<p>If he took differential equations in grade 7, this suggests two possibilities to me:</p>
<p>1) He really is something of a genius.</p>
<p>2) For whatever reason, he has been completely and utterly obsessed with academics for pretty much his whole life, and I’d guess that the only friends he has are similarly obsessed.</p>
<p>Situation (2) is unfortunately common among people taking advanced courses at a young age. Very often the parents push them ridiculously hard from an early age (often because the parents are highly educated and recognize unusual potential in their child, so they want to continue the legacy) and the kids develop a notion that if they don’t take these advanced courses at a young age, then they’re not living up to their potential, so around middle school the kids start pushing themselves just as hard as their parents initially pushed them just to avoid the psychological turmoil of feeling like what to them would be a failure. I’m not saying everyone in that situation goes through this, but I’ve talked to a number of people who were very advanced in their schooling, and they all exhibited this attitude almost precisely.</p>
<p>Situation (1) is very, very rare, and I can’t say I’ve ever met someone I’d truly consider to be in that situation. They’re the ones who really are basically geniuses, able to take advanced courses at a young age WITHOUT obsessing about academics and still ace them. They’re the ones with truly unbelievable natural ability.</p>