2-Year-Old Boy with ‘Formidable Intellect' Becomes the Youngest-Ever Member of Mensa
The toddler, named Joseph Harris-Birtill, said his first word at seven months and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at 21 months
Joseph knows the Greek alphabet and is currently learning Morse codeA toddler from England just became the youngest person ever to be accepted into Mensa.
Joseph Harris-Birtill, who was born on Nov. 23, 2021, was admitted into the organization — which accepts people with IQs in the top 2% of the general population — at 2 years and 182 days old, per Guinness World Record.
His parents, Dr. Rose Harris-Birtill and Dr. David Harris-Birtill, who are both lecturers at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told Guinness that Joseph began showing signs of being advanced for his age quite early on.
'It soon became clear that he was an exceptional little being,' Rose told the outlet. 'He first rolled over at five weeks, said his first word at seven months and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at [21 months].'
'By 2-and-a-quarter years old, he was reading out loud fluently for 10 minutes at a time, could count to 10 in five languages and could count forwards and backwards to well over 100,' she continued.
Rose told Guinness that Joseph knows the Greek alphabet and is currently learning Morse code. He also has recently become interested in the periodic table.
'His interests are vast and varied, and he is always keen to learn more,' the proud mom explained.
Rose said that Joseph, who is 'very kind and loving, confident and curious,' doesn't yet seem to know that he is more advanced than his peers, and noted that he loves giving hugs and sharing his toys with other kids.
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She added, 'He loves a challenge and is really exhilarated by complexity, whether learning chess or poring over new words and concepts that he hasn't come across before.'
Joseph's parents told Guinness that they initially reached out to Mensa in an attempt to find guidance on raising a highly-abled child.
'I searched online for any further support available, and saw that Mensa offers resources and membership for highly able children,' she explained.
Rose added, 'It is a common misconception that everything is super easy for gifted children. But everyone needs appropriate stimulation and understanding throughout their lives, and highly able learners can sadly have their unique talents dimmed by the pressure to fit into environments that simply haven't been properly designed for them."
She noted that while Joseph is 'fortunate enough to attend a brilliant nursery [school],' she and her husband hope that Mensa will provide their son with 'a community of peers as a source of further support as his formidable intellect continues to grow and develop.'
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The second-youngest member of Mensa is currently Isla McNabb of Kentucky, who was 2 years and 195 days old when she joined.
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