Celebrating clever kids

The host of SBS series Child Genius, Dr Susan Carland, is in awe of some incredible kids, writes Robyn Courtney.

IMAGINE being in a room of individuals aged from seven to 12 years of age, who demonstrate exceptional intellectual and creative powers, have phenomenal memories and who can spell words you find difficult to pronounce.

This was the reality for Dr Susan Carland while filming the new SBS six-part series, Child Genius.

“At times it was very intimidating…there were a couple of times my jaw was on the floor looking at some of the things they can do. Not just their maths ability, their spelling ability, and their general knowledge but their memory. They did a memory round and that just blew my mind. They really are a remarkable bunch,” said Dr Carland.

The series brings together some of the brightest kids from all over Australia. Out of the hundreds who took part in the rigorous testing and auditioning process, just 19 were selected.

As quizmaster, Dr Carland, presents a string of challenging quizzes to these contestants with enormous IQs.

“Their ability is far beyond what you expect from someone their age,” she said.

The competition, presented in association with Australian Mensa, is not purely an IQ test. It challenges their knowledge across a range of different areas.

When an academic like Dr Carland who has a PHD and two degrees struggles, you know the questions are impossible to answer for us mere mortals.

“The whole week before the spelling round I had to practice over and over just saying the word. Forget spelling them, I had to figure out how to pronounce the word. These words are difficult,” she said.

Watch carefully during the spelling round, and you might see Dr Carland’s jaw clenching in panic and her knuckles turn white.

“I was so nervous ..... Can you imagine if I mispronounced a word and then a child misspelt it? That could actually be my fault. I was so worried I was going to ruin the competition.

Another side of the show Dr Carland found enlightening is the children’s backstory – their family, what they are like at school and what they are like at home.

“It gave me an insight into the kids - how internally driven these children are and incredibly self-motivated. These kids are amazing. They were delightful. They were funny and cheeky just as kids should be.

For Dr Carland it was also interesting to see how diverse the families the kids came from are and the different attitudes the parents have.

“They were a mixed bag in terms of their approach. On one hand you have the parents that are like ‘we have no idea where our kid got their smarts’, to the parents who struggle with how to support their child, to those who are very determined on their child’s behalf and really invested in the process and the outcome.

Dr Carland noted the importance of the competition.

“Child genius is something aspirational. Generally the smart kids are not the cool kids so it’s nice to see them being celebrated. For a short moment we say ‘you’re amazing as well’…this is something really great. “

Catch up on SBS On Demand.