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A four year old girl with the IQ of a "genius" has
been accepted into Mensa - before she has even started school.
Heidi Hankins sat an IQ test after staff at her nursery said she was so
intelligent they were struggling to find activities to challenge her.
The average score for an adult is 100 and a "gifted" individual 130 but
the exceptional youngster impressed examiners with a staggering 159.
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Heidi - who can already add, subtract, draw figures and write in
sentences - was reading books for seven year olds when she was just two.
She beats numbers whizz Carol Vorderman (score 154) and is only slightly
behind Big Bang scientist Stephen Hawking (160), who are both members of
Mensa.
Heidi's dad, Matthew, from Winchester, Hants, hopes she can now skip a
school year to ensure she is challenged.
The University of Southampton public health lecturer, 46, added: "We
always thought Heidi was bright because she was reading early.
"I was curious about her IQ and the results were off the scale.
"I got her the complete set of the Oxford Reading Tree books when she
was two and she read through the whole set of 30 in about an hour.
"It's what you would expect a seven-year-old to do.
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"She was making noises and trying to talk literally since she was born
and by age one her vocabulary was quite good.
"Now it is really good.
"The other day I gave her mash and fishfingers for dinner - something
quite boring - and her response was 'That's impressive', so she has a
sense of humour, too."
He added: "She is not precocious, she is just a little girl who likes
her Barbies and Lego but then you will find her sitting down and reading
a book.
"We are really proud of her."
John Stevenage, chief executive of British Mensa, said: "Heidi's parents
correctly identified that she shows great potential.
"We wish them well and are pleased that they have chosen to join the
Mensa network for support.
"We aim to provide a positive environment for younger members to
develop."
Mr Hankins and his artist wife Sophy also have a nine-year-old son
called Isaac who is a chorister at Winchester Cathedral.
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WHAT CAN HEIDI DO?
* Heidi has an IQ of around 159 - an average IQ is 100 and a "gifted" IQ
is 130.
* She could count to 40 by age two.
* Heidi could also read by two after teaching herself using the family
computer.
* By two she could also recite the poem The Owl and The Pussycat by
Edward Lear.
* Add and subtract by the time she was three.
* Use words such as "impressive" in conversation by age four.
* Draw pictures of people by age two. |