need to Consider Both the ADHD Problems and the Effect of Being Gifted

School programs need to consider both strengths and weaknesses, and work to provide environments that maximize stimulation and interest at the appropriate level for children. This is because gifted children with ADHD have underlying deficits in executive functions that require intervention, but accommodations needed will be different from those recommended for more average children with AD/HD. A good example is acceleration. Gifted children with ADHD may need acceleration at the same time that they need to learn metacognitive skills that will support the higher level of functioning required. Thus, they will need a differentiated program, not just placement in an advanced class. Gifted children without ADHD may pick up the support skills quickly, can skip ahead and keep up with older students. Average children with ADHD will not need this kind of accommodation but may need resource help to build skills to function in the regular classroom doing the regular work.

Gifted children with ADHD will need academic programs that allow them to go ahead in areas of strength while building on weaker areas. They may need to be specifically taught study and organizational skills, in the context of higher level work, that gifted peers acquire without difficulty. Also, gifted children with ADHD need access to mentors to work in areas of strength. Without work that meets their cognitive needs for stimulation and complexity, gifted children with ADHD develop less ability to focus and sustain attention, poorer work habits and less advanced achievement. They also may lose their interest in learning and develop behavioral and emotional problems secondary to their lack of investment in achievement. Thus, working with gifted children with ADHD requires a team approach in which specialists with expertise in both giftedness and ADHD pool resources to meet these children's unique needs.




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For parents, help your child with ADHD to develop the skills he have. There are many schools you can enroll them to enhance and develop their skills.

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Teaching Children with ADHD

Defining Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)

Attention deficit disorder is a syndrome characterized by serious and persistent difficulties in the following three specific areas:

   1. Attention span
   2. Impulse control
   3. Hyperactivity (sometimes)

ADD is a chronic disorder that can begin in infancy and extend through adulthood, having negative effects on a child's life at home, school, and within the community. It is conservatively estimated that 3 to 5 percent of our school-age population is affected by ADD.

The condition previously fell under the headings, "learning disabled," "brain damaged," "hyperkinetic," or "hyperactive." The term attention deficit disorder was introduced to describe the characteristics of these children more clearly.

Diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

According to the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., rev.) (American Psychiatric Association, 1994), to be diagnosed as having ADD/ADHD, the clinician must note the presence of at least 6 of the 9 following criteria for either Attention Span or Hyperactivity/ Impulsivity.

Attention Span Criteria

    * Pays little attention to details; makes careless mistakes;
    * Has short attention span
    * Does not listen when spoken to directly
    * Does not follow instructions; fails to finish tasks
    * Has difficulty organizing tasks
    * Avoids tasks that require sustained mental effort
    * Loses things
    * Is easily distracted
    * Is forgetful in daily activities

Hyperactivity Criteria

    * Fidgets; squirms in seat
    * Leaves seat in classroom when remaining seated is expected
    * Often runs about or climbs excessively at inappropriate times
    * Has difficulty playing quietly
    * Talks excessively

Impulsivity Criteria

    * Blurts out answers before questions are completed
    * Has difficulty awaiting turn
    * Often interrupts or intrudes on others

Establishing the Proper Learning Environment

Seat students with ADD near the teacher's desk, but include them as part of the regular class seating.

Place these students up front with their backs to the rest of the class to keep other students out of view.

Surround students with ADD with good role models

Encourage peer tutoring and cooperative/collaborative learning.

Avoid distracting stimuli: Try not to place students with ADD near air conditioners, high traffic areas, heaters, or doors or windows.

Children with ADD do not handle change well, so avoid transitions, physical relocation (monitor them closely on field trips), changes in schedule, and disruptions.

Be creative! Produce a stimuli-reduced study area. Let all students have access to this area so the student with ADD will not feel different.

Encourage parents to set up appropriate study space at home, with set times and routines established for study, parental review of completed homework, and periodic notebook and/or bo assignments each day. If a student is not capable of this, the teacher should help him or her.

   1. Sign the notebook daily to signify completion of homework assignments. (Parents should also sign.)
   2. Use the notebook for daily communication with parents.

Giving Assignments

    * Give out only one task at a time.
    * Monitor frequently. Maintain a supportive attitude.
    * Modify assignments as needed. Consult with special education personnel to determine specific strengths and weaknesses of each student.
    * Develop an individualized education program.
    * Make sure you are testing knowledge and not attention span.
    * Give extra time for certain tasks. Students with ADD may work slowly. Do not penalize them for needing extra time.
    * Keep in mind that children with ADD are easily frustrated. Stress, pressure, and fatigue can break down their self-control and lead to poor behavior.

Modifying Behavior and Enhancing Self-Esteem

Providing Supervision and Discipline:

    * Remain calm, state the infraction of the rule, and avoid debating or arguing with the student.

    * Have pre established consequences for misbehavior.

    * Administer consequences immediately, and monitor proper behavior frequently.

    * Enforce classroom rules consistently.



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ADHD needs more supervision from their teachers. They get easily bored and teachers should be very creative to keep them entertained.
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