Parents of gifted children, like all parents everywhere, have to deal with the potty training of their children. Potty training a gifted child can add new dimensions, though. For example, some parents may believe that because their children are intellectually advanced, they surely must be advanced in all areas. But gifted children tend to develop asynchronously, which means their physical development may not be as advanced as their intellectual development.

In addition, because gifted kids are usually able to understand reason, their parents can make the mistake of thinking that all that is necessary to potty train a gifted child is to explain why it must be done. However, gifted children, no matter how smart they are, are still children. That means that they can be just as resistant to potty training as any other child.

This is not to say that reasoning with a three-year-old gifted child about the necessity of using the potty won't have an effect. It could. When nothing seems to work, however, the best advice is the same advice given to parents of all untrained toddlers -- wait until your child is ready.

• When Should You Start Potty Training?
• Potty Training Resistance
• The Dos and Don'ts of Toilet Training