2-year-old becomes youngest member of world's highest IQ society

By the age of 2, a child is typically starting to speak more, maybe playing a little make-believe and probably becoming more independent. 

While all those things were probably true for Kentucky 2-year-old Isla McNabb, she had another feat under her belt at that young age: becoming the youngest female member of Mensa, the world's oldest and largest high-IQ society. 

To become a member of the nonprofit organization, individuals have to score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized IQ test. And after little Isla began learning at a rapid age, her parents decided to get her tested, they told Guinness World Records.

Isla ended up scoring in the top 1% of the population, gaining her the top-notch Mensa membership and her parents the chance to gain more information about gifted children from other parents.

"The biggest benefit to Mensa is the community," Jason McNabb, Isla's father, told Guinness World Records.

Guinness World Records

It all started when Isla began learning her colors, numbers and letters at a younger-than-normal age.

"At 7 months of age she would pick out certain items from picture books when asked," Jason McNabb said.

Then when she was 2 years old, her parents say Isla began reading words like "red," "blue," "yellow," "cat" and "dog" aloud without hesitation. They also found toy letters around the house spelling out words like C-H-A-I-R next to a chair and C-A-T next to her cat.

A psychologist who specializes in gifted children made an exception to testing the 2-year-old after hearing about these talents, Guinness reported, and that truly confirmed that Isla was ahead of much of the world's intelligence.

Now 3 years old, Isla continues to surprise her parents, they told Guinness, as she often says words she learned by reading or shows them the alphabet in American Sign Language, though they don't know where she learned it.

The family is currently focused on how to best plan the future for the now 3-year-old Isla, who is currently enrolled in preschool. They hope to get her into kindergarten early, where she can continue to excel.

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