F

Annette and Heinrich say their anxieties about their son going to university at such a young age have been salved somewhat by knowing that Hjalmar has always been more comfortable in adult company and by the fact that he has already made friends at university.

“We always went out of our way to expose Hjalmar to other people, other adults and children, so that he had as big a spectrum as possible, so he didn’t become inept or feel isolated,” says Annette. EELINGS of isolation are a concern for Charlene Hudson, single mother of Chequita, 13. Chequita’s IQ puts her in the top one percent of the population. She is also shy, gentle and incredibly sensitive.

According to Charlene, Chequita expressed signs of an existential crisis around age six.

“Academically she developed really early, but emotionally not.”

After Chequita reached several developmental milestones early on, Charlene began consulting psychologists, psychiatrists and