--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the 1990s, Miraca Gross studied…" description: "\"“In the 1990s, Miraca Gross studied children who were radically accelerated, starting college between eleven and sixteen. None regretted the accelerati..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/andrew-solomon-1140_children_in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-childr_658396.jpg" --- # In the 1990s, Miraca Gross studied children who were… ![“In the 1990s, Miraca Gross studied children who were radically accelerated, starting college between eleven and sixteen. None regretted the acceleration, and most had made good and lasting friendships with older children. By contrast, gifted children stuck with age peers experienced rage…” quote by Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/andrew-solomon-1140_children_in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-childr_658396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/andrew-solomon-1140_children_in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-childr_658396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/andrew-solomon-1140_children_in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-childr_658396.jpg) > ““In the 1990s, Miraca Gross studied children who were radically accelerated, starting college between eleven and sixteen. None regretted the acceleration, and most had made good and lasting friendships with older children. By contrast, gifted children stuck with age peers experienced rage, depression, and self-criticism. Today, most gifted programs keep children in an age-based setting some of the time and a skills-based setting the rest of the time. Neither affords a perfect fit. The mathematical prodigy Norbert Wiener wrote that the prodigy knows “the suffering which grows from belonging half to the adult world and half to the world of the children about him.” He explained, “I was not so much a mixture of child and man as wholly a child for purposes of companionship and nearly completely a man for purposes of study.”” [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Research shows gifted children thrive when placed with older peers, while age‑matched groups can cause emotional distress, underscoring the need for flexible educational environments. **In simple terms:** Gifted kids benefit from mixed‑age learning, not strict age groups. Key Takeaway Create learning settings that match both age and ability. Themes education development mental health Mood insightful hopeful Type expository analytical When to use this quote - school curricula - accelerated programs - peer mentoring - mental health support Key Concepts giftedness social integration Questions to Reflect On - How can schools balance age and skill diversity? - What support helps gifted youths feel belonging? A Different Perspective Rigid age‑based classes may limit social and emotional growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Contrast Gifted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrast-gifted-5251077/) [Gifted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gifted/) [Gifted children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gifted-children-72077/) [Gifted Programs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gifted-programs-5251076/) [Lasting friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasting-friendship/) [Perfect fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-fit/) [Studied Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studied-children-5251078/) ## Related quotes > [The smaller and younger kids are, the more patient you have to be. 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But lasting friendships are made by the sincerity of one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-make-a-million-friends-by-a-mere-hello-and-a-sweet-smile-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Good friends must not always be together; It is the feeling of oneness when distant That proves a lasting friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-polis-schutz/good-friends-must-not-always-be-together-it-is-the-feeling-of-oneness/) [Susan Polis Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-polis-schutz/) > [“This is the secret to finding and keeping lasting friendships: become women who want to see the women around them flourish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/this-is-the-secret-to-finding-and-keeping-lasting-friendships-become/) [Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/) ## More by Andrew Solomon > [“If you banish the dragons, you banish the heroes...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/if-you-banish-the-dragons-you-banish-the-heroes/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [I started traveling out of curiosity, but I have come to believe in travel's political importance, that encouraging a nation's citizenry to travel may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-started-traveling-out-of-curiosity-but-i-have-come-to-believe-in/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [When I was born, the wisdom was that homosexuality was an illness; that it was caused largely by somebody's mother, and a distorted relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/when-i-was-born-the-wisdom-was-that-homosexuality-was-an-illness-that/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [A lot of people are very political when they are young, and then they outgrow it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/a-lot-of-people-are-very-political-when-they-are-young-and-then-they/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [Having always imagined myself in a fairly slim minority, I suddenly saw that I was in a vast company. 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I didn't grow up thinking that it was morally wrong, but I grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-grew-up-feeling-that-to-be-gay-was-a-tragedy-i-didn-t-grow-up/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [We need to acknowledge that families come in multiple shapes and sizes, that love is not a finite asset, and that caregiving involves more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/we-need-to-acknowledge-that-families-come-in-multiple-shapes-and/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [I had always wanted to have children, so it caused me a lot of grief when I was younger, and I had supposed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-had-always-wanted-to-have-children-so-it-caused-me-a-lot-of-grief/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) [Explore all 282 Andrew Solomon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. 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By contrast, gifted children stuck with age peers experienced rage, depression, and self-criticism. Today, most gifted programs keep children in an age-based setting some of the time and a skills-based setting the rest of the time. Neither affords a perfect fit. The mathematical prodigy Norbert Wiener wrote that the prodigy knows “the suffering which grows from belonging half to the adult world and half to the world of the children about him.” He explained, “I was not so much a mixture of child and man as wholly a child for purposes of companionship and nearly completely a man for purposes of study.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew Solomon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-children-who-were-radically/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-children-who-were-radically/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/andrew-solomon-1140_children_in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-childr_658396.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/andrew-solomon-1140_children_in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-childr_658396.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/andrew-solomon-1140_children_in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-childr_658396.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the 1990s, Miraca Gross studied children who were radically accelerated, starting college between eleven…” — Andrew Solomon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Andrew Solomon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In the 1990s, Miraca Gross studied...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-children-who-were-radically/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/in-the-1990s-miraca-gross-studied-children-who-were-radically/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```