Gifted and Talented Behavior and Education : A Special Issue of "Exceptionality"

Providing a glimpse into the diversity of giftedness, this special issue questions how gifted students are viewed, how their attributes are characterized, and how educators can create a system to better meet their individual needs.

The articles present the characteristics of giftedness, underachievement and its causes, and suggestions for recognizing underachievement in gifted populations.

In addition they address the issues of cultural diversity, how to create a model of identification that allows diverse populations to be included in gifted programs, as well as identification and programming options that are appropriate for the non middle-class student population.

The hope is that this issue provides a large lens through which to look at the gifted population, showing there is no one single image of the gifted child.