Einstein Syndrome: Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[Einstein syndrome]] |
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{{db-copyvio|url=http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Syndrome-Bright-Children-Talk/dp/0465081401}} |
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This recently recognised condition had the phrase [["Einstein Syndrome"]] attached to it by Author and renowned economist Thomas Sowell in his book entitled ''The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late'' in reference to Albert Einsteins reported late development in speech and general communication. |
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While many children who talk late suffer from developmental disorders or autism, there is a certain well-defined group who are developmentally normal or even quite bright, yet who may go past their fourth birthday before beginning to talk. These children are often misdiagnosed as autistic or retarded, a mistake that is doubly hard on parents who must first worry about their apparently handicapped children and then see them lumped into special classes and therapy groups where all the other children are clearly very different. |
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Since he first became involved in this issue in the mid-90s, Sowell has joined with Stephen Camarata of Vanderbilt University, who has conducted a much broader, more rigorous study of this phenomenon than the anecdotes reported in Late-Talking Children. Sowell can now identify a particular syndrome, a cluster of common symptoms and family characteristics, that differentiates these late-talking children from others; relate this syndrome to other syndromes; speculate about its causes; and describe how children with this syndrome are likely to develop. |
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These children developed language at a significantly late age, but display many other remarkable talents. In both studies more than half the children were three and a half years-old before they made their first multi-word statement. In one study most children were four before they completed a sentence. In the other study complete sentences came for most of the children by age five. |
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Some characteristics of these children were remarkably consistent. Boys represented 87 and 89 percent of the children in the two studies. Both studies showed a high level of analytical abilities in these children. Most excel in putting puzzles together as toddlers. Parents rated these children as unusually good at solving puzzles (67 percent in the first and 46 percent in the second study). Similarly parents rated the children as having an extremely good memory (56 and 52 percent of children). Some parents described their children's memory as "truly unbelievable." These children were also particularly attracted to computers and music. |
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In the larger study 86 percent of the preschoolers liked computers and 97 percent liked music. |
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Family patterns also emerged in the two studies. The vast majority of biological children had a close family member in an analytical occupation (engineer, scientist, or mathematician). Musicians were also prominent in the families of these children. At least one close relative played a musical instrument in 75 percent and 78 percent of the biological families in the two studies. Only 4 and 7 percent of the children respectively in the two studies did not have a close relative who either had an analytical occupation or was a musician. |
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The parents of these children also tended to have a high level of education. Nearly 60 percent of parents in one study and 71 percent of parents in the other had completed at least 4 years of college. |
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Professor Sowell cautions parents about labeling these late-talking children and the tendency of professionals to misdiagnose them based on their refusal to perform tasks, their disinterest in tests, and their low scores on language assessment instruments. |
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These children may have specific intense interests, and a lack of concern about other topics such as talking. Einstein for example had tremendous talent in mathematics, but nearly failed out of school because of his disinterest in other subjects. Rubinstein began playing the piano at age three, but would not say a single word. By age four he could play complicated pieces on the piano after hearing them played once, evidence of the unusually proficient memory of these late-talking, gifted children. |
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'''For more information:''' |
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''See the books'' |
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The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late by Thomas Sowell |
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Late Talking Children - By Thomas Sowell |
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''Visit the websites:'' |
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einsteinsyndrome.net [http://einsteinsyndrome.net/] & Thomas Sowell's Homepage[http://www.tsowell.com/latetalk2.html] |
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Created by Zeth Ward, UK 23/08/07 |
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Revision as of 18:23, 26 May 2008
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