Joan Franklin Smutny

Joan Franklin Smutny is a gifted-education specialist, author, editor, and educator. She founded and directed the Center for Gifted, a Northern Illinois University partner, where she led programs for gifted children in the Chicago area. She also taught creative writing and graduate-level courses in gifted education.

Smutny has authored, co-authored, and edited numerous books for parents, teachers, and administrators, including Your Gifted Child: How to Recognize and Develop the Special Talents in Your Child from Birth to Age Seven, Stand Up for Your Gifted Child, Differentiating for the Young Child, and Teaching Advanced Learners in the General Education Classroom. She received the National Association for Gifted Children’s Distinguished Service Award in 1996.