Help on the way for baby genius

Help is on the way for baby genius Soul-Heart Stewart whose academic brilliance has prevented him from being placed in a school.

Soul-Heart's father, Dwayne Stewart, said that he met with State Minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Alando Terrelonge, on Monday, and he was told that the ministry intends to assist the three-year-old.

"We discussed a number of things, and among the thing that Mr Terrelonge discussed is to get him the assessment done first then after which a decision would be made to determine which educational institution he would be placed in and to ensure that the one chosen would be the one that would work in Soul-Heart's favour," he said.

Terrelonge confirmed the meeting in a social media post and gave details of the plans they had in store for Soul-Heart.

"Today (Monday) I met a very special three-year-old young king. Autistic and gifted with a mathematical mind of a child exceeding his years. With a father who is passionate about his growth and development and who is willing to move mountains to get his child the help he needs. Our discussions were frank and honest," he said.

Growth and development

"We have agreed to let the experts complete the assessment and then design a special programme for him. I am excited about his growth and development. With supportive parents and our team at the Ministry and Early Childhood Commission, I know he will be able to maximise his full potential."

Stewart said that he was told that his son has high-functioning autism, which causes him to perform exceptionally well. High-functioning autism (HFA) is a term applied to people with autism who are deemed to be cognitively "higher functioning" (with an IQ of 70 or greater) than other people with autism. Individuals with HFA or Asperger syndrome may exhibit deficits in areas of communication, emotion recognition and expression, and social interaction.

Soul-Heart was first introduced to STAR readers earlier this month when he wowed everyone by solving a series of mathematical problems and identifying words that even some adults would find challenging. Since his story was published, Stewart said that the support and response has been overwhelming.

"A lot of parents whose children have autism have reached out to me to say that their children are doing unbelievable stuff and they are happy to know that they are not alone. I really want to thank THE STAR for sharing our story. We have gotten a lot of calls and are still receiving calls from a lot of persons," he said.