The Emotional Development of Gifted and Talented Children

Abstract

The gifted and talented can be expected to be at least as well balanced as any other children. But they can face special emotional challenges. For example, expectations of children seen as gifted and talented can be contradictory, in that either they will have poor social relationships or alternatively, are born leaders. Teachers and parents may over-pressure pupils to excel all the time, or raise all-round expectations even though the child is gifted only in one specific area. Youngsters may also find it stressful if they are always working at a stifling level, producing boredom, apathy and underachievement. Problems may arise in the classroom from the gifted child’s personal style of learning, particularly with regard to speed and depth, which produces management problems for teachers. Gifted children do have special emotional needs, notably exposure to the stimulation of like-minds of their own age, honest communication, the opportunity to follow their interests, and acceptance as children.

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Joan Freeman

Joan Freeman is a distinguished psychologist working in the development of human abilities to their highest levels. For about 30 years, she has conducted and supervised substantial research and published widely in this area, including 16 books and her continuing study of gifted children since 1974. A television frequent guest, She has also published the well over 400 articles and book reviews on child development, psychology and education for both professional and lay journals.