Top 1 in 10,000: A 10-year follow-up of the profoundly gifted

Adolescents identified before the age of 13 (N = 320) as having exceptional mathematical or verbal reasoning abilities (top 1 in 10.000) were tracked over 10 years. They pursued doctoral degrees at rates over 50 times base-ra te expectations, with several participants having created noteworthy litera ry, scientific, or technical products by their early 20s. Early observed di stinctions in intellectual strength (viz., quantitative reasoning ability o ver verbal reasoning ability, and vice versa) predicted sharp differences i n their developmental trajectories and occupational pursuits. This special population strongly preferred educational opportunities tailored to their p recocious rate of learning (i.e., appropriate developmental placement), wit h 95% using some form of acceleration to individualize their education.