Giftedness in early childhood: The search for complexity and connection

Young gifted children, although a diverse group within the population, demonstrate a number of distinctive characteristics particularly in the cognitive, social and emotional domains. This paper explores the nature of the young gifted child's thinking during the period of early childhood. The discussion is illustrated with examples provided by the families of young gifted children. The examples of children's conversations, drawings, and work samples from the study highlight the reality of the lived experience of young gifted children. They also challenge adult preconceptions of the young child and suggest the need to reconceptualize the roles and relationships within early childhood pedagogy. The notion of the “search for complexity and connection” is proposed as a useful construct to assist families and educators to understand and respond to the young gifted child's “kind of thinking.”