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

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