The U.K.’s newest genius? A 4-year-old with an IQ like Stephen Hawking! wha?….
from thestar.com:
A fair-haired, chubby-cheeked 4-year-old has been identified as the U.K.’s newest genius.
Heidi Hankins, of Winchester, was recently accepted into the exclusive international high-IQ society, Mensa, with an IQ of 159, one point lower than theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
“We knew she was bright; we didn’t know it would be this high,” father Matthew Hankins, 46, a psychologist and public health lecturer, told the Star.
Hankins, who also has a 9-year-old son, said his daughter began showing signs of unusual intelligence as early as age 1, when she could boot up the family’s Windows-based personal computer — “I think that shows much more perseverance,” Hankins quipped — and navigate applications.
At 18 months, she was playing chess. Six months later she was reading at the level of an 8-year-old.
The average adult IQ is 100, with most falling somewhere between 90 and 120, said Lyn Kendal, a gifted child consultant for British Mensa. To qualify for Mensa, a candidate must hold an IQ that falls within the top 2 per cent of the population. Heidi is reportedly one of about 90 children under 10 who belong to British Mensa.
What most impresses Hankins, however, is Heidi’s memory.
“She will remember times and events and things you wouldn’t even notice,” he said. “She has a really good memory for times and places and details.”
Kendal said children with high IQs often express, like Heidi, excellent memories, early reading capacity and a higher level of sophistication, compared to their peers. This sometimes leads to frustration in play group or nursery settings.
“They set high standards,” she said.
But even with her high IQ, Heidi still displays common childhood traits — like poor listening skills.
“She’s fiercely independent,” Hankins said. “She pushes us away.”
In 2009, a 30-month-old British boy was accepted to Mensa with a 160 IQ. He is considered the society’s youngest-ever member.
Would you feel nrevous, or threatened, if your toddler was WAAAYY smarter than you?
1 Comment User Comments
Add a commentRainbowRay
April 14, 2012
11:58 am
There are many gifted children out there are (in different ways of course) who are born very bright, but to be close to Hawkins IQ at such an early age is a miracle in itself I think. Personally, I have a thirst for trivia and knowledge (I like to learn about things and enjoy it on the computer and by reading). As RainbowRay says, “Knowledge is Power” (no matter what your IQ is). I never read much when I was growing up; never had much interest in it or anything else for that matter.
Heidi has a great start and I would imagine her parents will nurture that gift and help enhance it, but not to forget to focus on the childhood traits (normal) that need to be improved. “Let kids be kids” that is my motto and has been for some time (based on everything I’ve read and learned through my experiences).If the parents let her also to be just that, a kid then her intelligence can be nurtured along with it I believe;e.g. her poor listening skills.
On a lghter note, I wonder what my IQ ( I think it’s higher then six now, last time I checked). There are “for fun” I! checking quizzes and games you can Google. Check it out! (remember it’s just for fun! I wouldn’t take all those tests seriously!) The best way to improve your intelligence is by reading (especially if you are parents of young children), wouldn’t you agree?
LOVE
RainbowRay