This collection considers the personal and educational needs of the student who is gifted, with emphasis on the roles of support staff. It covers developmental perspectives; assessment, identification, and evaluation issues; educational services; personal, interpersonal, and cultural issues; intervention strategies; and gifted education issues. Chapters are as follows: "Gifted Education: Historical Perspectives and Current Concepts" (Mary Ruth Coleman and James J. Gallagher); "The Changing Developmental Needs of the Gifted: Birth to Maturity" (Elizabeth Maxwell); "Changing Conceptions of Intelligence and Their Impact upon the Concept of Giftedness: The Triarchic Theory of Intelligence" (Robert J. Sternberg); "Identifying High Ability/High Achievement Giftedness" (Marlene Bireley); "Identifying the Creatively Gifted" (Gary A. Davis); "Evaluating Instructional Outcomes for Gifted Students" (Carolyn M. Callahan); "The Educational Continuum and Delivery of Services" (John F. Feldhusen and Sidney M. Moon); "Developing Curricular Interventions for the Gifted" (Beverly N. Parke); "Encouraging Lifelong Learning through the Autonomous Learner Model" (George T. Betts and Michael J. Hoover); "Technological Innovations in the Education of Gifted and Talented Students" (Richard D. Howell); "Underachievement Syndrome in Gifted Students" (Sylvia B. Rimm); "The Special Characteristics and Needs of Gifted Students with Disabilities" (M. Bireley); "Highly Gifted Children" (Linda Kreger Silverman); "Impact of Family Patterns upon the Development of Giftedness" (S. Rimm);"Stress and the Gifted" (Judy L. Genshaft et al.); "Stress as a Function of Gender: Special Needs of Gifted Girls and Women" (Constance L. Hollinger); "Serving the Needs of Gifted Children from a Multicultural Perspective" (Deborah L. Plummer); "Family Consultation as an Approach to Providing Psychoeducational Services to Gifted Children" (Gerald Porter and Joel Meyers); "Counseling Academically Behaving Adolescents about Wellness" (Paul Michael Janos); "Counseling Gifted Young Women about Educational and Career Choices" (C. Hollinger); "Consultation Strategies with Gifted and Regular Educators: A Collaborative Approach" (Dawn P. Flanagan); "What Gifted Education Can Offer the Reform Movement: Talent Development" (Sally M. Reis); and "Building Advocacy and Public Support for Gifted Education" (Peggy Dettmer). (Individual chapters contain references.) (SW)