In an effort to help parents encourage the development of their gifted child, research and literature has been aimed at the parental relationship of a gifted child, giving advice and support and showing the link between the parents' actions and the child's ability to capitalize on his or her gifts. But little attention has been paid to the role of the sibling relationship on a gifted child's development. More recent research on sibling dynamics has highlighted the importance of the sibling relationship throughout the life span.

Siblings are our closest genetic matches; they are with us from either birth or very young and will likely remain in our lives longer than any other family relationship, including our spouse. In childhood, siblings spend more time with one ...