Meet the youngest female member of Mensa, Isla McNabb, from Crestwood, Kentucky, USA . She with her remarkable talent has blown the world by becoming a member of Mensa the largest and oldest high-IQ society globally, at an age of two. She exceptionally scored 99th percentile on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales, despite her tender age.
Mensa International is a non-profit organisation with membership exceeding 140,000 in over 100 countries that requires potential members to attain a standardised IQ test score at or above the 98th percentile, signifying inclusion in the top 2% of the population in terms of intelligence.
Early signs of her talent
Isla displayed remarkable focused attention from an early age that was observed by her parents. Earlier apart from being bright, nothing appeared out of the ordinary until she started learning.
By one, she started learning colours, numbers, and the alphabet, as per Guinness World Records. Her father, Jason McNabb, mentioned she identified items in picture books at seven months and self-taught the alphabet, reading by age two.
On her second birthday, Isla got an erasable writing tablet from her aunt Crystal. To everyone's surprise, she read 'red' written by her father, Jason, and effortlessly read words like 'blue,' 'yellow,' 'cat,' and 'dog.' Apart from the tablet, Isla's parents found strategically positioned multicolored toy letters spelling words like "chair" and "sofa" around the house. Even their cat, Booger, wasn't spared, with letters forming "C-A-T." Isla's advanced literacy skills astounded her family.
Isla’s mother Amanda suggested to get Isla tested, this uncovered her top 1% score, qualifying her for Mensa. Jason McNabb mentioned that the psychologist, who usually works with gifted children, made an exception because of Isla's outstanding abilities.
Isla’s parents soon realised the scarcity of resources for gifted children. By enrolling Isla in Mensa, their aim was to connect with other parents of gifted children for gaining information. Jason emphasized, "The most significant advantage of Mensa is the sense of community."
At three years old, Isla is attending preschool, and her parents aspire to secure an individual education plan, enabling her early entry into kindergarten. Isla, who takes joy in learning, excels in various subjects, with a particular strength in maths and outstanding reading skills.
New Surprises for her Parents
Her continual acquisition of knowledge consistently surprises her parents. Jason mentioned, "She often mispronounces words that we can only assume she learned by reading.
Isla surprised her parents by displaying the American Sign Language alphabet, leaving them puzzled about where she picked it up.
Jason acknowledges the challenges of raising a bright child, noting Isla's quick grasp of spelled-out conversations. While some aspects of her personality align with her age, others are remarkably advanced.
Her friends, still too young to notice differences, share in her innocent world. Despite this, Isla's family provides unwavering support, celebrating her achievements with various learning tools and toys. Isla's favourites include drawing, school, playing with Booger, and reading cherished books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Pete the Cat.
Isla remains unaware of her extraordinary abilities, but her family is thrilled about her Guinness World Records title. Jason expresses excitement about Isla's achievements in her three years and looks forward to the opportunities that lie ahead. "It is amazing to see her achieve so much in only three years," he remarked.
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