When I originally wrote this post, I was thinking less about friendships and more about education, though both are important. DS's best friend probably wouldn't be ID'd as gifted academically, but they get along famously.
From what I hear about my DS6 in school, he is quiet and does not participate unless he's one-on-one with a teacher or in a small group setting. He is never quiet at home. I can't get him to explain to me why he's so quiet in school. He's not shy -- at our state gifted conference, he volunteered to give a presentation about his creation in a class of 3rd and 4th graders. And he volunteered to be on stage at the local university's math and science day. So then I imagine things like "he doesn't fit in here; he'd be much more active in a different setting." I don't know if that's true, though.
