The stereotype of the gifted child is one who does well in school but in reality can have a hard time and be mislabeled or misdiagnosed because their behaviors unsettle adults, says George Starr, MD, emeritus clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Upstate. A gifted child might be socially awkward, intense and sensitive, and Starr advises doctors, parents and teachers to view the whole child, not just the unsettling behaviors, to avoid marginalization.