Aarin developed a very early interest in alphabets and numbers, being able to recognize all alphabets even before he started to walk. By age 2, he recognized numbers till 100 and soon taught himself to read, add, subtract etc. He also exhibited an excellent auditory and visual memory and could recall anthems of 150 countries and their maps, flags etc by age 5. But not everything comes easy to him. Aarin is hyperlexic, which has proven to have advantages for him within the academic world, but it also comes with challenges in social and communication aspects, including managing anxiety in unknown situations. While his personality is friendly and outgoing, he has difficulty relating to peers and their interests. Hyperlexia can also delay language comprehension and make the fictional or abstract text much harder for him to understand. Event with the disadvantage, Aarin has perfect pitch which is seen as rarely as in 1 in 10,000 people, but also seen more often in hyperlexic kids as a part of the strong auditory memory.
When asked how he is able to recall hundreds of pi digits he said "I have a near photographic memory and recalling facts and information comes easily to me, this I think it is thanks to my hyperlexia."
Given his profile, traditional schooling has always been a misfit so his parents decided to homeschool him until grade 4. Now he is enjoying his time at Ignite Learning Academy, a private virtual school. The online school provides him the scaffolding he needs to learn to navigate social emotional complexities at his own pace. Although Aarin isn't particularly interested in typical things that his peers enjoy, he does like playing scrabble, UNO cards, board games, leisure swimming, cycling, playing piano, theme park and water park rides. Last year, he wrote a poem which was selected and published in the book titled "I am Texas", a book that broke the world Guinness Record for the largest book published. He also participated in his first Scripps Spelling Bee this year and ranked 2nd in his school. He wishes there was a Geography Bee he could participate in as well as a Scrabble Club.
"As his parents, we know his journey is going to be atypical, off the beaten path, with many ups and downs and challenges and rewards. Either way, we hope that he remains happy and healthy, and is able to make use of his strengths in a way that benefits others as well.", said Aarin's mother Malvi Shah.
Here at Irving Weekly, we celebrate Aarin's accomplishment and the excellent path his parents have laid out for him.