Was Einstein really a late talker?
This is a question that I recently got when I shared an article that I did sometimes ago when reviewing the book Einstein syndrome.
And honestly, I was out of words.
Because, who knows whether Einstein was a late talker, did not have any speech delay issues or maybe he was just a highly functioning autistic.
Was Einstein a Late talker, Autistic or did not have speech problems at all?
While most people have made the argument that science genius Albert Einstein was a late talker, there is another contrary group that goes on to prove that he was not late in talking and would chatter about each of his experiences from an early age especially when he was around his grandparents.
Others have gone on to argue that Einstein was autistic and will swear by it.
The Einstein Syndrome and its arguments
Writings have already been done on how Einstein was late in talking but would later stun the world with his brilliance and ingenious mind. In fact, there has been a term coined the Einstein syndrome that goes on to compare gifted kids who are late talkers and might show precocious analytical skills.
Economist Thomas Sowell is the first person who came up with this term and wrote a best seller with the title “Einstein Syndrome” Bright Children who talk Late’. In his works, he argues that Albert Einstein, like most today kids was speech delayed.
His inspiration in writing the book stemmed from his own son’s late talking. John was a loner and loved spending time solving mysteries such as unlocking different door latches, playing on the computer. He expresses his frustration trying to get the boy to speak.
He would later on turn out fine and did Computer Science.
Was Einstein Autistic?
The other group saying that Einstein was autistic say that it is only autistic people who are able to analytically focus on things for such a long time so that they can be able to decipher how things work and get theorems that gob smack the whole world.
Einstein, they say was just a high functioning autistic. They have gone on to argue that other high functioning autistics that fit the description of Einstein are Bill Gates and Lionel Messi.
They focus on something for too long till they are able to do it inimitably. Though they have friends, go on to date and marry, they are rather introverts and a bit socially aloof.
Related: Home Remedies for late talking child
But with a bottom line that they are really gifted and end up famous.
The Truth about Einstein
The truth is that we can never know whether Einstein was indeed a late talker, autistic or did not have a developmental problem at all.
He is not here for us to examine if he displayed the characteristics of a late talker or those of someone with autism spectrum disorder, is he?
The only thing we can do is just read through other people’s writings and speculations with a pinch of salt.
Because when Einstein was here on earth, late talking and autism were not clearly defined. At the same time, there seem not to be sufficient historical evidence that he had any of the problems.
People were too much focused on Einstein’s scientific theories and proofs to go back to his childhood. And true to that, it is the only thing that you will find about Albert Einstein when you read through Wikipedia and other reputable journals: his brilliance.
It would also not do any good to have asked him since he most probably would not remember whether he was a late talker.