Note that children naturally choose to play with children of all ages in their neighborhoods. Children who are socially withdrawn or who have difficulty making friends may experience similar problems when placed with older children. On the other hand, there are cases in which a gifted child is more at ease socially with older children than with age-mates. This may be true more often for girls than boys. The receiving classroom teacher in an accelerated setting can be a valuable ally to the younger student, helping him or her find a niche among the older students.
Educational acceleration appears to occur quite frequently.
In a recent study at Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, one in five mathematically talented young adolescents reported having skipped one or more grades. Moreover, the increased awareness of the needs of gifted and talented students in the last 20 years has caused a large increase in programs, in both public and private schools, to educationally advance students in specific subjects. Research about acceleration consistently documents positive effects, both academically and socially, for children who have accelerated, but educators have been slow to embrace this option. Fears about social and emotional development problems for these children are common. However, people who specialize in working with gifted and talented children and teachers and parents who have had personal experience with educational acceleration tend to be more positive.