Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read
Review: This book is controversial and has been called "dangerous" - but it would only be to those who read it to see what they want to see. Nowhere does he discount the usefulness of speech therapy, nor does he advise against seeking assistance and evaluations. On the contrary, he advises strongly to seek out independent evaluations. Sowell is writing about a group of children who are extremely intelligent AND who talk late. He is very clear that most children who talk late do not fit the "Einstein Syndrome" description. But one doesn't need to have a child who falls precisely in this category to take something useful from this book. The most important thing I got from it was to be skeptical of the various labels SLPs and school districts are so quick to put on children, and to seek out an independent evaluation for my son. That is, someone who had nothing to gain by labeling him, someone who would not be gaining a new client and therefore more income. Additionally, Sowell illuminates our society's quickness to label all children who don't fit into the norm as having a disorder, whether it's in play preferences, temperament or language development. I did see a lot of my son in this book - I had highlighted page after page and called my husband at work when I read about a 2 year old child who was moved to tears by Mozart, who could count to 100, spell various words, etc but not have a sequential conversation...could have been my 27 month old I was reading about. For that moment of catharsis, as well as the practical stuff, this book was invaluable to me.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, some answers
Review: This book is NOT a dangerous read. Dr. Sowell clearly states that speech therapy can be beneficial, but to be selective. A wrong diagnosis is as close as your local school district! Truly, these semi-professionals are interested in having a steady stream of new prospects, so caution is in order.
This book is a must-read for all parents of late talking children. I could not wait to read this book! My son fits this profile perfectly, and yet I knew that before reading this that he was very intelligent. He was not autistic, or in the autistic spectrum. He did not suffer from any other delays, speech being the only one. Now, he is six years old. He is an articulate, reading, six year old! After waiting four years to hear him talk, his progress has been remarkable. This book discusses brain maturation, reasons for the delay, and what to do about it. A book of hope, and reason. Recommended!
Rating:
Summary: 6 stars!!!
Review: This book is not only a must-read for any parent with a healthy intelligent late-talking child but its worth its weight in gold.
As a parent of a late-talking child, my intuition told me that my child is not autistic or impaired in any way- but a bright a loving child with special abilties. As the months go by, thomas sowells diagnoses for such children is becoming more and more apparent in my child.
This book costs only [$]. I think its a small price to pay for the information thats inside- which could well be valuable to the you and your child. Buy it and read it thoroughly.
As this work is breakthrough- there is little conclusion on the subject- so i am eagerly looking forward to a new edition.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Yet Limited
Review: This book makes the excellent point that not all children with speech or language delays have cognitive deficits. And it is clear that there is a specific subset of children who have speech or language delays that have many specific elements in common -- the immediate relatives in analytical professions, etc. My first-born son, now 6, had speech and language issues until very recently, and if there were a "disorder" called Einstein Syndrome, he would be the one to have it. Now he is reading at the third grade level, at least, and has an excellent vocabulary, and that is just for starters. My real quarrel with this book is philisophical -- that the authors don't want these children "labelled," as if labelling were a bad thing. My first-born son sounded like a voluble Teletubbie until he was 4.5 years old, and because he was "motorized," and strong-willed, onlookers hurled labels on him like "ADHD," and "autism spectrum" that are clearly inapplicable. My child's behavior in kindergarten is unremarkable and his teacher is delighted with him and he is well-socialized. But if the author makes the very valid point that some children who talk late are bright or of average intelligence, he should not end the inquiry there. Some children in his study don't talk at all. They're silent. Some, like mine, are voluble -- they talk all the time. But until very late, you can't understand a word they're saying. Both my sons have these issues. Both my sons have high IQs. The unifying element between them they can make the sounds, and they know what they want to say, but they can't make their bodies obey their minds. Speech after all is a form of "planning," in the sense that planning is involved the series of movements that go into putting on a T-shirt, driving a stick-shift, dancing the Macarena, or executing a poomse or kata in martial arts. If the child knows what he wants his body to do (or say) but he cannot make his lips and tongue cooperate, the frustration is monumental. My second child is excellent at producing discrete sounds. He can make discrete sounds that older children can make. He can even connect them into one- or two-word sentences. But the six- or seven- (or longer) word sentences that he is trying to say are beyond him because he cannot make his mouth engage in the series of movements required to utter a string of phonemes. It may be that the Einstein Syndrome is a unified disorder, and the book makes an excellent case with regard to a discrete population of children who would otherwise be misdiagnosed. But the inquiry feels like watching someone begin a sentence and then stop talking too soon.
Rating:
Summary: More Evidence in the Phenomenon of Late Speakers
Review: This is the Follow-up book to Sowell's "Late Talking Children". The first book was mostly anecdotal evidence, but this book includes far more data, from more scientific research. He worked with Dr Camarata, a speech and language pathologist from Vanderbilt university for the research of this book. Yes, as before, many people will criticize this book, as they did the first. The people who will criticize this book are either the para-professionals that stand to lose money from unnecessary therapies, or the parents of children with serious issues who read no further than the dust jacket, and don't read the book with a critical enough eye to realize whether or not their child actually fits this special sub-set of late speakers. We have a strong family history of speech delays, and math intensive careers. Both my husband and father in law fit the profile, as engineers, both late speakers. I am such a strong advocate of this book, as I am a mother of 3 late speakers who fit the profile so closely it is almost scary to see it in print. It is as if they have been watching my household. All 3 of my late speakers are now speaking, and all share the extremely advanced mechanical and spatial perception skills addressed in the profile. If your child is not speaking, and you see a spark of intelligence in his eyes READ the book, and really analyze your child. Don't just say, "Well some kids grow out of it, mine will too", take a serious look to see if your child does indeed fit the profile. If your child doesn't fit the profile, don't criticize this line of research, as this is a REAL sub-set of late speakers, even if it is not where your child is. If the child DOES fit the profile, there are a great many support groups out there for parents of these odd little guys.
Rating:
Summary: A Must - for ALL Parents
Review: We inquired about this book, following concerns about our grandson and his lack of interest in talking. All those that met him, expressed concerns to his mother that he was autistic. However, there were many things that he did, that were definitely not autistic. This book set us all on the right track, and gave the mother the assurance that her son was ok, just different. There are many things that he does, that is way beyond the average two year old, that does not involve talking. There are many insights into the raising of children, that would be well taken by ALL parents, because all children are different in their own way. The one thing that we would have liked to have seen in the book, somewhere, was information regarding a parent support group, to assist the parents that are dealing with these special children, in uncharted territories. I know that our daughter would certainly benefit from being able to communicate with someone with her own experiences. I did try contacting the two names in the book, but was not successful. The book helps to keep the "professional" suggestions and concepts in perspective, but there is considerable pressure placed on the parent, by those that think they know better than the parent. Your book reinforces the concept that the parent is the one with the most insight into the child, and those insights should be treated with respect and consideration by others. Thank you for an excellent guide for working with unusual children.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Amazing!
Review: When I read The Einstein Syndrome it was amazing how much of my son I saw in it. Many of the things mentioned were things I had wondered about, and worried about. But reading this book has given me an entirely new outlook on my 3 yr old son. This book is wonderful for parents that have children who are late talkers, yet don't fit any other criteria for Autism or other labels. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who has a late talking child in their family. Your child may not fit in the Einstein syndrome, but if he/she does, then this book is an absolute must!
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