This paper describes longitudinal studies on three cohorts of students accelerated academically as part of the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth. Results do not support critics' contentions that acceleration produces academic gaps and early "burn out" but instead show positive psychosocial outcomes and high levels of participant…

This reprint of an article on results of longitudinal studies of mathematically precocious youth is preceded by a commentary. The commentary stresses that results of the studies indicate that there is no evidence that accelerants lose interest in the area of acceleration or experience knowledge gaps. (Contains references.) (CR)

Identified by a study of mathematically precocious youth, 107 academically accelerated gifted students were compared with 107 nonacademically accelerated gifted students. At age 23-25 years, the 2 subject groups exhibited few significant differences, and no evidence of harmful effects of academic acceleration were found. (SLD)