PARENTING THE GIFTED

Your child is gifted"": what are parents to do when they hear those words? The Perinos, school psychologists from Long Island, have assembled the requisite knowledge into a reassuring and thoughtful handbook. What sets their work apart from other guides to the gifted is their belief in each child's individuality--no personality types appear here. In addition, they provide a framework of child-development information applicable to all children and adolescents before taking up a wide range of issues that may confront the gifted and talented--among them idealism without social skills (Karen wanted to be the ""perfect"" hall monitor who made everyone live exactly by the rules), underachievement (Emily refused on-the-job training that would have taken advantage of her previously unrecognized abilities), confrontation with the reality of higher demands (Alan ""slapped together"" a presentation for a science competition and was stunned to place only third in his division). Various programs for the gifted and talented (in and out of school) are reviewed in terms of benefits and potential problems: e.g., ""clustering"" the gifted children in a given classroom keeps them from becoming isolated; centralized ""pull-out"" programs (today, for one day a week) are prone to transportation foulups and fragmented content, though staffing costs are relatively low. Also helpful in negotiating the educational mazes is thoroughgoing information about testing, specialized secondary schools, developing an ""Individual Education Plan"" (IEP), fostering independence and responsibility, and working with other parents in an advocacy group. A chapter on ""The Other Gifted"" takes account of youngsters who are not white, male, middle-class high-achievers, and is primarily a plea for equality of services for all gifted students: the ""culturally different,"" the learning disabled, the physically handicapped, and females with special talents. Copiously illustrated with case studies, the best all-round guide now available.