Mensa: What happens when 'child geniuses' grow up

A four-year-old lad made headlines this week aft becoming the UK's youngest subordinate of Mensa, the nine for radical with sky-high IQ.

But what happens to children similar Teddy erstwhile they turn up?

Two decades ago, Christopher Guerin was successful a akin presumption to Teddy. He was crowned Britain's brainiest kid aged 12 successful 2002, beating thousands of different kids connected the TV show.

"It was thing that maine and my household didn't expect astatine all," says Mr Guerin, present 42, from Birmingham. "My look was successful each the papers, connected the BBC News website." (You tin spot our study from the clip here.)

With an IQ of 162, helium was already a subordinate of Mensa - thing helium joined aft watching an occurrence of The Simpsons and seeing Lisa Simpson motion up.

Mensa accepts radical who people wrong the apical 2% of the wide colonisation successful an approved quality test.

His triumph opened up plentifulness of opportunities, including being invited to ticker his beloved Aston Villa play with the club's chairman, and a escaped travel to Ireland from the Irish tourer committee - some his parents were from there.

There was an anticipation connected him to excel - but helium didn't find it to beryllium a negative. In fact, it spurred him on. "I personally responded good to that," helium says.

"I deliberation adjacent if I hadn't won it I inactive would person wanted to excel astatine what I was doing anyhow but it decidedly gave different space of it.

"I went to a authorities grammar school, truthful that meant that being academically competitory was a large portion of the schoolhouse ethos anyway, truthful it was a truly bully situation to beryllium portion of and astir radical responded to it positively."

Britain's brainiest kid went connected to execute 3 maths degrees including 1 from Cambridge, and is presently studying for his PhD.

His time occupation is an adjunct main astatine a secondary school, wherever helium says helium uses his acquisition to promote his pupils.

"I've done assemblies about... making the astir of opportunities," says Mr Guerin, who got joined successful the summer. "It doesn't person to beryllium quizzing oregon world things, but immoderate you've got immoderate benignant of an involvement in, it's a truly enjoyable happening to do."

Arran Fernandez, 27, was different talented kid - and says helium besides did not look immoderate other pressure.

He was conscionable 15 when helium went to Cambridge University to survey mathematics, becoming the youngest Cambridge pupil since 1773. By the property of 18, helium was the university's champion mathematician, known arsenic elder wrangler.

Mr Fernandez - who was home-educated successful Surrey - says: "My [university] acquisition surely wasn't typical, but I besides don't consciousness similar I missed out. Every acquisition is unsocial successful its ain way.

"Socially I've ne'er cared overmuch astir comparing my property with others, truthful I didn't consciousness antithetic from my peers owed to my age. Starting astatine assemblage for the archetypal clip is simply a beingness alteration and a caller acquisition for everyone, whether astatine 15 oregon astatine 18."

Mr Fernandez, who is present an subordinate prof of mathematics astatine Eastern Mediterranean University successful bluish Cyprus, says helium ever tried to execute arsenic good arsenic helium could successful his enactment - but "that's for my ain restitution alternatively than outer pressure".

"I recovered that radical mostly had precocious expectations of me, reasoning I indispensable beryllium a 'genius' due to the fact that of my age, but I didn't fto strangers' perceptions oregon expectations impact my science oregon enactment undue unit connected me."

But helium says helium dislikes the word "child genius".

"I wasn't - and americium not - a genius, conscionable idiosyncratic who was fixed exceptional acquisition opportunities and was capable to marque the champion of them."

He says the opportunities and enactment helium had bash not marque him "better" than anyone other - if thing they person inspired him to "pay it guardant and effort to enactment others to execute akin opportunities and successes", helium says.

Of course, being talented arsenic a kid doesn't mean you person it each your ain mode each the time.

Jocelyn Lavin, who grew up musically talented and was accepted into the prestigious Chetham's School of Music successful Manchester, says being a considered a kid genius did not impact her negatively portion increasing up.

But she adds that successful big enactment life, radical often privation things done a definite mode - "and they don't similar erstwhile you don't acceptable the mould and person your ain mode of reasoning and seeing things".

She has worked arsenic a teacher and caput among different jobs, and a fewer weeks agone she applied for her "perfect role".

"So I filled retired their questionnaire connected the exertion and emphasised that I felt I could bash the occupation good with my researching skills and being capable to find things out.

"However, they responded that my answers to their questions connected the signifier were the other of what they were looking for successful the role, which made maine consciousness similar the skills I person are holding maine backmost successful the occupation search."

Those of america who weren't kid geniuses needn't interest - Wendy Berliner, an acquisition journalist, says that often for adults who spell connected to beryllium exceptional, "it is much to bash with character, things similar determination, drive, curiosity".

"Support is besides precise important - with radical who spell connected to beryllium precocious achievers you volition usually find determination is idiosyncratic precise supportive successful the inheritance who encourages them," she says.

Mensa's talented kid consultant, Lyn Kendall, says 1 happening she notices astir Mensa children is however driven they are - they person a "need" to learn, she says.

She says Mensa runs a enactment radical for parents of talented children that presently has astir 300 families. Being a genitor of a Mensa kid is demanding, she says. "It's exhausting, it's frustrating, it astir ruins marriages."

Journalist Ms Berliner says that anyone who thinks they person a talented kid should debar "treating children arsenic thing which makes america arsenic parents look good".

Instead, "encourage them arsenic radical that you conscionable privation to beryllium comfy and blessed successful their lives, that's the astir important thing", she says.

And plentifulness of parents mightiness beryllium successful that precise presumption close now.

After four-year-old Teddy made the quality for his precocious IQ, Ms Kendall says she received 38 emails from parents of 3 oregon four-year-olds.

They were asking for assistance and telling her: "We've got 1 similar that."

Mensa counts 140,000 radical astir the satellite arsenic members - including 18,000 successful the UK and the Irish Republic.

The organisation describes itself arsenic "the world's starring precocious IQ society", and says it provides its members with a abstraction for like-minds to socialise, agelong themselves intellectually and prosecute successful absorbing activities.