The youngest American member of the high IQ society Mensa is a 2-year-old whiz kid with a genius-level score of 146, according to a report.
Kashe Quest, of Los Angeles, Calif, began learning to read at 1.5 years old, speaks Spanish and can identify all 50 states on a map, her mom, Sukhjit Athwal said.
When Kashe was 18 months old, her parents noticed she already mastered the alphabet, numbers, colors, and shapes and could speak in complete sentences. They took her to her regular pediatric check-up and that’s when she was acknowledged to have advanced intelligence.
Kashe then got tested for Mensa wherein she scored 146, certifying that she is a genius. To put it into perspective, the average American has an IQ of roughly 100. Those who score above 130 to 132 are usually considered highly gifted and are in the top 2% of the population, according to the Mensa website.
Despite having access to academic tools and being an expert in child development herself, Kashe’s mother Sukhjit Athwal never made her study. Instead, Kashe learned mostly out of her natural curiosity.
Kashe’s father Devon said: “She has always shown us, more than anything, the propensity to explore her surroundings and to ask the question ‘Why,”.
“If she doesn’t know something, she wants to know what it is and how it functions, and once she learns it, she applies it.”
“If we read a word incorrectly, or we say a word incorrectly, she’s going to correct us,” Sukhjit, 31, shared.
Kesha’s parents ensured that she has access to the necessary tools to nurture her skills. In October 2020, her mother established the Modern Schoolhouse using her experience in education. To help the children feel at home while they are learning, the preschool tries to mimic a natural home setting.
“She’s still two at heart, and she needs to be with children her age, and not have that pressure put on her to be older than she needs to be or act older than she needs to be,” Sukhjit said.
“Kashe loves playing make believe with her friends,” Sukhjit said, noting that she and her husband have no plans to fast-track their daughter to kindergarten in the fall.
“We don’t want her to feel like she has to grow up too fast,” Sukhjit explained. “We don’t want to put that kind of pressure on her.”
Moreover, one of the things Kesha’s parents always keep in mind is how they communicate with her. They try to always be intentional with speaking to her and still encourage her when she gets frustrated with her task.
“It has taught us patience in how to communicate with her and we are very conscious of the words we use with her and how we explain things,” Sukhjit added.
