A toddler has been branded a Mensa genius after her score in the admissions test fell just below Albert Einstein's.
Three-year-old Dayaal Kaur could name all the planets in the solar system when she was just two and has maths and literacy skills that far exceed her age.
Proud dad Sarbjit Singh says they knew they were on their way to raising a child genius when she began chatting before she was even out of nappies.
And when her parents took her for a Mensa test to check, little Dayaal wowed her assessor by scoring 142 on the test - not far off Albert Einstein.
After her admission to the famous society, Dayaal was offered a place at a private school in Edgbaston at a reduced scholarship fee.
However, Sarbjit says that even with the discount it sadly remains beyond their means, reports Birmingham Live.
Dayaal has been accepted into their local primary school and Sarbjit is currently pushing for her to be moved up a school year to ensure she is challenged and stimulated in her learning.
"It’s like having a Bentley and not being able to drive,” said Sarbjit, who works at Ruskin Mill Trust college in Stourbridge.
Dayaal's parents say their daughter's intelligence was at the 99.9th percentile for her age and that she had the word recognition and maths abilities of a five-year-old.
When the toddler started nursery, their suspicions were confirmed as the manager wrote to them saying that in 15 years she had never come across a child like Dayaal.
"I've always talked to Dayaal in an adult way, not using baby talk and no matter what I said to her she’d understand, from popping something into the bin to going to get a nappy,” said Sarbjit, whose wife Raj works as a solicitor.
“She could follow adult films like The Martian and understand the plot and the funny bits.
"We’d be in a supermarket and she’d strike up a conversation at the till, asking people about their kids and how old they were. People would turn to me and ask how old she was and I’d say two.
"The nursery manager wrote us a letter saying Dayaal far exceeded any provision they could provide," he said.
"She said in 15 years of childcare she’d never come across a child like her who was not just academic but sociable with a sense of humour too.”
During lockdown, the parents decided to have Dayaal's intelligence formally tested to better gauge her mental capacity.
“We sat outside the room by the stairs and all we could hear was Lynn Kendall (the assessor) laughing with Dayaal and, when we came back in, she said you need to sit down for this," he said.
"She explained that Mensa only accepts the top five per cent in the UK and she said that Dayaal was in the top 0.01 per cent," he added.
"She said that put her in the top tier of the top tier. She said that her IQ was 142 at the age of three. Apparently Einstein’s top IQ was 160 and I’m not sure how old he was when that was measured.
“She said that Dayaal really is extraordinary, that she’s a warm girl with an amazing sense of fun. She said it’s a real novelty to meet someone who had such a high IQ that was so down to earth."
Sarbjit sadly ended up in a coma after contracting Covid last year, and said it was Dayaal talking to him through an iPad in hospital that saved his life. Fortunately he's recovered well since.
In her report, assessor Lynn Kendall said: "Dayaal is an exceptionally able little girl whose intelligence falls at the 99.9th percentile for her age.
“I would rarely recommend accelerating a child out of their year group. However, given Dayaal’s ability and maturity, in this case, it might be something worth considering.
“At home, parents should focus on broadening Dayaal’s interests rather than focussing on maths and English. Geography, nature, history, science, the environment and culture are all barely touched by schools, particularly at this age, and will ensure that Dayaal has a broad knowledge base from which to work.
“It is also important that she starts to develop a strong level of resilience. Dayaal is a delightful little girl with a very grown up manner and a great sense of fun."
Dayaal's scores were measured at:
Letter and word recognition: Dayaal has a ‘working at’ level of 5 years and 2 months
Reading comprehension: Dayaal has a ‘working at’ level of 4 years and 8 months
Math concepts: Dayaal has a ‘working at’ level of 5 years and 2 months
