British toddler, 2, becomes the youngest EVER Mensa member - after saying his first word at just seven months old

A British toddler has become the youngest ever member of Mensa - the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. 

Joseph Harris-Birtill was officially welcomed into the elite club at the age of just 2 years and 182 days. 

To qualify for Mensa, you must have an IQ of at least 132, putting you in the top two per cent globally. 

The youngster impressed the society after saying his first word at just seven months old. 

'It soon became clear that he was an exceptional little being,' explained his mother, Dr Rose Harris-Birtill. 

'He first rolled over at five weeks, said his first word at seven months, and read his first book out loud from cover to cover at one-and-three-quarter years. 

'By two-and-a-quarter years old he was reading out loud fluently for 10 minutes at a time, could count to 10 in five languages and could count forwards and backwards to well over 100.'

Joseph is even younger than the youngest female Mensa member, Isla McNabb, who was 2 years 195 days old when she joined.  

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Joseph's parents, both 39, work in academic fields. 

His father, David, is a Senior Lecturer at the University of St Andrews, while Rose is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the same university and Editorial Director at the Open Library of Humanities. 

'He's learning morse code, knows the Greek alphabet, and has recently gotten interested in the periodic table,' his mother explained. 

'His interests are vast and varied, and he is always keen to learn more and loves a challenge.'

Despite scoring at the 98th percentile, Joseph doesn't realise yet just how clever he really is, according to his parents. 

'He is very kind and loving, confident and curious, and incredibly determined,' his mother said. 

'He loves a challenge and is really exhilarated by complexity, whether learning chess or poring over new words and concepts that he hasn't come across before.'

His parents decided to reach out to Mensa to get more support for Joseph, after it became clear how advanced his reading skills were. 

'I searched online for any further support available, and saw that Mensa offers resources and membership for highly able children,' Rose said. 

'We hope that this accomplishment can give him a sense of pride when he is older – it's a very unusual accolade and the credit is all his!'

Rose hopes Joseph's story will help to raise awareness about highly able learners. 

'It is a common misconception that everything is super easy for gifted children,' she said.

'But everyone needs appropriate stimulation and understanding throughout their lives, and highly able learners can sadly have their unique talents dimmed by the pressure to fit into environments that simply haven't been properly designed for them. 

'Joseph is fortunate enough to attend a brilliant nursery and has an excellent music teacher, and in Mensa we hope to provide him with a community of peers as a source of further support as his formidable intellect continues to grow and develop.'