This handbook incorporates the most recent thinking and cutting-edge research from a wide range of fields related to gifted education, including developmental and social psychology, the neurosciences, cognitive science, and education. It consists of six sections: (1) History and global perspectives on the gifted field and talent development; (2) Theories and conceptions of giftedness and talent development; (3) Gifted identification and assessment; (4) Gifted education; (5) Psychological considerations in understanding the gifted (e.g., the family, social and emotional considerations, friendships and peer relations); and (6) Special issues facing the gifted (e.g., policy and legal issues; the twice exceptional learner; underachievement and the gifted; ADHD and the gifted; suicide; perfectionism; bullying). Contents include: I. History and Global Perspectives: (1) A History of Giftedness: A Century of Quest for Identity (David Yun Dai); (2) International Perspectives and Trends in Research on Giftedness and Talent Development (Heidrun Stoeger, Daniel Patrick Balestrini, and Albert Ziegler); (3) A Historical Overview of Instructional Theory and Practice in the United States and Canada: The Double Slinky Phenomenon in Gifted and General Education (Bruce M. Shore and Maren Gube); (4) Gifted Education in Europe: Implications for Policymakers and Educators (Javier Tourón and Joan Freeman); (5) Gifted Education in Asia (David W. Chan); (6) Gifted Education in Australia and New Zealand (Leonie Kronborg); (7) Challenges on the Identification and Development of Giftedness in South America (Solange Muglia Wechsler, Sheyla Blumen, and Karen Bendelman); (8) Gifted Education in the Middle East (Hanna David); (9) Gifted Education in Africa (Jacobus G. Maree); II. Theories and Conceptions of Giftedness and Talent: (10) Theories of Intelligence (Robert J. Sternberg); (11) Academic Talent Development: Theory and Best Practices (Françoys Gagné); (12) The Three-Ring Conception of Giftedness: A Developmental Approach for Promoting Creative Productivity in Young People (Joseph S. Renzulli and Sally M. Reis); (13) The Role of Motivation (D. Betsy McCoach and Jessica Kay Flake); (14) Flow Theory: Optimizing Elite Performance in the Creative Realm (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Monica N. Montijo, and Angela R. Mouton); (15) Talent Development as the Most Promising Focus of Giftedness and Gifted Education (Rena F. Subotnik, Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, and Frank C. Worrell); (16) Talent Development: A Path Toward Eminence (Frank C. Worrell, Rena F. Subotnik, and Paula Olszewski-Kubilius); (17) Expertise: Individual Differences, Human Abilities, and Nonability Traits (Phillip L. Ackerman); (18) From Giftedness to Eminence: Developmental Landmarks Across the Life Span (Dean Keith Simonton); (19) Creativity (James C. Kaufman, Sarah R. Luria, and Ronald A. Beghetto); III. Gifted Identification and Assessment: (20) Identification of Strengths and Talents in Young Children (Nancy B. Hertzog, Rachel U. Mun, Bridget DuRuz, and Amy A. Holliday); (21) Methods to Increase the Identification Rate of Students From Traditionally Underrepresented Populations for Gifted Services (Michael S. Matthews and Scott J. Peters); (22) Acceleration and the Talent Search Model: Transforming the School Culture (Susan G. Assouline, Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik, and Nicholas Colangelo); IV. Gifted Education: Curriculum and Instruction: (23) Considerations in Curriculum for Gifted Students (Joyce VanTassel-Baska); (24) Teaching Strategies to Support the Education of Gifted Learners (Catherine A. Little); (25) Research-Guided Programs and Strategies for Nurturing Creativity (Jonathan A. Plucker, Jiajun Guo, and Anna Dilley); (26) Developing Talents in Girls and Young Women (Barbara A. Kerr and Jessica Gahm); (27) Identifying and Educating Underrepresented Gifted Students (William Ming Liu and LaNeisha Waller); (28) Examining Gifted Students' Mental Health Through the Lens of Positive Psychology (Shannon M. Suldo, Brittany V. Hearon, and Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick); V. Psychological Considerations: (29) Social and Emotional Considerations for Gifted Students (Anne N. Rinn); (30) The Role of the Family in Talent Development (Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, Frank C. Worrell, and Rena F. Subotnik); (31) Three Crucial Dimensions for Students With Intellectual Gifts: It Is Time to Stop Talking and Start Thinking (David Lubinski and Harrison J. Kell); (32) Psychological Issues Unique to the Gifted Student (Maureen Neihart and Lay See Yeo); (33) Counseling Gifted Children and Teens (Jean Sunde Peterson); VI. Special Issues: (34) Policy, Legal Issues, and Trends in the Education of Gifted Students (Kristen R. Stephens); (35) Psychological Interventions for Twice-Exceptional Youth (Megan Foley-Nicpon and Margaret M. Candler); (36) Underachievement and the Gifted Child (Del Siegle and D. Betsy McCoach); (37) Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Gifted Students (Marcia Gentry and C. Matthew Fugate); (38) Emotional Intelligence and Giftedness (Gerald Matthews, Jinchao Lin, Moshe Zeidner, and Richard D. Roberts); (39) Suicide Among Students With Gifts and Talents (Tracy L. Cross and Jennifer Riedl Cross); (40) Beyond Trait Theory Accounts of Giftedness (Matthew T. McBee, Kayla Mitchell, and Samantha K. Fields Johnson); (41) Career Counseling and the Gifted Individual: Applying Social Cognitive Career Theory to the Career Decision Making of Gifted Individuals (Susannah M. Wood, Carol Klose Smith, and David K. Duys); (42) Perfectionism and the Gifted (Kenneth G. Rice and Merideth E. Ray); and (43) Bullying and the Gifted (Dorothy L. Espelage and Matthew T. King).