er, 1997, p.92). A 1996 study by Oshima-Takane, Goodz, and Deverensky concluded that although later-born children and first-born children did not differ in language development, the later-born children had a more advanced speech production (621). The combination of child-directed speech and overheard conversations between the parent and siblings account for this advancement. According to Pfouts’ 1980 research, first-born children achieve at a higher level than later-born, even when the later-born children are more intellectually gifted. Little difference has been concluded between only children and first-born children. Only children do, however, tend to have a “significant intellectual advantage…attributed from the quality of parent-child interactions in small families,” (Parker, 1998, p.30).Socio-economic class should also be considered as an effect of family size. Social status should be considered because families with a higher social status tend to have fewer children resulting in a higher proportion of first-born children. Also, as the number of children in a family increase, the intellectual development of the children decreases. Studies have shown early-born children achieve at higher levels, which could be the result of socio-economic class (Parker, 1998, p.30). Few studies have been completed concerning birth order and family size within gifted populations. One such study, the Developmental Study of Talented Youth (DSTY) assessed the roles of birth order and family size in giftedness of academic ability. Family socioeconomic status, self-esteem, locus of control, perfectionism, and personality were used to assess these roles (Parker, 1998, p. 32). The study measured the percentage of children in the Institute for the Academic Advancement of Youth (IAAY) according to the child’s birth order and family size and compared these figures to the 1990 United States Census. The table below repr...
