Jacob Barnett’s parents were told when he was very small that he was severely autistic and would likely never learn to tie his shoes. Instead, the 18 year old with an IQ of 170 is currently a doctorate student at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.  His mother, Kristine Barnett, made the choice to go against all his teachers’ advice and pull him out of special ed classes when he was young, after his teachers discouraged her from teaching Jacob more than the most basic skills.