I have read just about every "gifted" book out there in an attempt to understand my asynchronous and profoundly gifted children. I purchased this book assuming that it would just be the same old stuff rehashed. Wow! I am so delighted to be wrong. The authors have really done a fantastic job of describing the widespread mislabeling of gifted kids. I am particularly thrilled to see the chapter on learning disorders and twice exceptional kids.

The authors make it clear that they believe children can be both gifted and learning disabled. Their purpose in writing the book is to make parents and teachers aware of how giftedness can mask a problem, cause an inaccurate label to be applied, or exacerbate a condition. This book contains helpful descriptions of gifted children with and without a secondary diagnosis. Chapter four, for instance, outlines the DSM criteria for a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. It goes on to compare the Asperger's symptoms with similar behaviors which may be present in a gifted child who does not have the disorder. It is easy to see how overlapping issues can be confusing. A gifted child who is somewhat introverted and has passionate interests may be inaccurately labeled with AS, while a gifted child with AS also has many other ongoing and distinctive traits.

If you think your child is gifted but "doesn't test well", if performance and verbal ability scores on IQ tests are far apart, or if your gut tells you that your child is underachieving, you really need to read this book. It will assist in making sense of any labels that have been applied to your child, and allow you to better understand how giftedness affects the individual.
“Misdiagnosis” is the result of a team of six highly respected professionals who bring to the table many years of collective wisdom.