<p>The facts I’ll forever remember from a local parents/teachers gifted conference one year. 75% of the population is extroverted while 75% of the highly gifted are introverted. My son is middle gifted- did skip grades et al, so don’t presume all of the gifted kids you know are “highly” gifted. Also, most teachers will fall into the extroverted spectrum and may not recognize the introvert’s style. The teacher giving the talk was introverted- she used her in between class time not to socialize with other teachers, but to get her needed down time. My son’s elementary school teacher noted the lag time between question and response- the wait was worth it as his intelligence showed. Many other differences for the basic personality types- worth reading the books available.</p>
<p>Definitely differentiate between shyness and introversion. The introvert needs the downtime, can’t change personality type any more than change physical attributes.</p>
<p>I think it is harder to be gifted- even moderately- and extroverted. My college experience- my friends who were my intellectual peers didn’t want the social activity I craved, and those who did weren’t as much fun since they didn’t want to relate on the level I also craved. Like Kermit, it’s hard to be different.</p>
<p>Allowing the less socially adept to be with others more like themselves seems good as well. They can practice skills and go at a slower pace without being overwhelmed/overshadowed by the most socially adept. The academic parallel is to remove the most gifted/advanced students so the next level can be the ones answering the questions and shining.</p>