Identifying a child as gifted at a young age can play a crucial role in this particular youth's personal and intellectual development. However, the Chicago Tribune recently reported that not all parents and teachers know how to best serve children who are more advanced than others their age.

For example, Liz Perelstein, founder and president of School Choice International, an educational consulting service, told the news source that gifted children sometimes struggle or lose interest in their school work due to the fact that they have already learned what is being taught. Some teachers' solution to this problem is to provide these students with more work, which Perelstein said is counterproductive.

"What these kids don't need is more work," Perelstein told the news outlet. "What they do need is parents who recognize and respect what they're interested in and encourage those interests."

Parents who wish to learn whether or not their children are gifted may want to start by having them take a kids IQ test. According to the National Association for Gifted Children, IQ is the best predictor of academic achievement. As a result, these assessments can help measure a potentially gifted student's intellectual ability.