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This reprinted article originally appeared in Parenting for High Potential, March 2006. Based on a survey of 5,400 students from grades 3 to 8 and meetings with 400 students, the author explores the social-emotional landscape of today's middle schoolers. Regardless of how gifted children appear, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, even among high achievers, have marked anxieties about social acceptance and popularity. The article counsels parents to let their gifted children enjoy their childhood—to challenge them in ways that feed their gifts, but without pushing them into early adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: book)

This reprinted article originally appeared in Parenting for High Potential, June 2001. One of the most neglected subpopulations of gifted students with multiple exceptionalities is gifted children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The author first became interested in gifted children with ADHD when one of her sons was diagnosed with ADHD in middle school. From her research and experience, the author notes that children who have ADHD and also are gifted tend to have more severe social and emotional problems than do children who only have giftedness alone or ADHD alone. Their intellectual giftedness did not protect them from the problems associated with ADHD, and may have actually made them more pronounced. The article offers some suggestions that may help parents and educators of gifted children with ADHD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: book)

This guide covers topics such as working with high achievers and young gifted children, acceleration, advocating for talented students, serving as role models and mentors for gifted kids, homeschooling, underachievement, twice-exceptional students, and postsecondary opportunities. The guidebook will allow parents to find the support and resources they need to help their children find success in school and beyond. Written by experts in the field of gifted education, this book will provide guidance, advice, and support for parents of gifted children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: cover)

This reprinted article originally appeared in Parenting for High Potential, June 1997. The article provides an alternative to the over-reliance upon traditional intelligence testing or using only an IQ score as the primary indicator of giftedness. Rather, the author offers his theory of successful intelligence, whereby individuals identify and cultivate their strengths and figure out ways to compensate or correct for their relative weaknesses. The author punctuates the explanation of his theory with a call to action for parents and teachers; research findings suggest that students who are offered instruction in ways that allow them to play to their strengths and minimize their weaknesses outperform those who were not offered such flexibility. In short, not scoring high on a traditional intelligence test can be overcome by considering strengths more broadly and playing to those strengths. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: book)

Raising happy, successful children is a goal of every parent of gifted children. In On the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Children, the nation's leading authority on the psychology of gifted children offers advice and encouragement for both parents and teachers. In a thoughtful, conversational style, the author offers an in-depth look at the complex social and emotional issues faced by gifted children. This revised and updated fourth edition of the popular text contains more than 10 new chapters, featuring contributions by scholars on gifted children's development from across the nation. On the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Children tackles important and timely issues dealing with the social and emotional needs of today's gifted children, including who gifted children are and what giftedness means; how parents, teachers, and counselors can guide gifted children; the issues facing gifted students in the 21st century such as technology and terrorism; and how the education of gifted children can adapt for the future. This concise, sensitive look at gifted children and their social and emotional world offers unique insights for both teachers and parents who support these special children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: cover)

An overview of definitions of giftedness, special populations of gifted and talented children, methods of identification, and a continuum of services are summarized in this chapter. These services include organizational strategies (such as instructional grouping options), instructional strategies (such as acceleration and enrichment options), and a variety of talent development opportunities that should be included in a continuum of services that will engage and challenge all gifted and talented students. Also included in this chapter are some social and emotional challenges that may affect gifted and high potential children, such as the potential underachievement of children who do not encounter sufficient challenge in school. The chapter ends with a summary of research about the effectiveness of grouping, instructional, and talent development strategies, as well as recommendations for the creation of a continuum of services in each school district that will challenge and engage all students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

What is it that leads children to be similar in some ways but different in others, whether they are identical twins, fraternal twins, ordinary siblings, or simply two children of the same age? This chapter will deal with this question. The focus of the chapter will be on cognitive skills, although, of course, children can be similar and different with respect to many other kinds of skills as well. The chapter is divided into five parts. In the first part of the chapter, I will briefly describe seven main paradigms that have been used for understanding individual differences in cognitive development. In the second part of the chapter, I will discuss at some length three of these paradigms for understanding individual differences in cognition. In the third part of the chapter, I will discuss origins and stability of individual differences, in particular, issues of heritability and modifiability of cognitive skills. In the fourth part of the chapter, I will discuss extremes in individual differences: giftedness and retardation in cognitive skills. In the fifth part of the chapter, I will discuss group differences and their relationship to individual differences in cognitive skills. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The study of gifts and talents and how innate abilities interact with one's environment, personality, educational opportunities, family support, and life experiences has fascinated psychologists, educators, and parents for decades. Why is it that one child with remarkably high potential born into a particular family in a particular environment grows up to become a neurosurgeon while a child of similar intellectual potential who lives in the same community and attends the same schools, decides to drop out of high school? What have researchers and scholars learned in the last few decades about the nature of talent development and intellectual giftedness? In this chapter, these questions, none of which can be answered simply, are discussed and current research about intellectual giftedness is summarized. As the research points out, one of the core concepts that has emerged about intellectual giftedness in the last few decades relates to its diversity, for there is no more varied group of people than those labeled intellectually gifted. Despite this broad diversity, however, several common themes about intellectual giftedness and the conditions for its development exist. We begin our review of the research related to intellectual giftedness with a discussion of these themes, summarizing highlights about research on intellectual giftedness in the United States, including the seminal work of Lewis Terman, and presenting an overview of what we believe to be some interesting and potentially important American theories to date. We conclude the chapter with some interesting research-based trends related to new ideas in defining and developing academic gifts and talents. It is important to understand, however, that there is no agreed-upon consensus about who is gifted and no final answers about our evolving understandings of how intellectual giftedness develops and the characteristics that help us to identify and nurture intellectual gifts and talents. To introduce the challenge associated with both defining and identifying giftedness in students, four brief case studies are introduced in the first section of the chapter. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The Cambridge Handbook of Intelligence provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date compendium of theory and research in the field of human intelligence. The forty-two chapters are written by world-renowned experts, each in his or her respective field, and collectively, the chapters cover the full range of topics of contemporary interest in the study of intelligence. The handbook is divided into nine parts: Part I covers intelligence and its measurement; Part II deals with the development of intelligence; Part III discusses intelligence and group differences; Part IV concerns the biology of intelligence; Part V is about intelligence and information processing; Part VI discusses different kinds of intelligence; Part VII covers intelligence and society; Part VIII concerns intelligence in relation to allied constructs; and Part IX is the concluding chapter, which reflects on where the field is currently and where it still needs to go. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: jacket)

This chapter presents a definition of the gifted/talented individual, a model of giftedness, and provides examples of student characteristics in specific areas of giftedness to help in identification of gifted children. Many authors have described characteristics of gifted and talented students, some in general terms across several domains, whereas others have described them for specific areas cited in the federal and state definitions. Because most school districts identify children for programs that are related to the definition, this chapter organizes the characteristics according to these specific areas. The term "gifted and talented," when used in respect to students, children or youth, means students, children or youth who give evidence of high performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who require services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop such capabilities. This concept of capability or potential is addressed in Gagne's Differentiated Model of Giftedness and Talent, Gagne has proposed that "gifts," which are natural abilities, must be developed to become "talents," which emerge through the systematic learning, training, and practicing "of skills characteristic of a particular field of human activity or performance". The development of gifts into talents may be facilitated or hindered by two types of catalysts: intrapersonal and environmental. Many authors have described characteristics of gifted and talented students, some in general terms across several domains, whereas others have described them for specific areas cited in the federal and state definitions. Because most school districts identify children for programs that are related to the definition, this chapter organizes the characteristics according to these specific areas. Professionals who are primarily responsible for the identification process must remember that gifted and talented students must have an opportunity to perform. Students who are in classrooms where no differentiation is present are less likely to exhibit these characteristics. In addition, gifted and talented students will demonstrate many, but not all, of the characteristics that are listed in each area or may show potential or performance in only one area. It is important that professionals, parents, and others involved in the identification process look for these characteristics over a period of time and in a variety of situations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Alan Carr's Positive Psychology has become essential reading for anyone requiring a thorough and accessible introduction to the field. This new edition retains all the features that made the first edition so popular, including: accounts of major theories and relevant research learning objectives chapter summaries research and personal development questions suggestions for further reading measures for use in research a glossary of terms. The book has also been completely updated to take account of recent research and major advances, and includes a new chapter on positive psychotherapy, an extended account of research on character strengths and virtues, and a discussion of recent ground-breaking research on emotional intelligence. This new edition of Positive Psychology will prove a valuable resource for psychology students and lecturers, as well as those involved in postgraduate training in related areas such as clinical psychology, social work, counseling, and psychotherapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: book)

In the present research, we examine the relationship between giftedness in the area of academic intrinsic motivation and leadership roles undertaken by such highly motivated adolescents within a longitudinal study of development. This chapter presents (1) theory and research on gifted motivation; (2) empirical validation of the gifted motivation construct; (3) linking motivational giftedness to leadership; and (4) research results in the Fullerton Longitudinal Study (FLS) on motivational giftedness and leadership. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

Offers an overview of Response to Intervention (RtI) models and principles, a tiered approach to supports and services, and how gifted students and students with high potential who have not yet been formally identified might fit within different tiers of instruction. Tier 1 instruction generally includes a validated, evidence-based program that is used with all students. Students who show advanced progress with Tier 1 instruction receive collaborative interventions—Tier 2. Tier 3 instruction is for those students who need comprehensive interventions and most often involves referral to specialized services. The chapter also emphasizes the importance of early intervention to ensure that problems are prevented and strengths are not diminished. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: preface)

This chapter discusses the neuropsychology of gifted children including history and assessment, neurobiology, the existing literature, specific hypothetical substrates: neurohormones; localization models, and the pathology of superiority, pathology of superiority, and finally, special considerations for assessment. Much of our knowledge about neurocognition has been derived from the study of pathology. This is logical, as exploring the exceptional is clarifying. The exceptional exaggerates normal traits or processes and renders them more visible, or it exposes aberrance and disease process. Most of our research focuses on the left tail of the normal curve, paying little attention to the able. The right tail is just as statistically unusual, albeit neglected. This is because the study of talent and intellectual ability is a suspect preoccupation. Finding research funds to study giftedness has been likened to "begging for the rich." Much of the data gathered on the neurobiology of intellectually exceptional individuals is gleaned from control group data, unfunded research, or as a serendipitous finding. Despite this, a literature on the exceptionally capable exists, scattered broadly through the neurobiology literature. Before exploring the topic in detail, it is helpful to define terms. The first premise of this chapter is that giftedness exists and is measurable through a number of methods. Gifted refers to individuals functioning in the top 3-5% in the nation, on objective, standardized measures or to individuals performing at an elite level in specific, recognized domains such as music. Giftedness refers to a series of particular talents and abilities that are not evenly distributed. As such, it is a loaded concept. Much of the educational literature on giftedness is a study of cultural anxiety. Intellectual ability is not character or moral value. The most common attempts to cope with this moral anxiety is by negating the existence of individual difference, which often leads to surreal arguments (e.g., "every child is gifted" is of equivalent value to "every child is retarded"). Premise number two of this chapter is that there are biological underpinnings or qualitative differences in thought processes that require qualitative differences in the neural substrates. Third, talents can coexist with impairment and this impairment can be environmentally driven. The full expression of an emergent talent or deficit is a product of both internal and external factors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: chapter)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of gifted/talented teachers on perceived characteristics of mathematical giftedness and talent, as well as what current instructional strategies are being used with mathematically gifted and talented students in the general education classroom. The following research questions were addressed: (1) What student characteristics do K-12 teachers identify as possible indicators of mathematical giftedness/talent? (2) How are K-12 students identified as being gifted/talented in mathematics? (3) What instructional approaches do K-12 teachers suggest to support the learning of mathematically gifted/talented students? In order to answer these questions, a survey instrument was developed based on an extensive review of the professional literature. The online survey was administered to teachers of gifted/talented students across the United States. Responses from 114 teachers who participated in the survey were analyzed. The quantitative analysis consisted of descriptive and inferential statistics using Chi Square test of independence and Fisher Exact test. Participants’ written comments that accompanied the survey instruments, as well as their responses to open-ended questions, constituted the qualitative piece of the study. These qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. The most significant conclusion of this study is that teachers do often recognize mathematically gifted and talented students within their classrooms and know that differentiation is needed for these students. However, teachers have difficulty providing the best possible instruction for these students because they feel that they face a number of obstacles. The obstacles include large class size, lack of training, lack of help in the classroom, and lack of time to plan. The study reveals that, in the opinion of teachers, little differentiation occurs consistently for gifted and talented students. In order to more effectively meet the needs of gifted and talented students in the general education classroom, survey participants felt that a collaborative effort will be required from administrators and teachers to provide appropriate staff development about differentiated instruction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

As a society, we seek to have our young people, including the gifted, be healthy and happy, and go to good schools with good teachers. Framed by Sayler’s theoretical model of giftedness and thriving, this study examined psychological constructs (i.e. general self-efficacy, theories of intelligence, hope, gratitude, religiosity, disposition, and resiliency) to determine their mediating effect on personal well-being and academic success in gifted college students. The 213 subjects for this study included gifted college students from two distinct programs at the University of North Texas. One hundred twenty-two participants were students from the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS). TAMS is an early-college entrance program allowing gifted students to enter college after their sophomore year of high school. Ninety-one participants attended the UNT Honors College. Honors College students are gifted students who enter college after high school graduation. Latent transition, latent class, general linear model repeated measures, and regression analyses were used in the examination of the data. Results of the study revealed that positive disposition and hope-agency were significantly related to the development of personal well-being for gifted students during their first year of college. The ability to identify pathways to goals and the self-theory of intelligence as a fixed trait were significantly related to academic success during the first year at college. Knowledge of psychological constructs that are facilitative of the positive personal well-being and academic achievement helps parents, teachers, administrators, and counselors prepare gifted students for success in college. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Utilizing elements of Lightfoot and Davis’s (1997) portraiture method and life history interviews, this qualitative research study explores the portraits of four Mexican-origin scholarship boys. Two Mexican-origin students and two professors were selected from a snowball sample. A snowball sample consisted of gathering referrals from graduate students and faculty who contacted me through email to comment on their personal identification with the scholarship boy themes discussed in the essay I authored, Lost in Degree: a Chicano PhD Student’s Search for Missing Clothes (2007). I use the term “Mexican-origin” as a concept that identifies the subjects of this study as being of Mexican descent. All of the participants were born and raised in low SES, urban settings in the United States and they are children of Mexican-born parents. Hoggart’s (1957/2006) scholarship boy framework serves as the primary theoretical lens guiding this work. Rodriguez’s (1982) seminal work on this topic, Hunger of Memory, enumerates how this concept may apply to Mexican-origin scholarship boys. This study also utilizes Dubois’s (1903) double consciousness and Anzaldúa’s (1999) mestiza consciousness to analyze the ways in which Mexican-origin scholarship boys used culturally situated constructions of giftedness, “ghetto nerd” (Diaz, 2007) masculinities, and philosophical perspectives related to “home” to pursue academic excellence and cope/challenge the microgressions they experienced in K-12 schooling and higher education. The scholarship boys in this research provide critical information germane to the struggles and strategies used by academically successful Mexican-origin students as they negotiate the experiences related to the contrasting working-class culture of their upbringing and the middle-class culture of academia. While studies often focus on academically low-performing Latino students, this work explores the narratives of working-class Latino students who attained a graduate level education. Moreover, this research complicates clean “victory narratives” by unearthing various aspects of loss and gain inherent to the Mexican-origin scholarship boy trajectory. Findings inform scholarship in the areas of pedagogy, education reform, philosophy of education, education policy, curriculum, and revisionist conceptualizations of giftedness and human development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this case study was to observe the condition of teacher-perceived ability to recognize giftedness in children in one elementary school. Experiences of 16 teachers of Grades 2–5 (the grades served by the gifted education program) were examined by responding to a questionnaire to determine their history with gifted education, definition of giftedness in children, and involvement in the gifted child referral process. Existing data were examined to determine which of the teachers had accurately identified gifted children. The 3 teachers who had accurately identified a gifted child were interviewed. Questionnaire and interview responses were analyzed in the context of Clark’s (2002) Cognitive Function Differentiating Characteristics of Gifted Learners. Results of the study showed that teachers in this school did not receive adequate pre-service or in-service training in recognition of the gifted population. The study revealed that in this elementary school, students who did not meet a teacher’s preconception of the term giftedness went unreferred for gifted testing. The process of selection used by teachers when considering a student for referral was subjective in nature and influenced by classroom observations, other teachers’ opinions, and the teachers’ personal experiences with giftedness outside of classroom practices. Data suggest that confidence and accuracy in referring students were positively influenced by years of teaching experience. Recommendations include the following: that colleges and universities prepare pre-service teachers to identify characteristics of gifted children; that in-service teachers receive professional development in identification of gifted traits in students; and that federal legislation include language that provides for the special needs of gifted students and mandates training for pre-service teachers in meeting the needs of this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

This study explored teachers' prominent perceptions, misconceptions and significant differences among these misconceptions regarding giftedness in early childhood students, ages 3 to 8 through a survey. Teachers were asked 25 questions about the topics of giftedness and gifted young children. A total of 119 teachers completed the survey. First, regarding the findings on teachers' prominent perceptions, the findings indicated that most teachers accurately understood these perceptions: (1) the need for differentiation, (2) advanced verbal skills, (3) standard test bias related to students from diverse backgrounds, (4) family participation in identification and (5) language issues related to teachers' nomination for limited-English proficient (LEP) students. They also accurately understood that gifted students experience frustration, and have problems with motivation. Secondly, regarding the findings on teachers' prominent misconceptions, teachers held uncertain knowledge on these issues: (1) the effectiveness of cooperative learning in heterogeneous groups, (2) a negative effect of academic acceleration, (3) no need for special services, (4) cooperative play style and (5) creative tests for artistically gifted students. Finally, concerning significant differences among teachers' uncertain knowledge or misconceptions, the ANOVA data indicated that family and personal giftedness, educational level, and training in gifted education were significant. However, the types of certifications, years of teaching experience and grade level of teaching were not significant. The post-hoc-Scheffe test indicated that full (or ongoing) training in gifted education was significant. Recommendations emphasized the importance of ongoing professional development in gifted education to dispel their uncertain knowledge, and understand the theory and research based practices. Also, professional development should be provided through collaborative efforts with multiple levels of support in order that educators are encouraged to transfer their accurate perceptions into classroom practices with more attention to diversity among learners. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether classroom teachers are effective at referring African American students to gifted and talent education programs. Recognizing the important role that classroom teachers play in the referral of students to gifted and talented education programs, this replicated study questioned elementary, middle, and high school classroom teachers to determine their perceptions and ideas in reference to what constitutes students’ giftedness. Classroom teachers were asked to respond to two questionnaires to define their general and specific perceptions of giftedness and to determine whether their perceptions of African American students’ giftedness were dissimilar to those of giftedness among other ethnic groups. Thraikill (1999) developed a two-part survey that the researcher used to collect data. Forms A and B were slightly revised to examine the extent of 169 teachers’ general and specific perceptions of giftedness in reference to African American students. Among the chosen four traits that the classroom teachers most often selected as indicating either general or specific giftedness in reference to African American students were thinking “outside of the box,” followed by advanced logic and problem-solving ability. Classroom teachers’ years of experience and grade level taught did not considerably affect the teachers’ perceptions of important traits. Results showed that classroom teachers referred African American students at an efficiency rate of 51% compared to White students. In addition, the African American students passed at a lower rate than their White counterparts. A difference also existed in the number of girls and boys who passed the gifted screening. Boys were referred and passed the screening more often than girls. Classroom teachers’ general perception of giftedness of African American students is fairly consistent in their rating of the 20 possible traits. Results showed that the classroom teacher could be a primary referral agent; nevertheless, without proper training and consistency African American students can still be under indentified. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)