Gifted and Talented Children: Issues for Pediatricians

Abstract

Giftedness is both similar to and different from other exceptionalities in its implications for the lives of children and families. Unlike other exceptionalities, the prognosis for giftedness is, of course, considerably more positive. Like the others, however, this kind of differentness makes demands on family and community resources and carries risks of psychosocial stress, social isolation, and nonfulfillment of potential. Given society's other pressing needs, those of this group often are brushed aside, even resented; both the life quality of the children and their families and the contribution the children might make in years to come, therefore, can be eroded. All children deserve to love school and to have the opportunity to make the best of their possibilities. Informed and sympathetic pediatricians who are sensitive to the issues involved can play critical roles in promoting healthy development.

Definitions and Prevalence

Reasoning from the apparent symmetry of the normal curve, professionals sometimes tend to regard giftedness as the mirror image of mental retardation, but this is not a useful model. There is much greater diversity among the highly capable than among the less capable. Indeed, advanced ability is neither restrictive nor defining; gifted children (and their families) are probably more diverse than any other group in our society.