Children's ways of learning are as different as the colors of the rainbow. All children have different personalities, preferences and tastes; they all have a certain way they prefer to learn. Teachers and parents need to be aware of and value these differences. Children's brains develop faster from birth to age three than any other time, and more…

Gifted kids are so much more than test scores and grades. Still, it's sometimes difficult to see past the potential to the child who may be anxious, lonely, confused, or unsure of what the future might bring. This book, now fully revised with updated information and new survey quotes, offers practical suggestions for addressing the social and…

Brenda Jones Harden, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, describes how young children develop the capacity to modulate their emotions and behavior in the first years of life. A child's basic temperament has an impact on self-control, but temper tantrums are a normal part of child…

Raising gifted children is a challenge, a big challenge. Often a dichotomy of emotions, gifted children can shift from happy and engaging, to angry and explosive, to sullen and withdrawn--all in a matter of minutes. Their behavioral extremes can often cause frustration and confusion in the strongest of parents. But why are these seemingly adept…

There is a famous piece of writing by Emily Pearl Kingsley in which she attempts to describe what it feels like to raise a child with special needs. She explains that it is like preparing for a trip to Italy. One learns the language and buys the travel books. One finds himself on the plane traveling to Italy, and suddenly, the trip is diverted to…

Parents in 16 families of children with autism spectrum disorders or Down syndrome participated in a qualitative study examining family (i.e., all caregivers in the home) belief systems. All families had children who had recently entered elementary school or who were in the early years of high school. As a result of their experiences, families…

Gifted kids often share a list of common traits, but ultimately, they are individuals. They have their own strengths, their own weaknesses, and their own needs. One trait that many gifted children "do" share is asynchrony. In other words, gifted children may not follow a typical age appropriate time line. They may be markedly advanced, average, or…

This book outlines the basic tenets and applications of the theory of temperament based on the findings of the New York Longitudinal Study begun in 1956. It describes the concept and definition of temperament, reviews studies that support and expand on the definition, and explores temperament and its impact across various practice settings and…

Studies fourth grade students to test a goodness-of-fit model of temperament. Children responded to the Dimensions of Temperament Survey (DOTS). Teachers specified demands/expectations for their students for each of the DOTS attributes and rated students' academic ability and adjustment. Objective measures of academic achievement were also…

This practical handbook for anyone who works with traumatized children--teachers, parents, as well as professionals--provides needed information to understand and guide a child suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) through to recovery. It describes the physical and emotional effects of trauma, shows how to recognize maladaptive…

Children who are consistently ignored or disliked, especially those who make no friends at all, often have trouble succeeding in school. This article illustrates the scenario of a child who is just learning to play with others, but continues to face rejection from her classmates. The author provides tips for both teachers and parents that can…

Interpersonal, familial, and situational risk factors that predict young children's aggression and non-compliance are explored. Here examples of specific techniques and provided to help teachers and parents effectively support children's early development of cooperative and prosocial behaviours as well as problem-solving skills in family and…

This article discusses hallmarks that can help educators identify gifted potential in young children, especially those from culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These hallmarks include: agency (the self in control of its environment), prospectivity (purposeful behavior seeking to accomplish goals) and affordance,…

The goal of this study was to examine how the parenting dimensions of both mothers and fathers independently and together predict adolescent outcomes in three domains: sympathy, self-worth, and social competence. One-hundred eight adolescents completed self-report measures on their perceived relationship with parents, sympathy, social competence,…

The article examines ways to differentiate the material used in a reading program for gifted students (birth to age 9). Suggested books are provided for the following categories that correspond to recognized characteristics of gifted children: vocabulary (quality retellings of folk tales, word play, poetry, satire, and nuances of language);…