Sheldon Cooper in real life?

I love CBS’ The Big Bang Theory. If you have a kid on the spectrum, particularly one with Asperger’s, you need to watch this show! You’ll thank me. The most important thing is that it's funny. I'm all about the funny. The bonus feature is that one of the main characters, Sheldon Cooper, has many traits you might expect a high-functioning adult on the spectrum to have. He has problems interpreting social cues, he’s highly intelligent, and he needs a strict routine, among other things. Sheldon is a theoretical physicist who lives with his colleague, who happens to also be his best friend. The viewer gets to see the interaction and dynamic Sheldon has with his peers and friends.

The other day I came across an article about a 12-year old boy that could literally be Sheldon Cooper in real life, minus the funny sitcom. Jacob Barnett was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism spectrum disorder. He learned algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus all in one week! Jacob left high school at the age of eight to attend Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis to study advanced astrophysics. He is so smart, his IQ is actually higher than Albert Einstein's! At the age of 12, Jacob is developing and expanding upon the theory of relativity. His work on debunking the big bang theory could land him a PhD research position.

Can you believe this? It’s simply incredible! My mind is blown merely contemplating how my 8-year old son is in second grade and this kid was in college at the same age. Un.real. Although most kids with autism won't have anything close to his savant abilities, it gives me hope for what children can achieve when given the proper chance and environment. Hooray for Jacob! Maybe he'll get the Nobel Prize some day. Wouldn't that be cool?     

Special Needs and Gifted?

I have two amazing boys diagnosed on the autism spectrum.  As if that isn’t already enough to deal with on a day-by-day basis, one of them might actually be considered twice exceptional.  What the heck do I mean by “twice exceptional?” Well, what happens if your special needs child also exhibits traits of being academically gifted? You get twice exceptional. I don’t know about you, but simply getting a solid IEP in place that helps my kids get through every day is a big enough task. How could I make things even more complicated for his education? I suppose I could apply for my son to enter the highly capable program!

I’m doing this right now for my oldest son, but getting to this decision has not been easy. If he didn’t have the social and communication deficits that come with autism, applying for the program would be a no-brainer. He’s uber smart! This kid basically taught himself to read without any help from me or his dad. He has been finding patterns in numbers for a very long time and has a keen ability to memorize.  Based upon these traits, I suspect that he’ll either find a career in banking, computer code writing, or perhaps card counting!

My hesitation comes from the areas where he continues to struggle. Not only do we worry about his social and communication skills, he also has difficulty with abstract thought and creativity. But, in a specialized setting like the program our school district offers, maybe he can be challenged in a positive way so that his thought process can be stretched. Kids on the spectrum can be so rigid at times, and often they cannot see something from another person’s point of view. Any improvement in this area would be welcomed.