Gifted: Overexcitabilities and Asynchronicities

What makes the gifted child unique, intense and challenging?  There are so many preconceived ideas about what a gifted child looks like.  The smart, professor type who always has his face in a book...okay, well that one may be true.   The truth is that being gifted can be very challenging and it usually does not mean that a child does well in a regular classroom and gets good grades.  That profile more adequately fits the high achieving child.  A kid can be both gifted and high achieving.  Many times those are the moderately gifted kids and often times the gifted girls who dumb down to fit in socially.  Moderately gifted children are easier to spot and have a higher tendency toward teacher pleasing behavior and the desire for extrinsic reward...good grades.  Those kids fit the stereotype of a gifted child who does well in the classroom.  My older son was not a teacher pleaser and neither child is motivated by extrinsic rewards.  They are; however, completely original and creative.

A highly, exceptionally or profoundly gifted child does not blend in quite so well within the educational system and they usually have no desire to.  The higher up the gifted scale the child is, the more likely there will be uneven development "asynchronicity" coupled with various intenstities that sometimes resemble pathologies.  Overexcitabilities (OEs) are inborn, heightened abilities to receive and respond to stimuli. They are expressed in increased sensitivity, awareness, and intensity. Each form of overexcitability points to a higher than average sensitivity of its receptors. As a result a person endowed with different forms of overexcitability reacts with surprise, puzzlement to many things, he collides with things, persons, and events which in turn brings him astonishment and disquietude (Dabrowski, 1964 p.7).   High IQ, asynchronicity and overexcitabilities can make for a challenging homelife and a unique parenting and educational experience.

In our home, we experience all five overexcitabilities and tremendous asynchronicity.  Here is what the asynchronicity looks like in my home.  L is chronologically 9.  L has the intellectual age of 20.  His social emotional maturity varies but is likely close to his chronological age and his gross / fine motor physical skills are at a 7 year old level all wrapped up into one body. He is many ages at once. This can make certain situations very difficult.  Oftentimes his mind can do more than his body can execute which proves to be very frustrating.  L has all five overexcitabilities and is very high in Psychomotor and Intellectual OE in particular.

Psychomotor OE is a heightened excitability of the neuromuscular system. This Psychomotor intensity includes a "capacity for being active and energetic" (Piechowski, 1991, p. 287), love of movement for its own sake, surplus of energy demonstrated by rapid speech, zealous enthusiasm, intense physical activity, and a need for action (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977; Piechowski, 1979, 1991). When feeling emotionally tense, individuals strong in Psychomotor OE may talk compulsively, act impulsively, misbehave and act out, display nervous habits, show intense drive (tending towards "workaholism"), compulsively organize, or become quite competitive. They derive great joy from their boundless physical and verbal enthusiasm and activity, but others may find them over-whelming. At home and at school, these children seem never to be still. They thrive on activity and encourage others to "just do something." They may talk constantly. Adults and peers want to tell them to sit down and be quiet! This Psychomotor OE child has the potential of being misdiagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Intellectual OE is demonstrated by a marked need to seek understanding and truth, to gain knowledge, and to analyze and synthesize (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977; Piechowski, 1979,1991). Those high in Intellectual OE have incredibly active minds. They are intensely curious, often avid readers, and usually keen observers. They are able to concentrate, engage in prolonged intellectual effort, and be tenacious in problem solving when they choose. Other characteristics may include relishing elaborate planning and having remarkably detailed visual recall. People with Intellectual OE frequently love theory, thinking about thinking, and moral thinking. Intellectually overexcitable people are also quite independent of thought and sometimes appear critical of and impatient with others who cannot sustain their intellectual pace. This intellectual intensity seems to cause the greatest difficulty at school and home when children become so excited about learning and thinking that they interrupt or blurt out answers at inappropriate times or are too honest about or critical of others' ideas. 

To a layperson or a medical professional not versed in gifted children L would clearly be diagnosed with ADHD based on both the aforementioned OEs not to mention the other three OEs that he also espouses.  He could be diagnosed with so many pathologies based on the OEs and asynchronicities.  However, for something to be a disorder it must negatively interfere with daily life.   L's Psychomotor OE is what makes him so dedicated to his computer programming and what fuels his desire to learn.   These OEs are a benefit to him not a detriment. It doesn't make it any less exhausting for us at times but it is certainly not something I would want to change either. And I would certainly not want to medicate it.   The public school environment is entirely oppressive for this type of child.


Imaginational OE reflects a heightened play of the imagination with rich association of images and impressions, frequent use of image and metaphor, facility for invention and fantasy, detailed visualization, and elaborate dreams (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977; Piechowski, 1979, 1991). Often children high in Imaginational OE mix truth with fiction, create their own private worlds with imaginary companions and dramatizations to escape boredom. They find it difficult to stay tuned into a classroom where creativity and imagination are secondary to learning rigid academic curriculum. They may write stories or draw instead of doing seat work or participating in class discussions, or they may have difficulty completing tasks when some incredible idea sends them off on an imaginative tangent.

L regularly got into trouble for creating comic books and daydreaming.  I think looking out the window was the highlight of his day especially in second grade.  He was also a toddler with an imaginary friend who was 28 and lived in New Jersey.  I guess that was who he could relate to.  He created an imaginary language and would often converse to us in this bizarro language.  Imaginational OE could easily lend itself to an ADHD inattentive type diagnosis.  So there now are three OEs that would easily make a non gifted professional diagnose L with ADHD combined type.  The main difference in L's case is one of choice. He can and does change behavior based on desire, circumstances and environment...it is entirely within his control and therefore, not a disorder.  True disorders are pervasive in most circumstances and environments.  When behavior is situational and based on choice, one should look at the context and totality of the circumstances before rushing to pathologies as the diagnosis.

Emotional OE is reflected in heightened, intense feelings, extremes of complex emotions, identification with others' feelings, and strong affective expression (Piechowski, 1991). Other manifestations include physical responses like stomachaches and blushing or concern with death and depression (Piechowski, 1979). Emotionally overexcitable people have a remarkable capacity for deep relationships; they show strong emotional attachments to people, places, and things (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977). They have compassion, empathy, and sensitivity in relationships. This sensitivity may lead to interpersonal conflict about the depth, or lack of depth, in a relationship. Those with strong Emotional OE are acutely aware of their own feelings, of how they are growing and changing, and often carry on inner dialogs and practice self-judgment (Piechowski, 1979, 1991). Children high in Emotional OE, are often accused of "overreacting."

S, my four year old, is very high in emotional OE and it can be very overwhelming to be with him with the intensities take over. He also exudes infectious charisma that is palpable even over the phone.  He is very paradoxical in nature and temperament and complains often of stomachaches where the magic cure is simply huggy, connected time with me.  He exhibits a wide variety of intense emotions.  Extreme loviness coupled with darkness.   He is a sweet, loving, empathetic and connected little boy with many thoughts and questions relating to death.  This is sometimes very scary for us.  And no, he doesn't have bipolar or oppositional defiant disorder.

Sensual OE is expressed as a heightened experience of sensual pleasure or displeasure emanating from sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing (Dabrowski & Piechowski, 1977; Piechowski, 1979, 1991). Those with Sensual OE have a far more expansive experience from their sensual input than the average person. They have an increased and early appreciation of aesthetic pleasures such as music, language, and art, and derive endless delight from tastes, smells, textures, sounds, and sights. But because of this increased sensitivity, they may also feel over-stimulated or uncomfortable with sensory input. Gifted children sometimes have difficulty with sorting out all they hear, feel, or smell. Their sensitivity makes them easily distractible.  Sensually overexcitable children may find clothing tags, classroom noise, or smells from the cafeteria so distracting that school-work becomes secondary. These children may also become so absorbed in their love of a particular piece of art or music that the outside world ceases to exist.   L used to get swayed by music at a young age and would sit and listen repeatedly to a specific Coldplay song over and over and over because he was so moved by it.  When I would read books to him as a baby he would cry at certain parts of the story that would likely go unnoticed by most children or adults as a sensitive moment.

Ah, another OE that easily leads to a misdiagnosis of sensory processing disorder or autism spectrum disorder.  Sure, these disorders can definitely affect gifted kids and many times are the second exceptionality but not every gifted child with sensual OE has a disorder.  Again, the point where the OE rises to the level of a pathology is a fine line if you do not understand the differences.  To try to explain it simply one must look at the degree of the issue as it relates to negative interference in daily life, the pervasiveness of the issue in all environments or circumstances and the underlying aspect of control or choice.  A gifted child who chooses not to pay attention in a boring classroom and decides to look out the window and daydream is not the same as a child who is unable to pay attention in class.   A gifted child who dislikes tags in their clothes because they are scratchy is not the same as a child who is unable to be touched by anyone including receiving a hug from mom.  Are you seeing now where degree of issue and choice falls into play?  A child who CAN write with pencil and paper but who does not demonstrate the need or desire to write long stories because he/she would rather orally recite their story does not necessarily have dysgraphia. This is a prime example of where asynchronicity also affects performance.  Imagine the child with so many advanced and interesting thoughts racing in his/her mind but with the limited physical skills to execute those thoughts through writing. Fortunately, keyboarding and dictation can really help with this issue.

In my experience, there are many gifted kids who also have real learning differences, sensory challenges, behavioral issues, attentional deficits and social communication issues. And, yes, some of them are twice exceptional making them that much more unique and interesting to be around.   However, some gifted kids may demonstrate so many quirks, OEs, asynchronicities and mismatched environments and yet do not rise to the level of being pathological.  These children are so unique and amazing regardless of the various labels associated to them but I wonder just how many children with dual diagnosis are merely highly asynchronous and replete with multiple OEs.  The main difference between OEs and pathologies is how one responds to them. OEs should be embraced despite needing modifications for the real world and pathologies are generally thought of  as something that requires treatment, accomodation or intervention of some sort for optimal outcome.

I highly recommend reading Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnosis of Gifted Children and Adults for further information about how overexcitabilities and asynchronicity affect the gifted population.

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