Should Mensa Have Accepted Elise Tan Roberts?

Joining a High IQ Society May Not be in a Wee Child's Best Interest

May 2, 2009

Elise Roberts is a London child who appears to have startling memory abilities and strong processing skills, but highly gifted toddlers are still just toddlers.

Elise Tan Roberts is only two years old, but already her parents are worried. Her father shared some of his concerns with Joanna Sugden of the London Times, saying, "We don't want to make her have to dumb down and stop learning just to fit in." ("Elise Tan Roberts, 2, becomes youngest member of Mensa" April 30, 2009.) While Elise's parents' concern about her development is admirable, Mensa membership is not the right step for her. She should be in pre-school and at the park with her friends, no matter what her (or their) IQs may be, instead of having her early identity defined by her IQ.

Who is Mensa's Youngest Member, Elise Tan Roberts?

Elise is a British child who was tested by Joan Freeman of the British Psychological Society with the Stanford Binet. Two is the youngest age that the test is designed for, and assuming the test is accurate, Elise is highly gifted. Her parents have trotted out videos of the young child and asked that she be included in Mensa, and they have shared her story with mass media outlets. That is not the usual procedure for parents of gifted toddlers; it is far better for parents to focus on the developmental needs of young gifted children before posting trick-pony videos online. Another parent who brought her "genius" child out into the media was Elizabeth Chapman, mother of Justin Chapman, a young man whose story had a sad ending, indeed.

Developmental Needs of Gifted Toddlers

Gifted toddlers definitely need differentiated experiences. Working with gifted toddlers, one notices certain trends. Young gifted children tend to:

All of these signs occur within the confines of otherwise normal toddler development. Young gifted children still need naps, still need parenting, still need limited choices, still need playdates, and still need to be treated like children. In fact, they often need to be treated like children longer than their non-gifted peers because gifted children have, by definition, asynchronous development.

Understanding Asynchronous Development

"Asynchronous development" is one of those phrases that uses a lot of syllables to convey a simple concept. Gifted children usually develop at uneven rates. Intellectually, they are much older than they are emotionally, so an 11 year old child may have the abstract reasoning skills of a 20 year old but the social skills of a six year old. Often, gifted children have uneven development because they are frequently responding to situation with their highly developed intellectual skills. They might, for example, make friends because they are quick-witted and tell funny jokes, rather than because they are kind and honest. Asynchronous development can set gifted kids on a self-esteem roller coaster, and parents and teachers trained in working with gifted students must be aware and proactive in helping children fill developmental gaps.

Mensa and Gifted Children

Mensa works with younger members with specific interest groups. Mensa supports gifted education and social development of gifted children, and may seem like an obvious, logical choice for young Elise. Mensa is a good friend to gifted educators, gifted children, and parents of gifted children. They have enormous resources and have created a vast community for gifted people, and the goal of Mensa is admirable and well-meaning.

While Mensa might be the right choice for Elise someday, the day is not now. At two, she is not at an age to make the independent choice for the fame she now has. Much of the attention Elise has gotten has been from Mensa's decision to accept her.

Gifted education starts at home and continues with the shared efforts of parents and teachers, but gifted children need to be encouraged to have as many normal developmental experiences as possible, because they will likely suffer from the consequences of uneven development.

The copyright of the article Should Mensa Have Accepted Elise Tan Roberts? in Gifted Education is owned by Alex Sharp. Permission to republish Should Mensa Have Accepted Elise Tan Roberts? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

May 2, 2009 4:38 PM

Guest :

Mensa is open to *anyone* who has tested in the 98th percentile or above in a recognised standardised IQ test, regardless of their age. If the evidence is provided - and this child was tested by an eminent psychologist Professor Joan Freeman - Mensa can't reject the application!

There also seems to be a misunderstanding in the article about what Mensa is. It is a membership society, not a school. I'm sure Elise will be playing in the park with friends and going to whichever school her parents choose for her.