It was previously thought that high intelligence may be associated with emotional, behavioral and social difficulties among children during the preschool period. However, a new research suggests that this may not be true.
Researchers Hugo Pyre and colleagues conducted a study among 1100 children of the age of 5–6 years. Behavioral, emotional and social problems (emotional symptoms, conduct problems, symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems and prosocial behavior) were measured using a questionnaire.
The results suggested that during the preschool period, gifted children do not seem to manifest more behavioral, emotional and social problems than children with normal IQ.
National Association for Gifted Children defines gifted individuals as
“Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains. Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g., mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting, dance, sports).”
