Boy, 12, Studies Physics, Tutors at Purdue

KIRKLIN, Ind. -- Wearing a red IU-Purdue University Indianapolis Jaguars hoodie with his leg propped up on top of his knee, 12-year-old Jacob Barnett — friends and family call him Jake — sat at a table at Jacob’s Place in Kirklin, Ind., a free center for autistic and other special needs children founded by his mother.
"Usually (I'm) just hanging out, doing some homework, playing some Guitar Hero, et cetera," Jake said, describing his typical Wednesday evening with a casual shrug of his shoulders.
What Jake didn't mention is that his homework is from his University Physics textbook for the Physics 152 class he takes at IUPUI.
Jake, who was diagnosed as autistic when he was 2 years old, has taken classes at IUPUI since he first audited an IUPUI astronomy class in the third grade.