I haven't read the other string about this topic, so what I am about to post is probably already stated in the other string but since I just read this section in Palmer's book I thought I would add it.
Basically giftedness results from both environmental and genetics: AKA nature vs. nurture. The more dendrites and synapses one has the greater the brain power and some experts believe that the gifted have denser connections. The question still not answered by the scientists: Are gifted children born with more dendrites and synapses or were they basically normal and it is the loving, learning environment they live in during their early lives that cause them to develop the connections so rapidly?
Austin recently posted an example we can use here that would support the nurture side about some friends that adopted a child from another country who when tested was determined to be mildly retarded, but after having the child for about a year the opposite is true and the child shows signs of giftedness. But was the child's brain already denser with connections at birth but b/c the nurture was not there they 'dulled'?
My personal opinion FWIW is that gifted children, especially the HG+ ones are born with denser connections in their brains. This would explain my DD lifting her head from birth (literally! since she was a c-section baby and decided to help the doctor out.) and focused eyes before 1 week of age. And said Hi by two weeks. And ... well I could go on and on but you get my drift.
I am not convinced that the lower levels of gifted are nature but IMHO nurture. This is where I talk reading stats. The typical middle class family reads about 1000 hours per child by the time the child is 5. The typical low income family reads about 25 hours per child by the time the child is 5. (I could be off but I know it was close to 25.) And before you go there I am not saying the You have only read 1000 to your child b/c gifted children tend to be obsessed with books. I know mine is and before she was two we can safely say we hit that 1000 hour mark.
So why talk reading stats? It shows the nurture side and those kids that are above the 1000 hour mark probably show signs of level 1 and maybe 2 giftedness. Everytime a child is read a book that he/she is interested in it produces emotions and later simple comprehension of the objects talked about and all of this results in dendrites and synapses. Of course I am not even getting into the learning toys and blocks and well you get were I am going with that.
