Wolfson, if you had a kid who was healthy, but growing really fast, and who was taller and stronger than almost all of the other kids his age, would you consider not feeding him at all, or maybe only feeding him enough for him to stay alive, but not grow, in an attempt to "keep him with his age peers" and make it easier to shop for him in the children's department?
Why do we look at intellectual development any differently than we look at physical development? Depriving gifted children of opportunities to learn and to work hard while doing so has much more negative consequences than providing them with the level of pace and challenge that they are capable of. All of the research on acceleration shows that it greatly benefits children who need it. Those who are good candidates for it and don't get it seriously suffer in both achievement and self-esteem.
