gifted and talented education has a long history of thousands of years. plato (c. 427–c. 347 bce) was in favour of providing specialized education for intellectually gifted young men and women. in china's tang dynasty (580-618 ce), child prodigies were summoned to the imperial court for specialized education. throughout the renaissance, those who showed creative talent in art, architecture, and literature were supported by both the government and private patronage.