Exceptionally Gifted Children is unique. The first edition of this book, published in 1993, introduced 15 remarkable children, some of the most gifted young people ever studied, and traced their path through school, exploring their academic achievements (and in some cases enforced underachievement), their emotional development, their social relationships and their family relationships and upbringing. This new edition reviews these early years but also follows the young people over the subsequent ten years into adulthood.
No previous study has traced so closely and so sensitively the intellectual, social and emotional development of highly gifted young people. This 20 year study reveals the ongoing negative academic and social effects of prolonged underachievement and social isolation imposed on gifted children by inappropriate curriculum and class placement and shows clearly the long lasting benefits of thoughtfully planned individual educational programs. The young adults of this study speak out and show how what happened in school has influenced and still influences many aspects of their lives. Miraca Gross provides a clear, practical blueprint for teachers and parents who recognise the special learning needs of gifted children and seek to respond effectively.
Biography
Professor Miraca Gross is the Director of the Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre at the University of South Wales- the largest gifted education centre outside North America.
'Exceptionally Gifted Children is a powerful work that presents a complex, multidimensional picture of a special population among the gifted. Gross' research is a notable contribution toward minimizing surprise and ignorance about the highly gifted, thus potentially helping to make programs and services more consistently and proactively responsive to individual children's needs'. - Gifted Child Quarterly
'If you are a parent who suspects that your child is gifted, this book is a must read. If you are a teacher or administrator, this book will help you dispel myths about highly gifted children and provide you with research-based information to share with parents, other teachers, and administrators. If you are a college professor, this book is an excellent resource to use in courses on gifted education or to provide background material about highly gifted students in developmental psychology, educational psychology, or teacher education courses.'
- Teachers College Record'Gross presents a twenty-year study with admirable attention to detail.' - British Journal of Educational Studies
'This book ... makes an important contribution to the understanding of the most gifted children and their interaction with statutory educational provision.' - British Journal of Educational Studies
'[This] is a fascinating read and makes many vital points that policy makers and teachers should attend to if gifted education is to truly meet the needs of our children.' - British Journal of Educational Studies
'Fascinating' - Michael Duffy, The Times Educational Supplement
