Kentucky toddler now a Guinness World Record holder after becoming youngest Mensa member

Ray Padilla, Louisville Courier Journal
·1 min read
Isla McNabb is a 2-year-old Oldham County, Kentucky resident who was recently accepted as the youngest member of Mensa, the society for people with high IQ's. Isla spells the word, "mom," using soft letters of the alphabet. Her parents Amanda and Jason are on right. June 13, 2022
Isla McNabb is a 2-year-old Oldham County, Kentucky resident who was recently accepted as the youngest member of Mensa, the society for people with high IQ's. Isla spells the word, "mom," using soft letters of the alphabet. Her parents Amanda and Jason are on right. June 13, 2022

A Kentucky toddler stunned the country in 2022 by becoming the youngest Mensa member in the United States, and now she's a Guinness World Record holder as a result.

Isla McNabb, of Crestwood, became the youngest member of American Mensa, a society for those with high IQs, after testing in the 99th percentile for the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales at just two years old.

Isla now holds the Guinness record as the youngest Mensa member to join the organization, Guinness officials announced Monday.

Her parents, Jason and Amanda McNabb, always had a hunch their daughter was really smart, but they never expected she would become the youngest current member of American Mensa.

Isla is the fourth child of Jason and Amanda McNabb, but they noticed her developing at a more rapid pace than the other children.
Isla is the fourth child of Jason and Amanda McNabb, but they noticed her developing at a more rapid pace than the other children.

"It started right when we brought her home from the hospital. If we had something on TV, she would watch it. She would be fixated on it, not looking around like other babies. She would be focused on it," Jason previously told the Courier Journal.

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The McNabbs said previously that they aren't sure what the future may hold for their daughter. However, they are ready to cultivate her passions and see what she needs as she gets older and begins going to school — whether that means skipping grades, joining the gifted program or something else.

"We don't want her to develop a complex or feel like she has something to live up to," Amanda said. "She's having fun, right? Let's let her enjoy it."

Eleanor McCrary contributed to this report.

Ray Padilla is a digital producer for the Courier-Journal. He can be reached at rapadilla@gannett.com or on X @Ray_Padilla_.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Guinness World Record: Kentucky 2-year-old is youngest Mensa member