What are some characteristics of gifted children and adults?
If you pick up just about any book on gifted children, you will find a list of typical characteristics of gifted children. These lists typically include things like strong memory, large vocabulary, persistence, and a wide range of interests. Gifted children typically learn to read earlier than other children and show an intensity that cuts across all interests and activities. These characteristics typically persist into adulthood. However, I believe that asynchronous or uneven development and the fact that gifted children really do see the world differently than others are two traits that truly differentiate a gifted person. Their superior intellectual abilities allow them to view the world from different perspectives, and as a result their behaviors are both qualitatively and quantitatively different from the norm. Whether their giftedness is in the intellectual domain, specific academic areas, creativity, or visual and performing arts, they typically show uneven development, intensit
