Those of us who live with and teach gifted youngsters know there is something fundamentally different about them. It isn't always easy to pinpoint or explain what that difference is (other than to use test scores or offer anecdotal examples, but even those don't always make the point clearly). Yet when you're around these kids, you just know there's something different, significantly different, about the way they function, think, and learn.
Brain research may be helping in the quest to show just why and how these kids are different in the ways they think and learn. A few research studies from recent years offer some intriguing insights: