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ERIC Number: ED371495
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1994-Apr
Pages: 23
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Relationship between Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Creativity.
Cramond, Bonnie
This study examined the incidence of creativity among individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the incidence of ADHD among individuals who are highly creative. The ADHD group consisted of 34 students, aged 6 to 15. The highly creative group consisted of 76 participants, ages 13 to 15, from the Torrance Creative Scholars Program in Louisiana. The ADHD group performed close to the test means on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking-Figural Form A, on all components except elaboration. On elaboration, which is a measure of a style of creative response that gives attention to detail and perfects ideas rather than producing large numbers of ideas, the ADHD group scored more than one standard deviation above the test mean. Thirty-two percent of the ADHD group scored high enough on the Torrance Test to have qualified for the Creative Scholars program. The highly creative group completed the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Checklist (SNAP), indicating that 20 (26 percent) met the criteria for ADHD, attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity, or attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity, though SNAPs completed by their teachers reflected no elevated levels of hyperactivity, inattention, or impulsivity. The study concludes that a creative child could receive an unwarranted diagnosis of ADHD, and once a diagnosis is made, it is likely that behavior will be seen through that filter and so attributed. (Contains 33 references.) (JDD)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Researchers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (New Orleans, LA, April 4-8, 1994).