Raising gifted children is both a joy and a challenge. How does one survive and thrive living in a gifted family? Parents play an essential role in helping children develop appreciation and respect for the world and their place in it. Intellectual development and emotional reactions begin at an early age, and many major behavioral patterns are set…

Almost every day, another gifted education program bites the proverbial dust. Parents all across the country feel both apprehensive and anxious about the cuts. They are concerned about the educational and social emotional well-being of these students. They also wonder if it is even possible to advocate for gifted education in today's bleak…

Here's a statement that might seem the epitome of paradox: Underachievement has little to do with curriculum. Sure, curriculum is the stuff of school, the glue that bonds together one grade level to the next, but when it comes to the so-called underachiever's unwillingness to complete schoolwork and assignments, there is something far greater at…

Over the past eight years, the author has had the pleasure of facilitating discussion groups with gifted middle and high school students. These groups focus on affective concerns, giving students the opportunity to talk about issues they have in common and how life looks and feels through the lens of giftedness. The best school situation for…

Stress can affect anyone, and gifted children are no exception. Giftedness can sometimes be the cause of the stress. Perfectionism, sensitivity, and intensity are characteristics of gifted children that may exacerbate stress. Stress can be constructive. Prolonged stress, however, with no time to recover becomes detrimental. Continued stress upsets…

Over the years, there has been an ongoing controversy about affective education. Some see it as an important element of good teaching, and some see it as fluff, diminishing academics, and playing into the "feel good" movement. While criticisms may be appropriate in some situations, affective education can play a fundamental role in other…

The environment has a profound effect on the ability of students to regulate their behavior or disposition and effectively engage in the learning processes. Active engagement is important because it increases performance. Certain types of environmental structures actually increase students' ability to be agents of their own learning. These…

Losses come in all shapes and sizes. However, because of their intensity, sensitivity, and depth of thinking and feeling, gifted kids often have far more difficulty coping with losses. Dealing with loss can be a powerful means of personal transformation, and it helps one clarify which aspects of life are important. Regardless of the type of loss,…

Gifted students thirst for knowing and understanding. They are quick to learn new information, have great recall, are capable of investigating topics in depth, and pose meaningful questions. These youngsters go beyond the basic facts to seek answers, draw conclusions, and evaluate information. Young gifted students, however, may lack the skills…

There is great pressure on parents to teach children to read as early as possible. In reality, precocious (early advanced) readers seem to almost master the skill on their own, without the assistance of highly touted, commercially available programs. The 18-month-old toddler who names the letters on alphabet blocks; or the 26-month-old who can…

When designing curriculum, the unique characteristics of young, gifted students must be carefully considered. Many have a highly defined sense of justice or fairness, a precocious ability to manipulate language or number systems, a need to see the connections between learning experiences, a heightened curiosity, and an ability to conceive a…

There are three practical ways to incorporate the principles of choice into early childhood classrooms: choice of language, choice of time, and choice within the curriculum. Early childhood educators need to reflect upon their instructional practices, document the types of decisions students make every day to foster their own learning, and examine…

How do educators create and nurture environments that respect and meet the developmental needs of gifted children? They know that many young bright youngsters exhibit intense sensitivities from birth, ask many probing questions, and are often verbally sophisticated beyond their years. They may have exceptionally long attention spans within their…

Cutler was their first child, so how could they know just how different he really was? As parents, they had heard others say that everyone thinks their own children are gifted. Gifted? That really wasn't a label they had even considered. Their son looked at things differently than others his age. He had intense passions and little quirky…

Creative and critical thinking have been identified by Isaksen, Dorval, and Treffinger (2000) as the ability to "perceive gaps, challenges, or concerns; think of many varied or unusual possibilities; or elaborate and extend alternatives," as well as make meaningful connections that include analyzing, evaluating, and developing options. Business…