A six-year-old boy who began reading at age one has become one of Mensa's youngest members.
A young child prodigy named Chandler Hughes may not only be one of the smartest kids in Texas but also one of the most gifted kids in the country.
In a remarkable achievement, Chandler has joined Mensa, an international society for people with high IQs. To become a member, individuals need to achieve a score at or above the 98th percentile on a standardized IQ test, which means they are among the top 2% in terms of intelligence.
According to the website, the special fraternity is comprised of 140,000 geniuses across more than 100 countries and has engineers, homemakers, teachers, actors, athletes, students, and CEOs.
The exceptionally book-smart youngster, who lives with his family in Texas, had barely reached toddler status when he started reading at just under two years old. By the time he was a pre-kindergartner, he excelled in second-grade reading and math levels.
As Chandler continued to exceed expectations for his age, he skipped kindergarten altogether and went straight into first grade. He now has his plans for the future and wants to become a doctor when he's older. "A medical doctor, because I want to help people when they are sick," he clarified.
Chandler's parents are so proud of his achievements and are hoping to work on his socialization skills to give him the support he needs.
"Just working on the socialization factor, I think for us is the next piece. He's in a great environment where his teachers, and his peers all support him," his dad said. "Just seeing how we can take this and increase literacy and maths in our community. And, for him to continue to succeed in life."
While Chandler is one of the junior Americans in the organization, he is not the youngest as that title currently belongs to two-year-old Isla McNabb from Crestwood, Kentucky.
In a conversation with Guinness World Records, Isla’s parents, Jason and Amanda McNabb, revealed that they saw early signs of their daughter's brilliance when she demonstrated an aptitude for learning.
Jason recalled the time an aunt gave his daughter an erasable writing tablet as a second birthday present. He said that he wrote the word "red" on the board, and his child was able to read it back to him.
The shocked father then went on to write out the words "blue", "yellow", "cat" and "dog," and Isla confidently read out each word. From there, her parents said they began noticing words spelled out around the house with multi-colored toy letters.
After that, the parents suggested that Isla undergo IQ testing so Jason did that. He shared: "A psychologist that tested Isla specializes in gifted children. He stated he doesn’t usually test children as young as two but made an exception after hearing about her talents."
Isla ultimately scored in the 99th percentile of intelligence for age on the Stanford-Binet IQ tests.
In June 2022, Guinness officially acknowledged her outstanding intelligence and recognized her as the world’s youngest female Mensa member. Her cognitive prowess at such a young age hints at a promising future.
Isla, now three, is attending preschool and has proven to be strong in mathematics and literacy. Her parents are now hoping to obtain an individual education plan for their child so she can get an early start in kindergarten.
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