I frequently see news stories–often from the UK, for some reason–touting the latest little genius to become the “youngest member of Mensa.”
These stories invariably portray acceptance into the organization as a major achievement made all the more significant by youth.
I’m the parent of a young Mensan, but joining wasn’t something he achieved; it was an opportunity that became available once we learned more about him. We took the opportunity looking for support and a peer group, not congratulations.
I support all gifted kids, and I’m happy to hear when these children are discovered. However, articles like this one, and the general media frenzy surrounding Mensa’s “youngest members,” demonstrate the rampant lack of understanding surrounding giftedness, and help to perpetuate it.
Says Who?
Where do these stories even come from?
Mensa doesn’t go to the press about new memberships, and won’t share membership information unless they’re granted permission. News articles often originate with excited and proud family members.
You might see Mensa respond to reports that are already out there, but you won’t find them trumpeting the information first. In Mensa, age is just a number, and there are many child members who we don’t know about.
Sometimes the breathless articles aren’t even accurate. Contrary to some recent reports of a three-year-old being the youngest ever to join, the Mensa UK website states: “The youngest-ever member was two years and four months old at the time of joining.” Some more accurately report that he’s the youngest current member, but what exactly does that prove?
You see, age really doesn’t matter because…
Gifted Kids are Born Gifted
All gifted kids are gifted at age three. They’re gifted at age two, and so on. However, there are many variables affecting when or if they are identified as gifted and what their giftedness looks like.
Mensa doesn’t test young children. In the United States the minimum age to take the Mensa admissions test is 14. In the UK, where Mensa collaborates more closely with schools, testing is available at age 10. Mensa will accept certain qualifying test scores from outside sources, but private testing is expensive and not accessible for many families.
It’s common for gifted kids to exhibit asynchronous development, meaning they may excel in some areas, but have delays in others. Not all gifted kids read or write early. Gifted kids may also be twice-exceptional, having one or more disability that can mask their intelligence or make testing more difficult.
Young children may have difficulty completing IQ testing and, in fact, many experts recommend against it. The National Association for Gifted Children says:
While experts have differing opinions on whether to test young children, researchers generally agree that it is difficult to make accurate IQ determinations at an early age (under 6).
Testing What Exists
The type of testing that Mensa requires is ideally an accurate reflection of a child’s natural abilities and characteristics. Studying or preparing for these types of tests interferes with their accuracy.
Gifted identification through testing is a revelation of what exists, not an achievement.
It’s Not a Race
Giftedness is not a race or a competition. It can be fun and impressive to witness precociousness in gifted kids, but that’s not the essence of giftedness. Giftedness is lifelong, while being the youngest is temporary.
Early identification doesn’t necessarily mean “more gifted,” and we hurt kids when we define success as accomplishing feats earlier than everyone else.
We should try to discover giftedness early so that gifted children can receive the proper supports to help them realize their personal potential, but early identification in itself is not an accomplishment (except, perhaps, for the people doing the identifying of this tricky demographic).
It’s Not a Ticket to Success
Can support from organizations like Mensa help ensure a gifted kid’s success? We can hope. The point is that they need that support. Opportunities and success won’t fall into their laps because they joined Mensa as a tot.
The sad reality is that many educators and employers bristle at the mention of “Mensa” or “gifted” and myths perpetuated in the media do not contribute toward acceptance of this complicated population.
Celebrating acceptance into Mensa as an achievement contributes to the common and damaging misconception that gifted kids have it made. Gifted kids (and their families) can and do struggle unless they receive the proper understanding and support from schools and society.
Kids who are celebrated for being gifted may feel a burden to live up to societal expectations that are unrealistic or just don’t fit the individual. Success is different for everyone, and it doesn’t always look remarkable.
It’s certainly a happy thing to understand more about a person and to discover those who might someday achieve great things for society with the proper support. But a more suitable reaction than “Congratulations!” might be something like “Buckle up!” or “How can I help?” Identification is just the beginning.