ABSTRACT
This report provides research-based answers to questions facing families of young, gifted children, questions often asked of preschool teachers, physicians, psychologists, and other professionals who deal with young children. Unfortunately, the database about these children is sparse and often inconclusive. The most consistent findings point to the strong influence of the home and to the extra investment parents of gifted children make, not so much in securing outside classes, but in reading to and playing with their children, enriching their experience, and helping them focus on potential opportunities for learning. Psychological testing is advised only in special circumstances; parents can, in fact, describe their children's development rather accurately. Their descriptions provide the best basis for responsive parenting, which includes securing and creating an optimal match for children among their readiness, their pace of development, and their environments.