Here's How This American Toddler Just Made History
Lots of parents think their preschool children are exceptionally intelligent. The little tyke may begin to grasp words and gestures, or colors, or numbers, at an early age, relative to their siblings or peers. Or they may pick up on activities of daily life, such as putting things away properly, in a way that makes their caregivers think they're particularly bright.
However, few children who haven't yet set foot in kindergarten can, say, recognize the 50 states by their shapes alone. Heck, few adults can do that. And while most kids have a full grasp of the colors, shapes, and the numbers 1-10 by first grade, very few have that mastered by the age 18 months.
Nevertheless, a California tot checked off all of those marks, and others — like naming all of the periodic table's elements, says CNN — long before she should have been expected to. In fact, her parents had her tested, and as it turned out, Kashe Quest, at the age of two, had an IQ high enough to make history, as ABC News reported.
Kashe Quest joined Mensa before kindergarten
For those who might not have known, there's a club, of sorts, for people with extremely high IQs. Mensa, from the Latin for "table," is a "round table society" that accepts members who have scored in the 98th percentile or higher on an intelligence test, according to Western New York Mensa. Needless to say, the society is thin on children.
Nevertheless, Kashe Quest made history by becoming the youngest member of the organization. Her IQ of 146 was enough (and then some) to qualify for membership. And she did so at the age of two, reports ABC News.
Though she's an exceptional little girl when it comes to this specific aspect of her life, Kashe is, in other ways, a typical preschooler. She loves "Paw Patrol" and making messes, for example. "Being a child is most important. We want to keep her youthful as long as we can. Socialization and her emotional growth are the most important things for us," said her mother, Sukhjit Athwal.
Her parents encourage her gifts, of course, and it seems that she returns the favor. "If she sees me trying to open a jar of pickles, she'll come over and say, 'Dad I'm so proud of you!'" her father told CNN.