Being a gifted child doesn’t guarantee success
Children labelled as gifted struggle to fulfil expectations that adults have of them, a new study has revealed.
A child who has been declared as gifted at a young age is not guaranteed to succeed greatly in life, according to a new study, reports the Daily Mail.
Professor Joan Freeman studied the development of 210 ‘gifted’ children from 1974 to the present day as part of her research and discovered that only six children out of the group fulfilled their predicted potential.
It’s believed that few children fulfil their potential as they decide to rebel against the ‘gifted’ label.
“At the age of 6 or 7, the gifted child has potential for amazing things, but many of them are caught in situations where their potential is handicapped,” explained Professor Joan.
“They might cope with it at school and university, but when they find themselves free to make their own decisions, free of the pressures and expectations placed on them since childhood, some cut loose.
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Professor Joan also suggested that many children found themselves treated differently from other children.
Some missed out on their childhood, were put under too much pressure by pushy parents, or ended up with few friends because they weren’t with their peer group.
“Being gifted means being better able to deal with things intellectually but not always emotionally,” explained Professor Joan.
“I want to stress that the gifted are normal people. But they face special challenges, especially unreal expectations, notably being seen as strange and unhappy,” said Professor Joan.
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