A four-year-old boy from Portishead, Bristol, has become one of the youngest people in the UK to join Mensa after teaching himself to read at the age of two. Teddy Hobbs, now four, was accepted into the high-IQ society at three years and nine months old after scoring in the 99.5th percentile on an intelligence test.
During the coronavirus lockdown, Teddy began reading fluently at just 26 months old. His mother, Beth Hobbs, 31, said: 'He has always been interested in books so we made sure he had plenty around. But during the lockdown, he started to take a real interest, and by the age of 26 months, he had taught himself to read.'
Teddy's abilities extend beyond reading; he can count to 100 in six languages, including Mandarin, Welsh, French, Spanish, and German. He also taught himself times tables using a tablet. His parents, Beth and Will, sought an assessment from health visitors to understand his advanced skills, as Teddy was their first child and they had nothing to compare him with.
The family contacted Mensa for guidance, and Teddy underwent an hour-long online assessment. Beth said: 'I was worried about him being able to sit in front of a laptop for an hour, but he absolutely loved it.' The test revealed he was in the top 0.5 per cent for IQ, and further assessments showed his letter and word recognition matched that of an eight-year-old and ten-month-old child.
Teddy, who starts school in September, received a certificate confirming his Mensa membership. Beth emphasised they never pushed him: 'We’ve scaffolded his interests by providing him with items such as books and an abacus, but we’ve never promoted it.' The family also received support from the charity Potential Plus, which provides resources for gifted children.
