High Cognitive Minds

It’s easy for those of us in the U.S. to forget that high intelligence occurs everywhere in the world. This article from the United Arab Emirates about an unusually gifted little girl is typical of its kind, but reminds us that the problems are the same everywhere.

Even though nine year old Zaina Mohammad is given extra school assignments in an effort to fulfill her intellectual needs, she finds school boring. Her father hopes, just like parents here, that the school system will eventually set up something more substantive for gifted children.

I keep an eye out for articles about gifted children, and the vast majority are about the same, seemingly eternal, problems—parents struggling with teachers, school administrators, legislators, to expand programs, keep programs alive, create programs. For most, there is no certainty from year to year that their children’s needs will be met, or even recognized. There are parent organizations here and there, but most parents work alone, re-inventing the wheel, just as they’ve been doing for more than 50 years.