Let me add to KADmom's very fine list of points with this personal favorite myth:
* Gifted children are not "at-risk" students; they are highly capable, after all-- and will be fine on their own no matter what kind of educational environment they find themselves in.
* Gifted children are happiest and most fulfilled when they can "coast" academically in comfortable material that they have mastery over.
* Perfectionism can be healthy; gifted students should learn that they should always earn 100% on academics, since they are capable of that. This just teaches highly capable students to seek excellence.
* Gifted children are extroverted, assertive-- natural leaders.
* Gifted children are industrious, hard workers who like to please authority figures.
* All gifted children are autodidacts.
What is ironic to me is that such things are far more true of optimally-intelligent children than of gifted ones.
