Obviously, his mother is dealing with the senseless grief as well as she knows how.
You're point is spot on. My daughter just turned 16, and will be entering college this fall. She's been so far ahead of her peers, that she doesn't fit in with her senior class, and doesn't fit in with others her age. She'll have an even tougher time fitting in with college age young adults next year (hasn't had her first date yet!!), and she's six years older than this boy was when he graduated from H.S.. Sixteen has been so difficult, that I can't imagine dealing with her burdens at age ten.
So sad.. SFS
She talks about his having to "go" as though it were his going to the store, or to the bathroom, or something like that. Genius is (sadly) often a bedfellow of madness, and whereas he was a genius and went mad, she sounds simply mad.
I have one of those too. I also have a child on the other end of the spectrum with learning disabilities. Both are equally challenging and require a great deal of flexibility and creativity. These "off the charts" kinds of kids must know and be known - something few parents are willing to invest the time in.