The parents of a seven-year-old science prodigy have begun a world-wide search
for a university place for their child, with the warning that “a great mind
could be lost” if he is not offered the chance to pursue his studies at
degree level.
Ainan Celeste Cawley, the son of a British father and a Singaporean mother,
passed his O-level chemistry in Singapore at the age of 6 and is studying
for an A level in the same subject.
The case of the child genius, whose parents claim that he could walk at six
months and construct complex sentences by his first birthday, has provoked
both curiosity and concern. Experts believe that the lack of a normal
childhood can do irreparable long-term psychological damage.
Yesterday Ainan’s father, Valentine, said that it had been apparent from birth
that his son, who likes drawing and watching Mr Bean videos when not
studying, was very unusual.
“As a toddler, he would seek out science books in the library, showing a
preference for dense texts with complicated illustrations of scientific
matters. These he would absorb quietly and comment on later.
“By the time he was 3 or 4, he was interested in hyper-dimensional shapes and
would draw their shadows in two dimensions as a form of intellectual play,”
he said.
Mr Cawley, a writer, said that his son showed an interest in chemistry when he
was 6 and picked up a chemistry O-level paper at his aunt’s house.
“He was 6½ and he got all the questions right. It turned out that he had
taught himself chemistry on the internet,” he said.
He denied that child prodigies were doomed to failure at university and said
that it would be unfair to allow his son’s mind to “stagnate”.
“Imagine you are the strongest man in the world and someone says to you, try
lifting something small like a banana. It’s like asking him to deny his true
nature. Well, it’s the same with a child prodigy,” he said.
The parents are looking for a sponsor for their child’s university education
and say that one of them would accompany him during his studies. Syahadah
Cawley, his mother, who is an artist, denied that they had put any pressure
on him. “He is home-tutored most of the time, but he goes to school for PC
classes and Malay lessons and has friends there,” she said.
Mr Cawley added: “He is a very cool dude. You have never seen anyone more
relaxed and laidback in your life.” The couple said that it was too early to
tell if their other sons, Fintan, 4, and Tiarnan, 1, were equally gifted.
Professor Tim White, of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, said he had no doubt that the
child was a chemistry prodigy. “He has an excellent grasp of the subject –
he is well able to write and balance equations, draw molecular formulas,
understands the chemical properties, knows about radioactivity and so on.
Clearly, a normal school would be incredibly frustrating for Ainan,” he
said. He added that his own university had decided not to offer a place to
Ainan because the laboratory benches were too high, with shelves out of
reach and chemical dispensers too big for the child to hold.
“There were considerable logistical barriers – chemistry is an experimental
science, and unlike gifted child musicians and mathematicians, quite special
requirements would be needed,” he said. Professor White had mixed feelings
about sending a seven-year-old to university. “He is a boy, but it would
certainly be a great shame if he become frustrated and lost his enthusiasm
for science by being constrained in an environment that did not stretch his
abilities and imagination,” he said.
Priya Naidu, a lecturer at the School of Chemical and Life Sciences at the
Singapore Polytechnic, said that the child was a “cute little boy with the
attention span of a seven-year-old”, but the academic ability of a 17 to
18-year-old chemistry student.
“He has the capability to learn very quickly and is reading up on university
texts and scientific journals.” But Joan Freeman, Visiting Professor in the
Psychology of Education at Middlesex University, said that she thought
Ainan’s parents were making a terrible mistake. “To send a child to
university at 7 is like you are not regarding him as a human being, but as a
performing monkey,” she said.
Ainan himself was not available for interview. His mother said: “He is rather
shy with new people. Most of the truly gifted are introverts – studies show
this.”
Where are they now
Sufiah Yusof fled Oxford University in 2000, aged 15, after her
third-year exams. When police found her after a huge hunt, she blamed her
parents for too much pressure, never finished her course and became an
administrative assistant for a construction firm
Michael Perham, 14, became in January the youngest person to sail solo
across the Atlantic
Bobby Fischer became an international chess grandmaster at 15 and beat
Boris Spassky, the Soviet world champion, at the height of the Cold War
Ruth Lawrence graduated from Oxford at the age of 13 with a first-class
mathematics degree in 1985. She is now a maths professor in Israel, married
with two children
Terence Judd made his first appearance as a classical pianist at the
age of 12, playing at the Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic
Orchestra. At 22 he threw himself off Beachy Head, just before Christmas
1979
Vanessa-Mae began playing the violin at the age of 5 and was soon
making regular TV appearances. She earned £36 million and last year became
the wealthiest British entertainer under 30
Jennifer Capriati became at 15 the youngest Wimbledon semi-finalist in
1991, before winning Olympic gold the next year. In 1994 she was arrested
for marijuana possession. She made a comeback and became world No 1. She has
struggled with injuries but may play professionally again
Source: Times database
I support the idea of Ainan going for further education, but perhaps not that at a university level. In my opinion, he would be better off learning at home, amongst family and friends. Surrounding by a supportive and understanding environment, he would be able to develop better.
Viona, Singapore, Singapore
Does Ainan know what Counterstrike is? Or perhaps Pokemon? The Power Rangers? Ultraman and Godzilla? Can he swing himself on a swingset, or do the monkey bars at a playground? Does he know what Ice and Water is? Can he ride a bike, climb a jungle gym? Kids should have a chance to be kids...
Viona, Singapore, Singapore
I have heard of this boy and his parents many times. Parents of other profoundly gifted children have tried to offer support to this family before. It is not as cut and dry as either the child goes to university or 2nd grade. There is no reason this child can't study at whatever level is appropriate for him. There is no reason why this can not be done while also respecting this boy's right to privacy, to not have his every accomplishment touted in the public eye.
What concerns me most here is that the child is garnering attention simply for having the ability to study at a certain level. No thought appears to be given by the parents to the fact that this child will eventually grow up and no one will care at what age he walked, talked, or studied chemistry (as hard as that is for the parents to believe now).
The most important lessons this boy needs to learn are that his intellect is merely one part of his whole self and he is one of many profoundly gifted children in the world.
Mary, USA, USA
It comes down to children being children and balance. We are the parents of a gifted five year old who has a knowledge of anatomy that would astound you. He's already taken an online college biology class and breezed through it. He has an interest in becoming a surgeon. This doesn't mean that I contact Duke University or buy him the cadaver that he's been begging for so that he can dissect it. He's still five. A baby in world experience.
M Engel, Danville, IL
Wouldn't it make sense to have some kind of objective proof of the child's abilities? Most students don't get admitted to college based on their father claiming they took a chemistry test. It would be more standard for a child to take a college placement exam and to have recommendations from scientists or other people they'd worked with.
It is hard to imagine a child genuinely this prodigious couldn't find adults willing to work with them. Often for kids like this in the younger years working one on one is a lot better because they can get a customized education allowing for age typical handwriting or attention span. It also allows a child to learn without the restriction of a standard curriculum.
Parent , middle America, USA
Mr. Cawley is enabled in achieving his well-known and longstanding goal of attracting attention to himself and to his child, thanks to the sensationalism and editorial licentiousness of the Times. The child may well be quite clever at Chemistry. No doubt so was Sho Yano at that age. No doubt so are scores of other precocious learners. Readers of this article are misled if they for one moment believe Mr. Cawley's irresponsible hyperbole. A father's tireless insistence of 'earliest this' and 'youngest that' via myriad self-promoting self-published press releases, however, reveals his self-aggrandizing motives. Were Mr. Cawley more aware of the 'feats' of other children and were he willing to acknowledge that his son is not the cleverest boy in the world, he might gain more sympathy from parents and professionals. Instead he makes a freakshow of himself and his son and in turn poisons the well. When parents of extreme learners promulgate myths, they harm other extreme learners.
Ainan = Another Justin Chapman?, Colorado, USA
The Cawleys should perhaps look at the Davidson School in Reno, Nevada. It is a school for such profoundly gifted children that allows them to progress, but does not place them in a university setting. There Ainan could meet other children like himself
charlene shelton, denver, colorado
Would any parent here consider exposing their 7-year-olds to the hazards of a Chemistry lab? I spent a year at A Levels doing little else but titrations and ingested various chemicals by accident (through the pipette). There were times we had to handle concentrated acids. My 7-year-old can't wait to make me a cup of tea but I wouldn't trust him with boiling water, let alone conc. HCl.
Why not introduce Ainan to chemistry at home (ie cooking)? The name Heston Blumenthal comes to mind. The chemist that he is tries putting chemistry into cooking, only to take the joy out of it, methinks (!).
SP Lee, London, UK
Eugene is mistaken about early motor skills and intelligence. Profoundly gifted children tend to walk, talk and crawl earlier than other children. This can be seen from Miraca Gross' study on exceptionally gifted children - and other studies too.
Everything tends to be advanced, for the more advanced children. This shouldn't really be a surprise.
Ainan isn't North-East Asian, anyway. He is half South-East Asian.
As for Jara McClinton: Ainan will be studying many subjects in the next couple of years - not just Chemistry. It just happens that Chemistry is the first of the interests that he has developed.
The other prodigy she referred to, did three maths A levels, not 5 (all were in maths). That seems to be a very similar case - for it is just maths, maths, maths. He is also two years older than Ainan. In that time, Ainan will have done other things, too.
It is common - in fact, almost exclusively typical - for prodigies to have one initial focus. This is what they are.
Valentine Cawley, Singapore, Singapore
James, of Halifax,
I did not actually say that it was too early to tell if they would be equally gifted. That is a misunderstanding of what I actually said. What I said was that they were each showing a range of gifts, but that it was too early to know which they would go on to develop. That is a completely different statement.
Both of the other children are precocious in different ways. They are showing different gifts to Ainan, although there is some overlap.
They could be all-rounders - or they could pick a passion to develop: all is open, at this time.
Valentine Cawley, Singapore, Singapore
I thought that the education system in this country was predicated upon theability and educational requirements of the 'child'. Many are still indeed children, even at 19 - 20 yrs of age, but, should they have the educational requirement for a university education, they are granted a place. Those with special needs are catered for. Should a student require wheelchair access, for instance, it will be provided. We hear of many students being found to be short of ability in English, or fairly basic mathematics being provided with remedial lessons. What then is the argument about Ainan? If he needs assistance to 'reach equipment, then provide the assistance! If he were indeed physically or even mentally challenged, yet was refused a place, there would currently be veritable storms of outrage! S. Barraclough.
S Barraclough, Huddersfield, W. Yorkshire
Education = Morality, nor does Morality = Education, the question should be asked;
How can he become a better human being.
Since he is seven years old, the parents need to be asked;
Is it time for him to grow up?
If Ainan goes to University, he must mature fast, or he will not succeed as an individual.
By the way, Bobby Fischer is wanted in the USA, not a Moral success.
Charles Wess, KILLEEN, USA / TX
Maybe the reason universities won't take him is because he only has an O Level in chemistry and is only studying towards the A Level. If I, no matter if I managed 100% in the exam, was to approach a university with only that I'd be turned away too. Where is the mathematics, physics and English (yes, even scientists should have some grasp of English language skils)?
Private tutoring could be an option, but as for using labs, you'll be lucky.
C. Hunt, Glasgow, UK,
First of all, anyone who didn't read the article properly, where Valentine Cawley's sex is mentioned, shouldn't be so quick to criticise him.
Secondly, as a member of Mensa, with two sisters who are also members, I think the worst thing that can happen to a bright child is to be bored to the extent that they turn off. On the other hand, being bright at one thing doesn't mean bright at everything. I'm hopeless at maths.
I think it would be a pity to send Ainan to university while he is so small - his height and lack of strength would make it difficult for him to do some of the lab work. I think, from personal experience, I'd like to see his parents extend him in other fields. Most really bright children want to know about everything they can, so perhaps he could be encouraged to take an interest in something easier to be educated in.
Valerie, Perth, Australia
The Open University makes material taken from it's courses available for free via its OpenLearn project.
For example, Maths for Science can be found at http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2334 and
The Molecular world can be found at http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2971 .
A full list of Science units can be found here http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/filter.php?grouping=topic&detail=10&order=date&desc=&perpage=15&page=0
Stuart, Buckingham,
"The couple said that it was too early to tell if their other sons, Fintan, 4, and Tiarnan, 1, were equally gifted"
Its not exactly hard.
Are they 'interested in hyper-dimensional shapes' and do they 'draw their shadows in two dimensions as a form of intellectual play'?
If not, but rather they are still saying goo goo gaa gaa, then I'd guess they are not equally 'gifted'!
Jamie, Halifax, West Yorkshire
First of all, I understand the frustration of Aidan's parents. They are trying to do what they think best for their child and whether they are right or wrong, the inability to do so must be infuriating. I am particularly astonished by the refusal of the OU to take Aidan on.
However, for all those posters in a state of apoplectic rage at the nasty old universities who went let this 7 yr old follow his dream, I would have to ask. How many of you wanted to be firemen aged 7, how many train drivers, astronaughts or power rangers?!
Yes this child is clearly different, but he IS a child and what he wants now and what he wants in a years time may be very different, let alone what he wants by the time he becomes a responsible(ish) adult at 18.
If he really is a genius who will one day make great discoveries then he can do it between the ages of 20 and 80, an extra 10 or 12 years is nothing compared to the potential buen out witnessed in so many similar children.
dave, worthing, uk
Read a book? The boy needs stimulating in other ways and that can be met through university, not just with the acadamia side but the verbal communications and sharing that Aidan now needs. I would think books are of interest to him but he also needs the social stimulation of others who are on a par in regards to his interests
Lee, Toronto, Canada
To Cirep G Nol, London.
Jensen and Rushton - 30 years of race studies.
Eugene, Chester, England
I won't presume to know what's best for this child, but I'll never forget a music teacher who mentioned that the only real result of rushing through an accelerated education is to dump you out in the real world faster. I work with lots of Ph.D. postdocs who are in their early thirties. Would their lives really be that much better if they were in the same position in their early twenties?
It would be very interesting, and more importantly probably helpful, to know what other prodigies who are now adults feel looking back on a very accelerated academic career.
Anyone who has to learn now and can't put it off is going to have a hard time doing any sort of scientific research. It's not a field where impatience and instant gratification yield success. Just getting funding to pursue the research that fires your soul can take many years.
Maybe, just maybe, the apparent consensus in educational age policy is based on sound reasoning and experience.
Phil, Vienna, Austria
He should go to university - as a professor, not a student!
wayne, st. george's, grenada
Undergraduate chemistry course: £12050
Copy of Shriver & Atkins Inorganic Chemistry: £34.19
The best 3/4 years of ones life surrounded by friends, learning, drinking, living: Priceless
If the kid likes to read, buy him a book, there are plenty out there which are easilly challenging enough.
As for the assertion that he has friends of all ages, great, so do I. That doesn't mean that I would have wanted to spend my university years with a load of chaps, grossly over endowed in the cardigan department.
Universities are wonderful institutions and certainly an excellent way to extend ones education. However that is not all they are for and they are certainly not the only way to learn.
Besides, a precotiously talented and (by the very nature of children) inquisitive child is not something I would want anywhere a lab full of dangerous chemicals, especially if I was in it at the time!
dave, worthing, uk
I must say that i agree with some of the comments here about ensuring a balanced holistic approach. Ainan seems extremely talented in Chemistry, but what about other areas...? A seven year old attending a university with for all intents and purposes adult students can only lead to disaster. I have never heard of a university for children as there seems to be from the comments ... but what a wonderful idea.. Does it mean, though, that a child who displays a unique talent or gift should be disallowed access to education just because he does not fit the 'norm'. It beggars the question what the 'norm' is.
Interesting problem!
sharon, london,
To Eugene, Chester:
"Early motor skills are usually the sign of low intelligence"
Really! Which reports point to that conclusion?
Cirep G Nol, London,
Nobody has a "normal" childhood, as there is no such thing, and sending children to regular school is no guarantor that they end up normal.
This child should not be denied access to a high enough level of educational material, based on age. It's ridiculous. By the same token, the child also deserves a family life and the ability to develop socially. Maybe give him access to suitable materials, let him do a chemistry degree, and then when he's older (say 18/19) let him go and do another degree so that he can experience the other aspects of university life, as university is not just about book learning. As for sending him to do a 9 to 5 job by the age of ten, I think that's highly unlikely. It's also illegal.
Lisa, London,
Although Ainan may be ready for University Level Chemistry course, he is NOT ready for entering the University yet. Please note that child prodigy like March Tian Boedihardjo gained 8 GCSEs and at the same time sat for the A levels in 5 subjects. Here we are talking about a boy who has only pass Chemistry at O level, and has not yet even taken Chemistry at A level for yet. BTW, what was his grade for O level Chemistry? Did he just pass the course?
Students entering NUS or NTI need to complete A level with 4 subjects. Is Ainan just going to do Chemistry, Chemistry, Chemistry and Chemistry at the University? Please have him take Math, Further Math, Physics and Biology, and start looking for University only after he has excelled in these subjects, and get a reasonable grade for Chemistry too.
Jara McClinton, Austin, USA
A university in Nevada has started a school for extremely gifted students who are not yet of university age. It's separate from the university itself, and the young students seem to study primarily with children their own age. I believe they can take university classes eventually, but they are not enrolled in the university the same way 18-year-old students would be.
As far as I know, this is a new model. I know of university-based summer programs for talented students, but this is the first program I've heard of that substitutes for regular school rather than supplementing it. It does seem like a good idea, though, and it might be worth emulating elsewhere.
M.C., Washington DC, USA
My apologies for assuming thet Valentine Cawleywas a woman; indeed Valentine was once a common male name in my own country of origin, Ireland. I had taught myself to read and write before I started school at the age of 4, but no one mistook me for a genius, thank God. VC evidently has invested so heavily in the notion of this child's 'genius' that he has to attack all who question it.
I do have experience of child prodigies (a friend's son was composing full scale choral works in a classical idiom long before he attended secondary school). He was treated as a normal child, who was extremely advanced in certain areas and is now a happy well-balanced University student aged 19, studying science as it happens.
'real world' for Valentine Cawley means 'my world', I fear.
Dectora, London, UK/ex Ireland
Ainan is an authentic product of Nature and is not to be pounded into the spaghetti mold of popular childhood. We'd all benefit if the intellectuals would stop insisting that we be "normal" (according to their definitions). Letting Ainan be his true self and make the extraordinary contribution for which is he designed would absolutel NOT degrade his humanity and make him like a "performing monkey". This special human being must be allowed to excell and be excellent without incuring the envy and PC wrath of elites.
Perhaps the essential problem here is that the child Ainan is challenging adults' exclusive claim on wisdom. "Hey kid, you're expected to be stupid, weak and ignorant. Now get with the programme!" Psychologists and other brainiacs simply must forgive themselves for not having been as clever as Ainan at age seven.
MARC SILVER, Phoenix, Arizona
Strange story. Early motor skills are usually the sign of low intelligence. North-east Orientals are the slowest to develop physically, having the highest IQ.
Also, a child's brain is not a mini adult brain. Different areas of the brain mature at different stages of growth. Certain concepts, such as 'the conservation of liquid' are not grasped early on. Ideas of morality and intent are not fully appreciated until adulthood.
I think this child needs no more than the internet and home tuition. If he's going to make any great scientific discovery it won't be until he reaches his intellectual peak, about late twenties.
These parents are looking for attention and a bit of vicarious glory.
Eugene, Chester, England
It appears never to have occurred to Malcolm McLean, et. al., that no parent would trouble themselves to look for a University for their child, were it not appropriate.
As for the O level being accesssible to any "bright" six year old, he must be utterly unaware of its content. It is an O level, not a GCSE. The content is more than rigorous enough to ensure the failure of even a "bright" six year old. He is understood to be the youngest child ever to pass an O level. Were it accessible to children so young to do so, he would not be a record-holder.
I am surprised that Marie Johnson's ad hominem attack was even posted. I come from a time when people wrote sentences of more than syllable and were able to engage in discussion without verbally attacking the other. Apparently, civility is not fashionable in Canada these days.
Doomsayers on prodigy should consider this. Karl Benz invented the car - and was a child prodigy. There are many successful examples of prodigy.
Valentine Cawley, Singapore, Singapore
Richard of Canterbury.
Thank you for your suggestion. We contacted the Open University, but they weren't so open. Apparently, it was considered inappropriate to expose such a young child to books, at a distance. There was a danger that he might have read one of them.
Seriously, they wouldn't allow him on a course because of his age. Even distance learning is proving difficult to arrange since Universities seem to want to deny access to information, to a child, based on age.
What, I would ask them, is the difficulty of allowing someone to learn, whatever their age?
Valentine Cawley, Singapore, Singapore
All of G Davies' listed geniuses were at one time: "kids who could read books".
Many of them were also child prodigies. They are prime cases of the phenomenon. Would G Davies, then, have faulted the world for recognizing their gifts as children? Or does someone have to have lived their life, established their reputation and died before G Davies acknowledges them?
There is rather more to every prodigy and genius than reading books. Reading a book is the least of it.
Valentine Cawley, Singapore, Singapore
You don't need university attendance or a degree to validate talent, even genius.
You're willing to split the family so 1 parent can live away with your son at university.. Surely then you must be open to an innovative solution, one that permits all 3 children to grow up together, learn from each other and meet their individual potential.
For your eldest, investigate local private mentoring, through a university or other school, with access to a lab and equipment, but not in a crowded classroom environment. That is rarely where the best intellectual discussion happens anyway.
If money is an issue, sponsorship and financial help are more likely locally. It'd be less crushingly expensive than going off to university and setting up a 2nd home.
Above all, allow your son the freedom to slow down or change direction, if he chooses. Don't cripple him with your pride & expectations. Know when to stand back and let him fly, but also when to back off and let him pace himself.
Yetta De Vuyst, Surrey, England
There are a number of universities that offer programs for special young students. I retired from one such institution, UC Santa Barbara, that offers the College of Creative Studies, a year around program. The areas available are art, biology, chemistry and biochemistry, computer science, literature, mathematics, music composition and physics. Parents should look into these programs. As far as the social aspect goes, there students are different and they are in class with other different students. I worked this and other "high school age" programs and they are productive.
Tippi Lawrence, Goleta, CA
God's given gift should never be throw away,if this child have
what it say,then god bless him,give him a chance!
Cllr Ken Tiwari, Oxford, United Kingdom
Hilarious he is called the“He is a very cool dude. You have never seen anyone more relaxed and laidback in your life,†etc. Kids are supposed to be nonchalant. It's like saying a fetus "enjoys swimming." Ridiculous.
judy ruliani, NY, NYUSA
I work as an advisor/advocate for homeschooling families and I must add my surprise at the view some people have of socialization. I have yet to meet a homeschooler of any age who is not well rounded and able to communicate well with people of all ages, they are very well socialized in fact if anything one of the biggest problems homeschool parents have is to constantly have to re-evaluate their after school activities (with both homeschoolers and children from traditional schools) so as not to over socialize.
It might do Aidens family well to consider a move to Canada or the US where the Universities are respecting applications for homeschooled children (some of them homeschooled because they work at an advanced level).
There was also one young prodigy who recently attended a Canadian Uni where he and his father moved from China and stayed in residence together.
We must listen to our children so as to eanble them to be who they can be.
Lee, Toronto, Canada
It's all a case of adaptation or maladaption. If the intention for this person's future is that he will be living the life of an "average" person, and having to think like an "average" person and fit in with average people, then having an average childhood will make it easier. On the other hand if the aim is to have him lead the life of an academic, and have friends from among other gifted academics, then he will meet many who have not had average upbringings and who will be open-minded enough to accept any peculiarities in his demeanour caused by not having an average childhood. I don't believe there is an innate karmic rule that says people of a certain age need to play with Lego and watch Blue Peter or they become unhealthy.
Inge Jones, London, UK
Exceptional education should be made available to such exceptional children. Perhaps some universities should create an 'attached school for the young gifted' which would give these children the opportunity to access the universitys' lecturers and resources in an appropriate way. I wish Ainan success, happiness and a great future.
Sue D, Nantwich, UK
If this boy is as smart as the parents seem to think then he will soon figure out he is being used as an ego boost. V Cawley states "The Joan Freemans of this world have an academic position - but often no real world experience of the matters they pronounce on. I would recommend first parenting a prodigy - then, perhaps, a person might have some understanding of the issues." This statement smacks of arrogance. Professor Freeman has been in the field of gifted children for 33 years and is a preeminent psychologist in this area. How about Ainans world experience? He is going to grow up feeling like a lab rat.
I am sure it's great at coffee mornings boasting about your clever kid but how about thinking about the child missing out on childhood. It is really sad when you see this kiasu* attitude adopted without thought to the social wellbeing and emotional development of a child.
*A Singaporean social attitude of over competitive behavior ( literally meaning " fear of losing")
Edward, London,
It is absolutely wrong to send a 7 year old to university. School is not purely about learning academic material, but primary socialisation where a child learns to live in the world & interact with their peers. It is possible for him to continue to learn above his age without leaving his current environment. It says his parents don’t push him but that is clearly rubbish from the way they talk in the article, they are VERY keen for his to get into university early. They have placed all their importance on learning degree level chemistry, not on allowing the boy to have a childhood. They are also denying him the possibility of going to university at an appropriate age when he can enjoy it. Presumably by the age of 12 he’ll be in a nice 9-5 office job and socially awkward. He’s home schooled so he’s already missing out on mixing with his peers. His mother states most gifted people are introverts – what rubbish. It would be a travesty if the arrogance & egotism of parents ruined this boy
Jackby, London,
We home -schooled 4 children for 10 years. All are now happy and doing very well in the last years of high school and university.
Attending university is not the same thing as working to university level.
I know 1st hand the risk of being held back, bored and stifled in conventional school. May I suggest home schooling a child in his particular gift, combined with a good, balanced education in all the other areas of this child's life. This does not mean isolation from the community and other age mates. Our children were very involved in community sports, music and other interests that appealed to them.
Upon entering conventional school they continued in their academic strengths, sometimes with outside tutors. It was the tailoring to their individual talents and interests through the home schooling and then a mix of this and regular school that allowed them to develop to their abilities, but not at the expense of their emotional growth and a balanced healthy childhood.
Yetta De Vuyst, Surrey , England
I received my first college chemistry text from my grandfather at about eight and could balence redox reactions at nine. My daughter, who's now seven can explain many of the concepts of chemistry as well and we often discuss a wide range of science topics during dinner, but in this day and age of the internet and easy access to information, that's not unusual. Children are naturally curious and will seek out challenging material if given the opportunity. However, the ability to do chemistry is not enough to suceeed in university.
Until he's doing college level calculus flawlessly, I wouldn't worry about finding him a university home.
Kids need to be kids first.
Scott, Durham, NC, USA
Both Dectora and Andrew Copley have shot from the hip on this one - you two are responding to Valentine Cawley - a "he".
One the other hand, Valentine might do better to consider the comments of M. Hoeber, Sherry and Andrew Copley in a more detached manner. Chemistry, math and physics (music too for that matter) all require the skill of pattern recognition - something Aidan seems to have in abundance - but there are many other aspects of life where reliance on established patterns can lead to disaster.
I'd suggest that the Cawley family would do well to try to find a university that could organize some form of supervised independent study, since that seems to be how Aidan has succeeded so far. Computational chemistry might be an option. Mr. Cawley's main challenge is not to build Aidan a home laboratory but to avoid the mistakes of Ruth Lawrence' father and the Yusof parents and not to push too hard...
R Collins, Kamloops, Canada
Abioye Oyetunji has raised a view that many, no doubt, hold.
While I understand where that view comes from and can sympathize with the reasons for holding it, it is not a view that takes account of the child's true needs.
Any child in Ainan's position has an enormous need for intellectual challenge. Such children learn very fast, can master new material with ease and grow at a huge pace. If this need is repressed, the child becomes very unhappy indeed. The profoundest disenchantment with all things to do with school will result. Most definitely, the child will be lost, academically. The gifted child, in such a position, becomes disengaged from the system and unwilling to work with it or within it.
It is the most common mistake of modern education - and the most serious - not to engage such children at their level. The loss to society of their capacity and potential is beyond measure.
Chemistry, by the way, requires maths, verbal skills, spatial and practical skills.
Valentine Cawley, Singapore, Singapore
Why is this child described as a genius?
Genius, let me see
Newton, Darwin, Einstein, Gallileo
Shakespeare, Bach, Mozart
Socrates, Plato
er that's it, not some kid that can read a book
g davies, sydney, NSW
Valentine, Contact the Open University UK. They have very good study materials and Ainan could work on them from home. I don't know how much chemistry he could do, but a maths and science mix might be engaging enough for him at present and keep him thinking until he is old enough to go to a university with good chemistry labs (if chemistry continues to be his thing.)
Best wishes with your child.
Richard, Canterbury, UK
Ainan may be capable of grasping an understading of certain issues much more quickly than other children, however, I believe that university, particularly at undergraduate level is an experience of social transformation as well as intellectual. At such a young age he would not be accepted within the normal social framework of a tertiary institution.
Ainan obviously is capable of learning without any assistance and he could possibly do so more efficiently than what is taught at university. I would think it more beneficial to employ the assistance of highly educated mentors to train and education him at home and in fields more varied than chemistry alone. As his younger siblings grow older, he could also influence them positively if he has a more mature nature and all three of the siblings would stand a greater chance of success in their early lives. The bonds built as brothers would also enable them to flourish in their later lives through their continued support of each other.
Andrew Adel, London,
The naysayers here are presenting a strawman argument. They are incorrectly assuming that if the child isn't doing what a 'normal' 7 yr old is doing in a school environment, then he will be somehow socially or emotionally stunted. Nonsense. School is simply not essential for socialisation. As long as the kid gets to play with kids his own age then he will be fine. Most of my socialisation as a kid was outside of school.
Kids need to interact with kids their own age (school is unnecessary for this), but they also need to be stimulated and not bored, and fufill their potential.
I'm also puzzled by those comments that seem to imply academic exellence necessarily implies some sort of social/emotional retardation. I'm not a prodigy but I loved maths. At age 11 I could do calculus and spent quite a few hours on fermats last theorem! Yet I was emotionally like any other 11 yr old and grew up accordingly - I just happened to love maths.
Philip, Wales,
Perhaps the parents of this child may do well to ask themselves if sending their son to university at this age is for his greater good or to satisfy their own vanity. Certainly the child appears unusually intelligent in chemistry and perhaps his use of the PC. But no matter how often his dad appears in these comments pages with his obtuse and convoluted sentence constructions and vocabulary choice (and he doth protest too much), he's not giving the impression he shares his son's genius genes. He may do better to maintain his dignity, do his own research and consultations with his child, wife and psychologists before the family make their decision -- all out of the public eye.
Marie Johnson, toronto, canada
Why not let him be educated at university level via distance learning? After all, he is already home tutored. That way, he can have access to the information if he wants to learn, whilst still being at home, with all his friends and family around him.
Nikki, Devon,
Perhaps Ainan's extraordinary ability could be supported through extra tuition, or even a distance learning degree course, as a hobby or area of passionate interest .In addition to cognitive developoment, there is physical, creative, personal, social and emotional development as well as knowledge and understanding of the world to consider. Healthy development in all of these areas would be compromised if Aidan were to find himself immersed in an adult world so young. Understanding and knowledge of the world happens in the playground and in the classroom, during sports and being part of a peer group as well as through imaginative play. Gifted and talented children of seven benefit from teachers trained to differentiate.Education and maturation is a process.To be fast forwarded is to be deprived of valuable experience.Too much of one thing is a risk, and depriving a child of appropriate emotional development could be deemed to be a form of abuse.
geraldine maidment, London,
I am sure there must be a school in USA,,China etc that must cater for child geniuses.
Also Joan Freeman is not wrong.I know a child prodigy and she has never really worked even though middle aged,and suffers emotionally.
It is not all about meeting their intyellectual needs,that is just one aspect. Seven year olds are not mature enough to cope with mixing with adults at university.They need to be with their mums. also as the article says,there are practical things too.Labs are designed for adults and a child could seriously injure themselves.
I hope that the child will be considered in all this.
w johnson, lincoln, uk
Don't see why he shouldn't go to university if wants to, he sounds pretty much like an average university-level student to me. Incidentally, a head-start in life of 12 years or so becomes much less remarkable as you get older: nobody is terribly interested in a 48-year-old with the brain of a 60-year-old, which is probably a clue that grading intelligence at all is wrong-headed, since the possible paths to take in personal development are infinitely many and uncharted and of mainly subjective value.
_Felix, Nottingham,
Obviously this child is capable of handling advanced courses and he deserves the opportunity to do so. But on a college campus? Absolutely not.
Why not let him grow up at home (with his family and around same-age peers) and take advanced studies online? It may not be what the parents want, but it is what this "shy with new people" child needs.
Jacquie McTaggart, Independence, Iowa
If he is being home tutored to some extent anyway, why not continue this with Proffessorial teachers and jump straight to a research degree. He can then continue to be a 'child' and do the usual 'childish things' and hang out with his own age group and so grow socially.
barbara, yorkshire,
The rules about chemical structures and bonds, to an O level sort of understanding at least, are fairly simple and could be taught to any rather bright 6 year old. Though Ainan is obviously extremely clever, I wonder if his parents are deluding themselves about genius. I suspect his success says more about the chemistry curriculum than about him.
Rather than entering him for a formal university degree, with the danger that entails, it would be better, since they can no longer teach him themselves, to try to get a university chemist to tutor him, but as a child rather than as an undergraduate. He can start a degree at fifteen or sixteen, and it may well not be in chemistry. It is quite possibly just a fad, as other children become experts on dinosaurs.
Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK
Ruth Lawrence has stated very firmly that she would never put her own children through University as children, no matter how able they prove to be. The problem is that prodigies are often children who reach a very good adult standard in some field (typically music or mathematics) very early on, but not all are baby Mozarts---- in other words they are not going to progress indefinitely. The crisis comes when they realise that they have already peaked at say 14, or 17.
John Stuart Mill was obliged to work as a quasi-adult collaborator with his father James Mill while still a small child and he had a major breakfdown in adolescence.
Dectora, London, UK/ex Ireland
A child of this age is not emotionally ready to attend university. I would not want to see his genius unfulfilled, but that must be balanced with the fact that he is still a child. The best scenario would one in which he is allowed to socialize with other children his age in an educational environment, while having private tutoring in whichever subjects fit his genius. His stable emotional development depends on allowing him to grow up before making him an adult.
Carmen, Albany, NY, US
This is a very tricky position. I understand Mrs. Cawley's position; to simply place the child in the normal system feels as though the child's potential is being squandered. I must also confess that I have no experience of raising a prodigy and I certainly appreciate Mrs. Cawley's informed opinion on the matter. However, I believe that a parent's first responsibility is to the welfare of the child, not the maximising of his or her's potential. I would rather my child was held back and allowed to socially grow in the "normal manner" than discovered something incredible in his or her field. The child appears gifted in chemistry in particular; so are we to then condone the disregard of the development of the child's langauge and mathematical skills? Most child prodigies grow up into "adult prodigies". The truth is allowing this child to have a normal education system and attend university at 18 will not suddenly mean that he will not be able to do great things in chemistry.
Abioye A Oyetunji, London, UK
Ruth Lawrence's upbringing is not typical of prodigies I have read of. It is also not the way we are bringing up our kids.
Of note and relevance is that Ruth Lawrence was not allowed to have friends of her own age, at all. We, however, ensure and encourage our children to have friends of whatever age they choose. As a result, Ainan has friends across the age spectrum.
There is no comparison, socially, between Ainan's upbringing and that of Ruth Lawrence.
I am sorry for her that she endured such inflicted isolation. Her statements on her upbringing are a reaction to that. Our children have, on the other hand, an abundance of friends.
Nor, by the way, is our son "pushed". We came to understand that he had imbibed a good measure of Chemistry rather late in the game. By the time we noticed, he was already able to answer an O level paper correctly. He had taught himself, by himself, on the internet. This is a very different scenario to the one people might presume.
Valentine Cawley, Singapore, Singapore
Valentine Cawley shows her true colours. She claims, by the age of 6, to have parented a prodigy. In fact she has yet to see this child through the most dificult periods of his his young life. She would do very well to heed the advice of Ruth Lawrence, who ended up haveing no relationship whatsoever with her pushy father. Anyway chemistry is crap...why doesnt he study Maths or isnt he bright enough?
Andrew Copley, Santiago, Chile
The UKs answer is no - in this age of "inclusiveness" he should be put in a state school with no doubt some dysfunctional youths in his class. His ability to do well and suceed in life will then be destroyed as he would not be pushed, encouraged and developed - but become bored and frustrated.
The UK then doesn't gain from a great mind that could be developed - but the socio experiment of "inclusiveness" and "one size fits all" that dominates the state sector will be allowed to continue.
Richard Garland, Greater Manchester,
M. Hoeber has misunderstood the situation. It is easy for Ainan to find friends. He is a friendly person and comfortable with a wide range of ages of children. He also converses well with adults.
What is much harder is for Ainan to find a suitable intellectual milieu. I don't know about you, but my house neither has, nor has room for, a fully equipped scientific laboratory. That is actually what he needs to pursue his basic interests in Chemistry and the other sciences.
As I have noted before, people who have no personal acquaintance with the situation of a prodigy yet feel able to pronounce upon it. I think it creates further misunderstanding when people do this - for most people will not analyze the perspective of the one who writes.
Parents of a prodigy always face incomprehension, when they seek a suitable education for their child. This seems to be a timeless problem.
I hope to see a day when education systems simply provide what is necessary for such gifted children
Valentine Cawley, Singapore, Singapore
This is ridiculous. You know what? My child is autistic. He is most definitely missing out on a normal childhood. While that makes me sad, that is his own unique journey. If a child can develop his mind at this young age (such as the one in this article), it seem like having a different childhood is not that horrible of a thing. My guess is that if this childhood simply attended a normal school and was not able to pursue his education in the time-frame that is right for him, he still would not have a "normal" childhood. My guess is that he does not relate to his lesser-advanced peers "normally" anyway. A lot of people do not have "normal" childhoods - some for good reasons and some for bad. Not everyone will have, or need, the same experience.
Sherry, West Des Moines, Iowa,
Valentine Cawley might be well advised to consider this matter from the point of view of Ruth Lawrence, who is determined not to replicate with her own children what was for her a deeply disturbing childhood, pushed by an over-ambitious parent determined to 'achieve' via his daughter. She has the 'long view' Ms Cawley, you do not.
Dectora, London, UK/ex Ireland
The emotional immaturity of a natural genius can lead to the fateful leap off Beachy Head
jfleming, whittlesey, canbs uk
Send him to a school in England where he will soon give up reading ..
Seriously though, there should be schools were gifted children of similar ages can learn together.
roger, london,
Though this child may be highly gifted in the field of chemistry, does this also mean he should bypass elements of the national curriculum in other subjects? I hope not, why paint the child into a corner with an indepth knowledge of one subject at the expense of an all round education?
Paul Mahalo, Hull,
Chemistry at university is a full-time course. Is that the only subject his parents want Ainan to study from the age of 8 or so?
I hope this is not the case, but if it is, then they need to think seriously about the possible effects of their intentions.
Ralph Quarton, Anost, France
Ignore the emotional and social needs of a young child at your peril-- and that of the child's. The parents of very bright children too often permit their own pride and their egotistical desire for publicity to affect decisions that can be potentially devastating for their highly intelligent but completely vulnerable offspring. While intellectual curiosity is easy to satisfy, it is NOT possible for a seven year old to develop socially and emotionally at the same rate as his intellect is able to do. People are not purely intellects. They are complex organisms with more aspects of personality than just intellect ,that need time and the right environment to develop optimally. And this little boy is no exception to that rule.
M. Hoeber, Miami, Florida USA
I do wonder if there is not a school, somewhere in the world, where such precociously talented children may learn together with others like themselves?
Marco, Birmingham, uk
Should he go to a university? No, not at that age, the environment would be totally unsuitable. Neither tutors or student peer group could remotely assimilate the child and it would probably cause emotional difficulties.
Should he have a university level education? Yes most certainly. How this conundrum is resolved would need careful thought if he is to develop as a normal, albeit, highly intelligent person.
Jonathan Mills, Brighton,
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
Jonathan, Auckland, New Zealand
Joan Freeman's view is seemingly not informed by any experience of the actual nature of a child prodigy. Every child needs a different level of stimulus, some need University level material, while still very young, because that is where their reasoning powers are at. To ignore this is to ensure the boredom and frustration of the child. Is that the recommended outcome for an "Educational Psychologist"?
It is far more harmful to ignore the intellectual needs of a prodigy, than to engage them. Engaging them, successfully, will bring satisfaction to the child; failing to do so can only ever bring disenchantment. The Joan Freemans of this world have an academic position - but often no real world experience of the matters they pronounce on. I would recommend first parenting a prodigy - then, perhaps, a person might have some understanding of the issues. Until then, their views have no weight at all - for they are based on no experience.
Valentine Cawley, Singapore, Singapore