Mensa Kids Can Face Difficulty Finding Right School - East Idaho News

Mensa Kids Can Face Difficulty Finding Right School

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ABC mensa mi tk 130911 16x9 992?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1378986350725WABC-TV(NEW YORK) — Victoria, Elizabeth and Kate Wilson share more than just their DNA.  The 9-year-old triplets have also all qualified to join Mensa, the exclusive high IQ society.

The sisters scored within the top 2 percent on a designated IQ test, allowing them entry into Mensa.  As they approach their next birthday, their parents are considering how to get them into the right education program.  The family recently moved to New Jersey from Florida.

Jeffrey Wilson, the girls’ father, told WABC-TV, ABC News’ New York station, that moving near the Florham Park area of the Garden State would give the girls greater access to better schools.

“As they approach 10 years old, this could be a place where they continue to blossom,” Wilson told WABC-TV.

Although the girls haven’t graduated to double-digit birthday candles yet, they are hardly the youngest kids to qualify for Mensa.  Last spring, a kindergartner named Gus Dorman from St. Louis was allowed entry into Mensa after he was found to have an IQ of 147.  According to Mensa, approximately 3,400 members are under 18 and the youngest member is 2 years old.

The organization even launched a Mensa for Kids website, where parents and teachers can download free lesson plans or look up other activities for gifted children.

Victoria Liguez, the marketing manager for the American branch of Mensa, said by allowing children into the organization, Mensa officials hoped to offer gifted young people education materials tailored to their talents.

“If you’ve got a smart kid you don’t want them to be bored,” said Liguez.  “We want all children to be engaged, especially the smart ones.”

But finding the right education for gifted students can be a problem, even if their IQs are off the charts, according to experts.

Dr. Gene Beresin, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard University and director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Residency Training at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that a high IQ did not guarantee success in school.

“The high IQ kids get less positive education because teachers have to spend so much time with kids who need help or kids who are disruptive,” said Beresin.

Beresin also said that having a high general IQ can mean very little when it comes to school performance.

“[Kids] can have a very high IQ and have dyslexia, [or] have slow processing speed and it takes a longer timer to process information.  Those kids get very frustrated,” he said.

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