Too long neglected: Gifted young children

Abstract

SUMMARY Identifying gifted and talented children and providing appropriate educational experiences for them has been firmly placed on the educational agenda in England by the Labour government since 1999. In the U.S.A., gifted education has received a high profile for several decades. In both countries, however, the needs of the younger gifted child have received scant attention. In this paper the authors argue that it is important to make provision for this group of children. They review available research findings on both identification of younger gifted children and what we known about intervention programmes. The paper also provides a background of what is currently happening in England and in the U.S.A., with reference to younger gifted children. It is hoped that this paper will provide a framework for international debate and provide some impetus for policy making and for practitioners.