The article is about a 13-year-old boy named Jake Barnett, who is a math and science prodigy. Despite being diagnosed with autism at the age of 3, Jake has made remarkable progress and is now attending college, where he is an honor student in math and physics. Jake's extraordinary memory and ability to understand complex concepts have allowed him to excel in his studies, and he has even published research in a prestigious physics journal. Jake's parents attribute his success to his passion for learning and his ability to focus on the subjects he loves, which has helped him overcome the challenges associated with autism. The article also explores the link between autism and prodigies, with a psychology professor suggesting that some autistic individuals may have a genetic predisposition to exceptional abilities. Jake's ultimate goal is to use his talents to help others overcome their fear of math and science.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. Jake Barnett is a 13-year-old math and science prodigy who is confident he may one day challenge established theories of physics.
2. Jake began taking college courses at age 8 and by 12 was doing paid scientific research.
3. He is an honor student in math and physics at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
4. Jake's mind is constantly buzzing with new physics problems and theories, and he can recite the infinite series of numbers known as pi from memory.
5. He has memorized over 200 of pi's numbers in an afternoon.
6. Jake has used the money he made from his summer research project to turn his bedroom into a science lab.
7. He is fascinated by the mysteries of space and his favorite planet is Saturn.
8. Jake has a full scholarship at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
9. He regularly gets the highest grades in his classes.
10. Jake's parents say that many of his symptoms of autism have disappeared as he has focused on math and science.
11. Jake's extraordinary memory is one of the key factors in his talent, but his professor says it's not just great memory, but also the drive to learn more.
12. Jake is the youngest person to be published in the prestigious Physical Review journal.
13. He plans to continue his research, building on Einstein's theory of relativity.
14. Jake is on track to graduate at age 14 and hopes to begin his PhD studies.
15. He is writing a book to help people overcome their fear of math.
16. Jake was diagnosed with autism before his second birthday and began to regress, stopping speaking and making eye contact.
17. His parents say that Jake was not happy unless he was doing something he loved, which was math and science, and that this helped him to communicate.
18. By the time Jake was kindergarten age, he was still behind in speaking and socializing, but he was also light years ahead of his peers in math and science.
19. Jake dropped out of public school in fifth grade and taught himself all of high school math in just two weeks.
20. He finished the entire state of Indiana curriculum for grades 6 to 12 in little over a year.