31. This kid is self assured and doesnt need to sell himself to the peanut section. If he needs interaction with others his own age, then im sure his parents will provide him the opp.in church or clubs and sports.

rick barragan at 4:11PM on Jun 7th 2007

32. Although I truly respect the kid's intelligence...he seems to be slightly lacking in the manners department. His parents could fix this.

D at 4:18PM on Jun 7th 2007

33. The wonder of home schooling... Has the dictionary memorized but clueless on social interaction with people that are not named Mommy. I feel sorry for such kids. Can you spell anally retentive parents that are depriving you the joy of a normal childhood Evan? You will know all about that when you're forty-three and still living with Mommy and in therapy.

Steve at 4:40PM on Jun 7th 2007

34. Judging from my OWN experience, homeschooled children ARE socially "challenged". I was home schooled 20 years ago for my final two years of high school. My younger sister was home schooled from the sixth grade to her "graduation". I had already, in 10 years of public schooling, become as socially active as any other 16 year old, and the remaining two years had little, if any adverse affect. My sister on the other hand, now in her 30's is a hermit. She has NO social skills, and won't even leave her home, and has no job. I blame the home schooling concept and his parents for this kid and his LACK of social ability.

Trevor at 4:45PM on Jun 7th 2007

35. I agree with Nan regarding ASD. The boy does not turn away to be rude, he cannot make eye contact because he simply cannot due to some kind of disorder such as ASD. He also moves his hands in a manner that would indicate ASD, or other such disorder. Home schooling has nothing to do with his behavior. He is probably highly intelligent, more than the people on this message board. My friend has a High School son who is a high functioning autistic boy, and was mainstreamed in the school system. My friend's son is very intelligent but does not look you in the eye and cannot hold a long conversation, typically giving one to two word answers. He also had some issues socially with children on the bus, like being picked on becasue he was an easy target. People judging this spelling bee child have probably never met a child with LD or other types of issues like ASD or PDD but really should not give an opinion about someone or something if they do not know enough about the issue, such as making the assumption the child is the way he is becasue of homeschooling. Obviously people making these judgements know nothing about homeschooling and know even less about learning disorders. It seems to me that the people making these closeminded statements ought to open their eyes to the world around them and stop living in a box.

Stacey at 1:48PM on Jun 8th 2007

36. Was this young man rude? Was it a lack of social skills from not being around children his own age? Was it home schooling?

My heart does go out to him and yet, at the same time... there's something about him that makes me very uneasy.

Obviously, he makes many others feel that same way. That in itself should prompt his mother to address the issue and get him some kind of help. Whether it is honing his social skills, teaching him respect for others, or diagnosing a mental or physical disorder.

tonidejavu617 at 5:18PM on Jun 7th 2007

37. Poor kid. He is obviously impaired in some fashion, and I feel very sorry for him and concerned for his future. According to the business community that I am familiar with, the ability to function well in group settings, is one of their top ten requirements for successful employment.

Mary at 5:12PM on Jun 7th 2007

38. Ok, I've sat here and read everyone's comment, and this is what I have to say. I am an 18 year old high school graduate (May 29th baby!). This kid, is intelligent,clearly. What bothers me (like everyone else) is his lack of social skills. My senior year in high school my friends and I used to always discuss different types of intelligence levels. We would say that there were people who were book smart (brain wise), people who were common sense smart (socially), and people who had both qualities, the overall student. I think its rather unfortunate when you lack one of the two. I myself am more socially intelligent than educationally. Now, don't get me wrong, I graduated from my high school with honors in the Science and Technology program. It's just much easier for me to hold an intelligent, meaningful, "meaty" conversation with a stranger, than to write down my knowledge on a sheet of paper.

What I see in this child, is a common problem in most children today, whether homeschooled or not. There were seniors that attended my school that I have known all my life, that come to school and don't speak to anyone. However, they perform extremely well in the classroom, and on tests. I always ask myself, how will they do in the future, in the real world. You can't survive in this world without basic communication skills. It takes a mixture of both intelligences to develop a well rounded student/child. I don't blame the child for the way he behaves, in fact I'm not surprised. You have to understand that many, many factors play into the way a child behaves when he or she grows up.

Jarel at 6:01PM on Jun 7th 2007

39. I did'nt see the interview however I have some possible insight to Evan. I have Asperger's syndrome, which falls at the high functioning end of the Autistic Spectrum and is Characterized by lack of social skils and having highly focused interest. Evan's interests happen to be Music and Mathematics, which is typical of children on the Spectrum. there are those who perfer language. As he stated when he won Spelling is simply memorization, and he finds that boring but easy to do. It's unfortunate that people autimatic think homeschooling is a cause for lack of social skills, when in this case there maybe something else going on. Iknow some homeschooled children who have are well adjusted and have friends they spend time with. If you actually read up on AS or Autism you may find that Evan exbits those classical Char. triats that I mentioned and other which I won't. So, I guess I'm sayiing don't be so hard and the kid. As, for the news reporter she did the best she could, as I'm currently watching the video feed. The spelling word part is great she got him to focus.

JBentwood at 5:31PM on Jun 7th 2007

40. I saw this young man interviewed on FOX News where he responded in a very similar way. My feeling then was that he was on the Autism Spectrum. I suspect it even more after watching this clip. Really seems like much more than just a lack of social skills.

Lee at 5:51PM on Jun 7th 2007

41. In response to J's Comment "happen to have both an extraordinary spelling ability and a history of poor social skills (I'm reasonably convinced that I have Asperger's Syndrome), and I think this kid's problem is that he's just an arrogant JERK. There's no fancy explanation." I totally disagree. I f you've actually looked AS up you would see his maanerisms as very classic ones and also know that some with AS or Autism wouldn't know they were being arrogant. YOu may have other characteristics that he doesn't but I'm sure you're not arrogant and niether is he.
I THink his parents are unawre of whta he might have or are too sacred to admit that thier bright child has a an Autistic Spectrum disorder. It's not easty trust me.

JBentwood at 5:40PM on Jun 7th 2007

42. I don't know if you can judge this kid based on one TV interview. I was a pretty normal kid with lots of friends, and talkative. But if I was being interviewed on national TV at that age, I'd clam right up. I'd appear introverted and shy.

Jon at 8:17PM on Jun 7th 2007

43. Nan is absolutely correct. I have a nephew that has Asperger's. When my mom and I watched this child, this was the first thing we both thought. Here is a discription of Asperger'ssyndrome. (AS) is an autism spectrum disorder. It is milder than autism but shares some of its symptoms. It is more common in boys than girls.

An obsessive interest in a single subject is a major symptom of AS. Some children with AS have become experts on dinosaurs, makes and models of cars, even objects as seemingly odd as vacuum cleaners. Their expertise, high level of vocabulary and formal speech patterns make them seem like little professors.

Children with AS have trouble reading social cues and recognizing other people's feelings. They may have strange movements or mannerisms. All of these make it difficult for them to make friends. Problems with motor skills are also common in children with AS. They may be late learning to ride a bike or catch a ball, for example. Treatment focuses on the three main symptoms: poor communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines, and physical clumsiness.

nancy at 6:01PM on Jun 7th 2007

44. He has Aspergers.

YelenaAmb at 11:36PM on Jun 7th 2007

45. He's no more awkward than any other of that age. The interviewer is an idiot who appaently can't read.

Wish Belkin at 6:51PM on Jun 7th 2007