Abstract
Special education encompasses such provision that can be hardly gained through general education. Mentally retarded children are generally seen to need the opportunity to learn to the best of their ability and, as far as possible, to achieve their maximum potential. In the case of gifted children - another intellectual extreme - not all teachers and parents are sure that corresponding opportunities to achieve maximum potential should be provided. Nevertheless, in the sample of schools we work with, a variety of needs had been identified in relation of providing opportunity for the personal fulfilment of gifted children and for development of their potential - not only in terms of cognitive ability.
Both groups of children - mentally retarded and gifted - are commonly feared because they are thought to be strange and different beings. There are similar problems in definition the intellectual extremes; their socialization experiences differ from the norm because of their level of cognitive functioning. First these children's unique cognitive abilities lead them to experience their social and physical environments differently from other children. Second, both low and high - IQ children are treated differently from other children by their parents, peers, and teachers. These situations suggest that there are certain stresses inherent in being gifted or retarded that are likely to affect personality and hence adjustment.
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