This digest provides parents of highly or profoundly gifted children with practical suggestions based on the experience of other parents and the modest amount of research available. Parents are encouraged to understand that such children are significantly different from other children and have two primary needs: to feel comfortable with themselves…

Presented in a question-and-answer format, this digest offers guidelines in choosing an enriching summer program for gifted students. The following questions are addressed: What are the possibilities? What needs do summer programs meet? Who should make the selection? What does the selection process involve? What variables are important? and What…

This digest explores the concept of mentoring with gifted students and offers guidelines on its implementation. The literature on mentoring is reviewed, noting the maturing effect of mentor relationships and the particular value of mentors for disadvantaged students and for females. Among six guidelines offered are: decide what (not whom) the…

The digest addresses ways that parents and educators can nurture giftedness in young children. Problems in appropriate school placement for young gifted children with uneven development are discussed and illustrated with examples. In selecting a program, parents need to look for a highly individualized program in which children are encouraged to…

This digest offers guidelines to parents and educators helping gifted adolescents adjust to problems related to their giftedness. Challenges to adjustment are noted in the areas of: ownership (talented adolescents simultaneously "own" and yet question the validity of their abilities); dissonance (between their high standards and their…

This digest describes academic creativity and offers suggestions for its development in gifted students. Creative learning and learning by authority are contrasted and examples of each are given. The naturally creative behavior of young children is noted. Among suggestions offered to teachers are: respect the unusual questions of children; show…

Presented in a question-and-answer format, this digest offers guidelines to help gifted students manage stress effectively. The following questions are considered: What is stress? How can a youngster experience stress when nothing bad is happening? Is a gifted student more likely to feel stress than others? What are some stresses on a gifted…

This digest addresses the special needs of gifted urban minority students in the selection of postsecondary career and educational options. Noted is the frequent lack of family encouragement in this population toward higher education and career achievement. Suggestions are offered for teachers, students, counselors, administrators, and parents.…

Traditionally, stress has been defined in terms of its sourceinternal, such as hunger, pain, sensitivity to noise; and externalseparation from family, change in family composition, exposure to conflict or violence. Although the research literature tends to focus on the impact of single-variable stressors on children's development, in real-life…

This digest lists and defines the disabilities which entitle a child to special education, estimates the number of U.S. children requiring special education, briefly discusses the educational implications of disabilities, and lists 6 printed resources and 14 organizational resources which can provide further information. (JDD)

This digest defines learning disabilities, cites their prevalence, describes typical characteristics of learning-disabled students, outlines educational implications of learning disabilities, and lists several printed and organizational resources for further information. (JDD)

This digest was adapted from D.W. Russell, D.G. Hayes and L.B. Dockery's book, "My Child is Gifted! Now What Do I Do?". The digest is intended to give parents of gifted students an overview of characteristics of gifted children and terminology used in this field. Several definitions of giftedness are offered including one from a parent…

Two national studies have recently confirmed that specific kinds of educational experiences provided for children by both parents and teachers, from preschool through high school, can make a significant difference in their reading ability as young adults. Both studies analyzed data gathered from 3,959 high school students in 24 school districts…

This digest provides students, parents, and educators with guidelines to help gifted students in the college planning process. As learning about oneself and career options is essential to college planning, a 6-year program of guidance activities is outlined for grades 7-12. Learning about colleges is discussed in terms of two steps, the first…