AS?

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emGZ7yoqlKA&feature=related[/youtube]

I think so yes.

That looked really awkward, felt sorry for him at times.

Crazy smart kid, though. Going to Harvard, was top high school math student in all of the US, won tons of competitions, writes piano concertos, etc.

That kid is very cool. I really like him.
Especially the lack of any reaction when the interviewer said stupid things.
The kind of lack of reaction that says "I know you just asked something but it was so stupid I can't interpret it into my language without huge effort so I'm not going to bother. Try again."

Nice kid but somebody needs to teach him to reply to questions more promptly -- that huge delay does not convey intelligence.

I really like him; find him incredibly interesting and funny (but not making fun of him.)
I know he'll be successful.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRZNQ06kWyc[/youtube]

Yep, that one's the more well-known one. Already seen it.

That was really awkward. I wouldn't have known how to respond to a lot of his questions either. I don't know if this kid has an ASD or not, but I would be surprised if he did just based on his current behaviour.

It may be difficult for him to do so. You know how lots of autistics have problems with thinking fast enough to keep up with conversations? You have to listen, interpret, think of response, translate to speech, produce speech--that can only go so fast. Your response time goes up with practice, but this guy is only a kid--give him some time.

I agree! And I think oceans comment--whether intended this way or not--focuses more on caring what other people think. A lot of people on the spectrum (and even a lot of kids not on the spectrum) have difficulty answering questions like that, and he probably had no clue what those other people thought of him. I never sound as smart as I am when speaking. That kid is probably a genius, and he shouldn't have to prove it (although he did when he beat all those other kids in the spelling bee). I thought the way the host and audience were kind of mocking him was a bit pathetic. That too did not convey intelligence on their part.

You make good points. I know it can be hard to reply as fast as NTs, but I'm also optimistic that with some effort / training he could at least reply within a more normal timeframe (even going from 10 seconds to 5 seconds would make a huge difference). In some situations it's not a bad idea to care what others think -- like when you're on national TV!

Earlier this year; I think he's improved a bit. He still looks a bit uncomfortable, but not as much as he was a few years ago.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd2JUji07M8[/youtube]

This could also be largely because he is more likely rehearsed in this video, while the other two videos were very spontaneous. It would be interesting to see him interviewed again now.

This was a similar situation; not spontaneous/live/etc. back when he was in the spelling bee. I think he's definitely gotten more confidence.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0Gc5v4OU8E&feature=related[/youtube]

Ignore most of the video; pay attention to the first twenty seconds or so.