Nurturing Genius
A decades-long study of exceptionally gifted children reveals what it takes to hone the world's sharpest minds.
The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth (SMPY) has been tracking outcomes of intellectually talented kids for 45 years, yielding more than 400 papers.
SMPY data strongly support grade skipping and other forms of acceleration.
Spatial ability is especially conducive to earning patents and securing advanced degrees.
While many Middle Eastern and East Asian countries have programs to identify and develop the talents of gifted kids, the U.S. and Europe tend to emphasize shoring up low achievers.
by Tom Clynes, read more in www.scientificamerican.com/article