# "Einstein didn't speak until he was 4 and didn't read until he was 7". Surely a myth! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 30, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126 "2013-11-30T05:54:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/1 "2013-11-30T05:54:11Z")
“Einstein didn’t speak until he was 4 and didn’t read until he was 7”. Surely a myth. Walter Isaacson’s biography of Einstein (p.8/ 9)states that he formed words at age 2, but that he had a mild form of echolalia, causing him to repeat phrases to himself. What about reading. Surely he was reading before the age of 7. We know that his school grades were above average in math and the sciences and overall very good, despite so many claims to the contrary. What about Edison and Werner von Braun being slow in school. Also myths? I look forward to your feedback. davidmich ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/2 "2013-11-30T06:47:59Z")
I share your skepticism, although there does seem to be a kernel of truth in the legend that he was late talker (though not nearly as late as 4). See: [The Legend of the Dull-Witted Child Who Grew Up to Be a Genius.](http://www.albert-einstein.org/article_handicap.html) ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/3 "2013-11-30T08:37:15Z")
I don’t think it would be that unusual for a child to be seven years old before they can read. In many European countries, the typical age for entering elementary school is six. Of course, some kids read before going to school because family taught them at home, but many will learn reading in elementary school. For a child who takes a while to get the knack of it, or for a child whose entry into elementary school is postponed by a year for whatever reason, it would not at all be extraordinary to reach the age of seven before they can read. Things are different for the thing about speaking at four, of course. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/4 "2013-11-30T09:08:13Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > I don’t think it would be that unusual for a child to be seven years old before they can read. In many European countries, the typical age for entering elementary school is six. Of course, some kids read before going to school because family taught them at home, but many will learn reading in elementary school. For a child who takes a while to get the knack of it, or for a child whose entry into elementary school is postponed by a year for whatever reason, it would not at all be extraordinary to reach the age of seven before they can read. It might not be that unusual, but according to my link, he _was_ taught at home, until 6.5, when he entered school, and his school report, at year’s end was “splendid”. By the end of the next term he was top of his class. That does not sound like a late reader to me. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/5 "2013-11-30T09:09:53Z")
Of course there is “Everything was satisfactory until I turned four.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/6 "2013-11-30T09:38:56Z")
Why is that surely a myth? He was high functioning autistic…Autistic folks very often have spoken language issues… ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/7 "2013-11-30T10:01:38Z")
There is no consensus that Einstein was autistic. His biographer Walter Isaacson doesn’t think so. p. 566" Einstein–His Life and Universe" ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/8 "2013-11-30T10:57:26Z")
Any opinions on Edison’s or Werner von Brain’s early schooling? Were they really “slow” students? davidmich ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/9 "2013-11-30T12:22:39Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > There is no consensus that Einstein was autistic. His biographer Walter Isaacson doesn’t think so. p. 566" Einstein–His Life and Universe" I don’t think there’s any indication whatsoever. Why is such a problem for people to believe that somebody can be really smart without mental problems? ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2013, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/10 "2013-11-30T23:10:47Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > I don’t think there’s any indication whatsoever. Why is such a problem for people to believe that somebody can be really smart without mental problems? FWIW, I agree. The terms, ‘really smart’ and ‘mental problems’ are kind of incongruous when used in conjunction with one another, aren’t they? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/11 "2013-12-01T00:14:31Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > FWIW, I agree. The terms, ‘really smart’ and ‘mental problems’ are kind of incongruous when used in conjunction with one another, aren’t they? 😕 Well, no. Intelligence is not one single thing, and you do get your Nashes and your Mozarts. But there’s also plenty of perfectly reasonable Bohrs around. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/12 "2013-12-01T00:46:36Z")
> [@davidmich](#): > > but that he had a mild form of echolalia, causing him to repeat phrases to himself. Like that kid on the Middle? If so, awesome. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/13 "2013-12-01T03:50:37Z")
The main reason people think Einstein might have been autistic is the way he handled his personal relationships. It has nothing to do with how intelligent they think he is. They just have a problem thinking that he might have been a philanderer and a pervert, rather than having something wrong with him that made him act like that. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/14 "2013-12-01T12:58:15Z")
> [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](#): > > He was high functioning autistic…Autistic folks very often have spoken language issues… “High-functioning” is a technical term when talking about autism. It refers to autistic people who have no language problems at all. It doesn’t mean just “autistic, but not very much”. So _if_ he were autistic, he wouldn’t have been high functioning. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/15 "2013-12-02T23:03:31Z")
The other legend, I recall - that he flunked math, science, whatever - was debunked years ago in some article I read. the school system in his home province changed - previously grading descending with 1 being highest, the scoring was changed so the the reverse was true. early biographers missed this change and assumed his low number marks in early years indicated problems early in school. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/16 "2013-12-02T23:15:01Z")
Here are a couple of older threads, though they’re not so much about his early development: [Did Einstein really flunk?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=253537) [Albert Einstein had great difficulties with mathematics when he was a youth. True?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=386096) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/17 "2013-12-02T23:33:32Z")
The way I recall it, he _supposedly_ took longer than normal to learn to speak, but when he started talking went pretty much straight to complete sentences. I’ve also read that [his](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein%27s_brain) Broca’s area (an area of the brain important to speech) was abnormally small, its space largely taken by brain tissue normally used for mathematics & visual processing (he was a very visual thinker). ---
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/18 "2013-12-03T11:04:51Z")
Very help. Thank you all. davidmich ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2013, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/19 "2013-12-03T11:59:44Z")
The issue with the different grading systems used in Swiss and German school reports has already been mentioned. Early Einstein biographers simply weren’t aware of this minor (or not so minor) detail, hence the confusion. The notion that Einstein was a poor student is an urban legend which just won’t die. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126/20 "2013-12-04T02:52:23Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > “High-functioning” is a technical term when talking about autism. It refers to autistic people who have no language problems at all. It doesn’t mean just “autistic, but not very much”. So _if_ he were autistic, he wouldn’t have been high functioning. I do not think that is right. I agree that “high-functioning” does not mean “just a little bit autistic”, but it does not mean “autistic except for speech problems” either. It means some thing like, “autistic, but smart enough to have found ways to deal with it, so as to be able to function reasonably well in society”. My nephew is a high functioning autistic (or, at least, has some sort of autistic-like disorder) and he _was_ speech-delayed. Indeed, it was because he was still not talking at (IIRC) three, that the family became concerned about him and he got treatment. He is now an adult and is very articulate and obviously very intelligent in most respects. He remains, however, distinctly socially odd, and is given to odd obsessions with certain topics (last I heard, it was superhero movies and American history, about which he is very knowledgeable, although I have not seen him for a few years so he he may have moved on from these). Oddly for a high-functioning autistic, he is completely hopeless with anything mathematical. This last is exceptional, but autism is a complex disorder which is still poorly understood, and different cases actually vary a lot in all sorts of ways. > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I’ve also read that [his](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein%27s_brain) Broca’s area (an area of the brain important to speech) was abnormally small, its space largely taken by brain tissue normally used for mathematics & visual processing (he was a very visual thinker). That may be so, but I would not read too much into it. The relative sizes of functional brain areas can and do differ enormously between different, quite normal, individuals, and AFAIK, no very clear correlations have been found between these variations and differences in cognitive performance (though they may not have looked that much as yet). Size, in the brain, does not seem to matter all that much. Furthermore, as an adult Einstein was able to speak very articulately, and was able to write excellent prose, both functions that depend on Brocca’s area. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/einstein-didnt-speak-until-he-was-4-and-didnt-read-until-he-was-7-surely-a-myth/675126.md?page=2)