Adam Kirby’s parents knew he was brighter than most other children when, at 23 months, he potty trained himself after reading a book on the subject.
So advanced was he for his age, that Dean and Kerry-Ann Kirby took their firstborn to get his IQ tested at just two years old. The London native was found to have a score of 141 – higher than many U.S. presidents – despite not even being old enough to fully communicate. He was then invited to join Mensa, where he became the high IQ society’s youngest boy at two years and five months.
The toddler’s parents Dean, 33, and Kerry-Ann, 31, say they realised their son was different when he’d potty-trained himself after reading a book on the subject aged just one.
At 29 months, Adam is able to spell 100 words, has conquered most of his times tables up to 10, has learnt his periodic table, and even mastered a world map puzzle designed for adults.
After he scored so highly in the IQ test he was invited to join British Mensa, the society for those with outstandingly high IQs, and became the youngest boy ever to do so.
The youngest British person ever to join was a girl, Elise Tan-Roberts, now six, who joined Mensa aged two years and four months in 2009; Adam joined at two years and five months.
His father, Mr Kirby, an IT consultant from Mitcham, London, said: ‘Adam’s abilities are outstanding and we’ve been actively developing his intelligence since he was 10 weeks old – but we’re certainly delighted for him.
‘While most children are just learning to stand up or crawl Adam was reading books, his development was just mind-blowingly quick.
‘We used to show him cards with the words hippopotamus and rhinoceros on them and he could identify the right animals most of the time.’
The Stanford-Binet exam, originally developed by French psychologist Alfred Binet and revised by Stanford University’s Lewis Terman in 1916, has become renowned for being able to accurately determine a child’s intelligence levels and predict future grades.
Adam’s score of 141 – just four shy of the ‘Genius’ category – puts him head and shoulders above the average Brit’s IQ of 100.
Mr Kirby said: ‘Neither my wife nor I are Mensa members. We are both bright, but Adam is significantly more advanced at his age than we were.
I think the main reason for his rapid development is that we have found effective ways to make learning enjoyable.
John Stevenage, British Mensa’s CEO, said: ‘The members of Mensa always welcome new additions as we aim to stimulate people in an intellectual and social environment.
We are look to help gifted children and encourage them to develop at an extraordinary.
‘We look forward to Adam joining Mensa and expect him to have a very bright future.’
Adam’s younger brother Ethan is not yet two months old, but his parents are expecting great things.
Mr Kirby said: ‘I expect that he will develop at a faster pace than Adam as my wife and I are now more experienced, and he has his older brother Adam to learn from.
‘In addition, I’ve read that second children tend to be in a hurry to catch up with their older siblings, so I think this will keep him on an upwards curve.’
Adam is able to progress at his own pace whenever he chooses to and in areas of his choosing.
‘He knows the planets of the solar system, dozens of pairs of words with opposite meanings – he has a great sense of humour and most importantly he is self-motivated, athletic, very happy and playful.’
Adam, who is reading the Oxford Reading Tree series designed for seven-year-olds, is already in the top 1.3 per cent of the population.
And his parents expect him to score even higher once his communication skills develop fully
John Stevenage, British Mensa’s CEO, said: ‘The members of Mensa always welcome new additions as we aim to stimulate people in an intellectual and social environment.
We are look to help gifted children and encourage them to develop at an extraordinary. ‘We look forward to Adam joining Mensa and expect him to have a very bright future.’
Adam’s younger brother Ethan is not yet two months old, but his parents are expecting great things.
Mr Kirby said: ‘I expect that he will develop at a faster pace than Adam as my wife and I are now more experienced, and he has his older brother Adam to learn from.
In addition, I’ve read that second children tend to be in a hurry to catch up with their older siblings, so I think this will keep him on an upwards curve.’
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk