Baby Genius still not in school

September 11, 2019
Dwayne Stewart holds his son, Soul-Heart.
Dwayne Stewart holds his son, Soul-Heart.
Alando Terrelonge
Alando Terrelonge
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It 's the second week of the new school year, and while most students are settled in their classes, this is not the case with baby genius Soul-Heart Stewart. His father, Dwayne Stewart, said the brilliant three-year-old recently did an assessment at a childcare and development centre, and is awaiting a call to determine his next steps.

"I am not sure how long it will take to get back the results of the assessment but I am hoping it will be soon. The lady who did the assessment was very impressed with our son and said that in her 34 years of work, she has never quite met a child like Soul-Heart and he needs to be in school," he said.

High-functioning autism

Soul-Heart was first introduced to STAR readers in July. The gifted child was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, which causes him to perform way ahead of his age level. Soul-Heart can recite what Jamaicans call 'times table' up to multiples of 20.

The child's parents said that they have been experiencing difficulty in getting him placed in a school. They said that they have tried multiples times but have been told that he was too advanced for his age

Following the publication of Soul-Heart's story in THE STAR in July, Alando Terrelonge, state minister in the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, met with the toddler and his parents. The minister said he would be seeking to assist in getting the boy in school.

Several attempts to contact the minister by telephone proved futile yesterday.

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