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Math prodigy proud of his autism

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AnotherKind
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12 May 2012, 5:51 am

I want to share with you a video that i really enjoyed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR36jrx_L44

How amazing his mind is. Indeed, there are some very special people in this world :)


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danmac
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12 May 2012, 8:35 am

amazing indeed
i will be keeping an eye on this kid.


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CockneyRebel
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12 May 2012, 2:13 pm

That kid is an inspiration to me. I also like that he's proud of his autism at such a young age. :)


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Callista
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12 May 2012, 3:55 pm

What I liked most of all was his obvious enjoyment of math and problem-solving in general. He's working at a college level years ahead of time, and it's like a game to him. I can relate, because that's what statistics is for me (except that I'm not a prodigy, of course)--it's a beautiful thing, with patterns to seek out and problems to solve, and working with numbers feels more like art, or play, than work.

I just hope he doesn't lose that playful spirit. People expect so much of prodigies. It's going to be tricky for him to transition from child wonder to an adult contributing to his field. He has a head start--so maybe he'll be working as a mathematician at sixteen rather than twenty-six--but beyond that he'll need to meet all of the other expectations that people have of researchers in general. He'll have to learn to collaborate with others, to gather information and put it together into a coherent report, to build on what others have done; he'll have to learn the mental flexibility to understand ideas he doesn't agree with. He has the math ability, for sure, but whether he has the rest of the skills he'll need to make a working contribution to the field is still up in the air. For now, he's still a kid playing with numbers, and that's a good thing--let him play. Even at twelve, kids still need to play. Heck, I still play and I'm nearly thirty...


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Rascal77s
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12 May 2012, 5:06 pm

Callista wrote:
What I liked most of all was his obvious enjoyment of math and problem-solving in general. He's working at a college level years ahead of time, and it's like a game to him. I can relate, because that's what statistics is for me (except that I'm not a prodigy, of course)--it's a beautiful thing, with patterns to seek out and problems to solve, and working with numbers feels more like art, or play, than work.

I just hope he doesn't lose that playful spirit. People expect so much of prodigies. It's going to be tricky for him to transition from child wonder to an adult contributing to his field. He has a head start--so maybe he'll be working as a mathematician at sixteen rather than twenty-six--but beyond that he'll need to meet all of the other expectations that people have of researchers in general. He'll have to learn to collaborate with others, to gather information and put it together into a coherent report, to build on what others have done; he'll have to learn the mental flexibility to understand ideas he doesn't agree with. He has the math ability, for sure, but whether he has the rest of the skills he'll need to make a working contribution to the field is still up in the air. For now, he's still a kid playing with numbers, and that's a good thing--let him play. Even at twelve, kids still need to play. Heck, I still play and I'm nearly thirty...

Good analysis. I'm almost 40 and still 'play' with numbers daily. I hope math continues to be a game for him for the rest of his life.



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13 May 2012, 2:42 am

Great video. I so wish I could think like him! Sometimes people will imply that I'm supposed to be envious of someone because they have lots of friends or a family or can pick up girls easily. To some extent I am, but it's this kid that I'm really envious of!

My favourite moments:

1:48 - it's as if he's saying "you have no idea how good it feels!" :D
2:56 - "it's the fourth dimension, what do you expect?" It's as if he's saying "err... I'm trying to be kind to you here, but you're a little bit thick, aren't you? ;)"