Gifted Children and Divorce: A Study of the Literature on the Incidence of Divorce in Families with Gifted Children

Abstract

Children who have experienced the divorce of their parents may well comprise an underserved population in special programs for gifted students. Statistics gathered in the early part of this century may have conditioned educators to generalize that, in spite of social changes, most gifted children live in intact, middle to upper-middle class families. The purpose of this article is to present a review of the literature on characteristics of the families of gifted children, especially the marital status of the biological parents, to infer some possible connections with literature on teacher expectations and to teacher and peer perceptions of children of divorce. Ultimately, we urge educators to a) reject the stereotypical image of the families of gifted children, and b) do further research to update data bases and inferences concerning the families of gifted children.