"Read Fluently at 18 Months"…Youngest Mensa Member, 2-Year-Old American Girl

Joined Mensa in the top 1% IQ
Started reading and writing from 18 months old

A two-year-old girl in Kentucky, USA, has joined Mensa, an organization that grants membership to those in the top 2% of intelligence quotient (IQ).

Approved for Mensa membership at 2 years old... Also certified by Guinness World Records on the 27th

Isla McNabb from Kentucky, USA, who broke the record for the youngest Mensa member. She is smiling while holding her Mensa membership card (left) and the Guinness World Records certificate (right).
[Photo by Guinness World Records website]

According to foreign media including UPI on the 29th (local time), Isla McNabb, who lives in the small city of Crestwood, Kentucky, scored higher on the Stanford Binet Test than 99% of children her age at 2 years and 195 days old last June. As a result, she was approved for Mensa membership.

One year and five months later, on the 27th of this month, Guinness World Records (GWR) certified her as the youngest Mensa member.

McNabb’s parents, Jason and Amanda, said, "Our daughter showed high concentration shortly after she was born," adding, "At 7 months old, she could identify specific objects when pointed out in picture books, learned colors, numbers, and the alphabet by age one, and started reading at 18 months."

They shared an anecdote, saying, "On her second birthday, her aunt gave her a writing tablet. We wrote the word 'red,' and to everyone’s surprise, she read the word aloud."

After that, she continued to write words like 'blue,' 'yellow,' 'cat,' and 'dog,' and McNabb read them out loud confidently, her parents explained.

They proudly stated that their daughter enjoys learning and takes pride in it, especially showing exceptional abilities in math and reading, and sometimes surprises them with knowledge they don’t know where she learned.

"Loves picture books like her peers... Hopes to find resources in the Mensa community"

Isla McNab from Kentucky, USA, who set a new record as the youngest Mensa member.
[Photo source=Guinness World Records official website capture]

However, McNabb’s favorite books are 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and 'Pete the Cat,' and her parents said, "Aside from her learning abilities, her behavior and speech are not much different from other children her age," adding, "Sometimes it’s hard to decide whether to focus on her 'advanced abilities' or her 'ordinary traits.'"

McNabb’s parents explained, "We enrolled her in Mensa to find resources that will allow her to fully develop her innate talents," and "The greatest benefit of joining Mensa is becoming part of the community."

McNabb, who turned three on the 19th, currently attends preschool with peers. Her parents hope she can start kindergarten education earlier and receive individualized instruction.

They expressed amazement at their daughter’s many achievements in just three years. McNabb’s parents said, "We were very happy to see her earn the Guinness World Record title," and "We look forward to what opportunities will come to her in the future."