Misconception #2: “Preschool and young children are only advanced because their parents have worked with them.

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False, Think about the effort and hours that trained teachers spend with children to bring them to the entry level of reading and writing. Our complex system of language, with rare exception, involves hours, days, weeks, and for some, years of implicit modeling and instruction from trained professionals. Practice and support are needed to move young children into this communication of symbols that requires understanding of letter sounds and how they blend, fluency, and comprehension all at the same time. Understanding this very complex system takes work. (Reading teachers please forgive me for simplifying this point.)

The fact that some gifted children have figured this symbol system out on their own cannot be ignored. Young children who manifest early understanding of symbols and have cracked the code have done something that very few can do on their own. We must recognize the abilities of these children and teach them accordingly.

I find that parents of young gifted are desperate for ideas of ways to keep up with their child's need for intellectual stimulation. There are many websites to support parents of gifted learners. Two sites which support a community of gifted readers with conversations and ideas for books that meet the unique needs of gifted readers are Goodreads as well as Hoagies Gifted.