An analysis of naturalistic observations of children attending a preschool for the gifted suggests that young gifted children behave in a manner similar to unselected preschool children. However, gifted preschoolers frequently demonstrate advanced knowledge, thinking abilities, creativity, and social maturity. Other observed behaviors include competitiveness, independence, and persistence in task completion. These descriptions of young gifted children as a group should be tempered by the finding that many individual differences exist. The results of this study suggest several implications for preschool programs for the gifted.
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