When he was young, doctors thought that he would never be able to talk or learn—but at 14, he is teaching college students and disproving Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
When he was 2 years old, Jacob Barnett was diagnosed with moderate to severe autism; his parents were told that he would likely never talk or read and or even manage basic daily activities independently, like tying his shoes.
But at the age of 10, he learned all of high school math and science and college calculus in just two weeks so that he could enroll as a Master’s student at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).
“I was thinking of things in such extreme detail that it seemed like I wasn’t thinking at all,” Jacob said in his TEDxTeen talk about the importance of independent, creative thinking (shown above). Since his childhood, he has been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. “Because of that, people thought I would never learn because it looked like I was just staring into the open. It looked like I wasn’t doing anything at all.”
Today, at the age of 14, he is on his way to earning a PhD in quantum physics, tutors other college students, and is a published scientific researcher who has been tipped to one day win the Nobel Prize. Oh, and he is working on disproving Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
He also runs a charity with his family called Jacob’s Place for kids on the autism spectrum. According to their Facebook page, “Jacob’s Place is a not-for-profit organization that provides a fun, safe, social environment for special needs children to maximize their potential, specializing in those on the autism spectrum.”
His mother, Kristine Barnett, recently came out with a book, The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius, which details her family’s experience with autism. Jacob has to work on a daily basis to handle his autism.
“He overcomes it every day. There are things he knows about himself that he regulates everyday,” Barnett said.
With a movie deal possibly in the making, Jacob is proud of his mother. “I hope it really inspires children to actually be doing something, […] to do what they like doing” he said. “I just hope it is inspirational.”
Video: TEDxTeen/YouTube