on resources to keep their kids challenged. The testing looked at “memory and reasoning kids of that age,” Dr. Edward Amend, a child psychologist in Kentucky who specializes in working with gifted
Youngest-ever Mensa girl - at age 2 This little genius an IQ-tie pie
A Kentucky toddler — who started reading at age 2 — has become the youngest female Mensa member, earning her a place in Guinness World Records.
Isla McNabb gained her spot in the nonprofit Mensa International Society — open to people who score in the 98th percentile or higher on standardized IQ tests — after scoring in the 99th percentile for her age on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, according to a Guinness announcement Monday.
The now-3-year-old genius began showing her potential from the moment her parents brought her home from the hospital as she was able to be highly focused.
The child prodigy learned colors, numbers and the alphabet by age 1 and at just 7 months could already “pick out certain items from picture books when asked,” dad Jason McNabb told Guinness.
And when Jason spelled the word “red” on an erasable writing tablet Isla received from her aunt on her second birthday, she shocked her parents by saying the word, Jason said.
He then wrote “blue,” “yellow,” “cat” and “dog” — all of which the girl was easily able to read and say.
Spelling champ
The parents also found lying around the house toy letters spelling out nearby objects such as C-H-A-I-R, S-O-F-A — and C-A-T near the family pet feline, Booger.
So mom Amanda suggested their daughter get tested and by age 2½, Isla secured her spot in the prestigious, longest-established high-IQ society.
“The biggest benefit to Mensa is the community,” Jason said, explaining advice from other parents children, told The Post.
“There will be vocabulary type items: Can you identify these items? Do you know what this is? Do you know what that is?”
A verbal component would feature questions such as “Can you tell me what this is? Can you describe this? Can you tell me how this or that are alike?” Amend added.
“On the nonverbal side, it’s more problem solving, identifying patterns and different matrices, being able to take pieces and form a whole.”
The doctor explained that the questions start off easy and get more difficult until the child can no longer continue correctly answering the questions.
While Isla is now in preschool, her parents are trying to get her an individualized education program so she can start kindergarten early.
“Isla thinks she is on par with adults, and it can be challenging,” said Jason. “She never settles for ‘because I said so.’ ”
The prodigy continues to surprise her parents with her knowledge — including showing them American Sign Language.
And the parents frequently don’t know where Isla picks up the things she knows, Jason said.
While Isla is strong in many subjects and takes pride in learning, she is especially good at math and reading.
Jason says he was delighted to see Isla make it into Guinness World Records and was looking forward to seeing what opportunities lie ahead
“She has achieved quite a lot in her three years,” Jason said. “I can’t wait to see what her future holds.”