Just 3 per cent of exceptionally gifted children go on to fulfil their potential later in life, according to a new study.
Joan Freeman, visiting professor at Middlesex University, says in a forthcoming book, Gifted Lives: What happens when gifted children grow up, that at six and seven years old, gifted children have the potential for amazing things, but many are caught in situations where their potential is handicapped, such as being put under too much pressure or being separated from their peer group. Ms Freeman says that in order to succeed, talented children should be treated no differently to less able children.