This paper reviews the literature on the families of gifted and talented individuals for purposes of determining the importance of several broad areas in the talent development process. These are the structural or demographic characteristics of the family, family climate or family environment, values espoused by parents, and values enacted by parents. Family climate variables are found to distinguish between individuals who evidence creative achievement versus those who evidence academic achievement. While structural and demographic variables may mirror psychological processes within the family that influence the role of gifted children and interaction patterns with family members, success may be the result of numerous forces. Further research linking the values of parents with child-rearing practices and later child outcomes is clearly indicated.

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AbstcactProviding appropriate counseling for gifted and talented students requires deliberate effort to increase knowledge about self-development, awareness of social realities, and understanding about the interaction of conflict and intimacy in adolescence. This article presents an overview of a two-tiered curriculum mod el used to proactively counsel and support the growth o f y o u n g g i f t e d a d o l e s c e n t s . K e y d e v e l o p m e n t a l i s s u e s form the core of the curriculum, while integrated learning strategies are applied to two audiences: gifted adolescents themselves, and their parents, teachers, and counselors. Features of the model, a sample unit design, and suggestions for implementing the curriculum conclude the article.

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Research and review papers in the Journal for the Education of the Gifted (Vol. 8, Nos. 1 and 2) special topical issue on gifted and talented adolescents are examined from a psychosocial perspective and the larger context of previous research about the adolescent process. Key features of these invited contributions are summarized into broad areas for future investigations in the field of gifted education. This special topical issue which focuses on gifted and talented adolescents may prove to be an important watershed event for the field of gifted education. As anyone interested in the topic could attest, the previously available research and review literature on gifted and talented adolescents could be quickly located and easily digested in short order. This state of affairs has vexed many. It is not easy to understand how the growing concern about and interest in gifted children that blossomed in the 1970's has carefully sidestepped to a great degree adolescence, middle schools, and high school programming.Professional organizations in the field have not always ameliorated this neglected situation. Publications like Gifted Child Quartedy, Roeper Review, and even this journal (JEG) have been steadfast in keeping parents, educators, and researchers informed about fastbreaking developments in gifted education. Yet the scope of articles submitted to and published by them often closed quickly to avoid