Jacob Barnett is an American mathematician and child prodigy. At 8 years old, Jacob began sneaking into the back of college lectures at IUPUI. After being diagnosed with autism since the age of two and placed in his school's special ed. program, Jacob's teachers and doctors were astonished to learn he was able to teach calculus to college students.
At age nine, while playing with shapes, Jacob built a series of mathematical models that expanded Einstein's field of relativity. A professor at Princeton reviewed his work and confirmed that it was groundbreaking and could someday result in a Nobel Prize. At age 10, Jacob was formally accepted to the University as a full-time college student and went straight into a paid research position in the field of condensed matter physics. For his original work in this field, Jacob set a record, becoming the world's youngest astrophysics researcher. His paper was subsequently accepted for publication by Physical Review A, a scientific journal shared on sites such as NASA, the Smithsonian, and Harvard's webpage. Jacob's work aims to help improve the way light travels in technology.
Jacob is also CEO and founder of Wheel LLC, a business he started in his mom's garage, and is in the process of writing a book to help end "math phobia" in his generation.
Jacob's favorite pastime is playing basketball with the kids at his charity, Jacob's Place. It is a place where kids with autism are inspired every day to be their true authentic selves...just like Jacob.
In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
I love this kid ! I do hope a lot of therapists are squirming in their seats !
Thanx for sharing it.
The same kind of thing happened to me when I first went to school. They didn't have anything like 'special ed' back in 1960. I was just stuck in a corner and ignored. Quite simply, I didn't like the teacher. She looked at me as being retarded and teated me accordingly.
However, in my second grade year, the teacher was really nice, and I gradually came out of my shell. I blew everyone away by winning a spelling contest with the word Czechoslovakia. Everything changed after that. I was moved to the head of the class and made staight A's and B's the rest of the time I went to school, and have excelled in life everything I put my mind to, from tournament chess to behavioral sciences.
And I try to encourage everyone I meet to stop allowing themselves to be handicapped by the so-called experts and doomsayers who are only out to pilfer gold and adoration from the masses. Think for yourself. Anyone who tries to tell you they KNOW anything is an idiot, for the truly wise know that man has only just begun to learn. Life is hard..... it's harder when you are stupid. And you are only stupid when you allow others to tell you what to think!
That was very well put Larry. Below is an excerpt from the synopsis of a book I am working on, it is my life's journey. There is a reason I write it too, check my profile.
School was difficult for the most part, I left everything till the last minute, panic attacks plenty, “ahhh!! S**t!!” that assignment is due tomorrow. College years came harder for me, I was not one to learn by chalk and pencil. Happily I made friends with a guy that is still to this day my closest of friends. We cleverly found a way around full school days, sit thru the roll call, hit the streets, muck around, go back home (both our parents worked all day) anything but get inducted into the realm of repetition.
Wonderful message, how true. Freedom is the way! Trust yourself and don't let anyone tell you how to be, what to do, that their truth is the truth.
A rose is beautiful but can you only imagine the damage that would be done trying to turn all the daisies and violets into roses. Let children be their own spirits.
Wendy