Gifted children have a major handicap. They are so quick, they are so bright, that they understand in an instant what they are reading, what is being explained to them, what the experience they have had means. The handicap is that, as a result of a nearly instantaneous grasp of the idea or situation, they are often inclined to be satisfied with a superficial level of knowledge. Why dig deeper, when you can see at a glance what it takes everyone else a while to comprehand? Why bother?

The second limitation stems from the first. Since the gifted child is so much faster at perception and learning, he or she tends to devalue the other people who do not learn so rapidly. They are slower; therefore, they are not as good. Gifted children must be reminded that everyone deserves the respect due any human/sapient being; everyone has worth and dignity and must be treated with those standards in mind.

The third problem the gifted child (and adult) face is boredom. Everything comes easily (superficially) and, once grasped, is set aside for the next exciting adventure. Many gifted people would rather be jack of many trades (good enough to pass muster as master on occasion) rather than focus on one subject long enough to learn it top to bottom. They become intellectual dilettantes, and bored. A bored person is a trial; a bored gifted person is a tribulation and a terribly wasted mind.

The trick is to engage and focus the learning activity of the gifted child, and to teach her/him respect for all people, whatever their gifts and abilities.