Early Ahead: Do Young Gifted Resemble Older Children?

Children who are intellectually gifted are often emotionally mature for their ages. For a variety of reasons--including an unrewarding curriculum, preference for others of the same intellectual ability, or a feeling of social rejection--this maturity is sometimes masked at school. This can lead to w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inUnderstanding our gifted Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 17 - 19
Main Author Gross, Miraca U. M
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Open Space Communications LLC 2011
Subjects
Academic Achievement
Academically Gifted
Age Differences
Child Development
Emotional Development
Friendship
High Achievement
Maturity (Individuals)
Peer Acceptance
Social Development
Student Characteristics
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Summary:Children who are intellectually gifted are often emotionally mature for their ages. For a variety of reasons--including an unrewarding curriculum, preference for others of the same intellectual ability, or a feeling of social rejection--this maturity is sometimes masked at school. This can lead to what the author calls a "forced-choice" dilemma. Some gifted children feel they have to choose between working to their capacity in school and having friends. Should they "show" their excitement and interest in learning, at the risk of classmates rejecting them as "nerds," or should they pretend to be "just like everyone else" for the sake of peer acceptance? Gifted children thrive best academically and socially when they learn at their own level and pace, ideally in the company of at least "some" other students who share their abilities and interests. This article presents a list of the characteristics of young intellectually/academically gifted children and discusses how one can respond to help high abilities flourish into high achievement.
ISSN:1040-1350