Gifted Young Children: A Guide for Teachers and Parents by Louise Porter - Book Report/Review Example

Children that do not actively participate in class activities or tend to socialize with people elder to them are commonly underestimated by the teachers and parents on intellectual grounds, whereas it may actually be their inability to perceive the hidden talent and giftedness in such children. To elaborate this, the author first defines the terms “giftedness” and “talent” to show that these terms are much broader and inclusive of many more things than are commonly understood by us.

The author says that because of our tendency to stereotype gifted and talented people in certain ways, we are not able to identify many people that are even more gifted and talented than our stereotypes. In order to create a better understanding of such children, the author identifies certain signs of giftedness. Such children show more attachment to adults than their age mates because they can not find the required level of maturity in their age mates. A potential reason for their continued dependence upon the parent is the insufficiency of the intellectual curriculum they are offered in the schools.