The Duke Gifted Letter asks Robert J. Sternberg, a leading researcher in creativity, how parents can encourage creativity in their gifted child.

"The thing that makes a creative person is to be creative and that is all there is to it." —Edward Albee

Most children are identified as gifted primarily because of their traditional intellectual abilities. However, the business-as-usual system for identifying and developing giftedness according to academic performance can stunt the creativity of these children.

Because of their traditional intellectual abilities, gifted children start off with an edge. Parents can help them...

Perhaps the biggest challenge in helping gifted students with attention difficulties is getting an accurate diagnosis of them. How are true attention deficits differentiated from the emotional and behavioral shifts common among gifted students? The problem may be compounded by a lack of appropriate educational services in the classroom.

One of the obstacles to an accurate diagnosis is that other conditions mimic attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Children with high levels of anxiety, for instance, may find it hard to persist at a task, may fail to pay close attention to details, and may be forgetful. Depressed teens are prone to angry outbursts and have trouble...