At an age where most kids are just starting to master the alphabet, 4-year-old Zorien Royce of Vernon Hills speaks five languages and is among the youngest card-carrying Mensa members in the world.
Zorien, who turned 4 earlier this month, actually earned membership to Mensa, an organization open those who score in the top 2% on an accepted standardized intelligence test, and Intertel, which is open to the top 1% of the world’s population, based on tests he took when he was 3. He scored 156 out of 160 on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence test, which placed him into the “profoundly gifted range.”
Zorien’s father, Md Naqib Alam Ansari, an associate director of technology at a global pharmaceutical company, and mother, Monirupa Ananya, a civil engineer at at global construction firm, said they first noticed their son had unusual abilities around the age of 2, when he could count from 1 to 100 forwards and backwards and spell complex words.
Even more than that, they say Zorien displayed such an insatiable curiosity that his questions forced the couple, both who have master’s degrees, to consult with Google for the answers.
“His questions are thoughtful,” Ananya said. “One time he asked us why doesn’t the moon fall down? Who is holding it up? I had to search Google for the answers.”
Ananya said her son learned Bengali from her parents, who have been visiting from India for the summer.
“My mom and dad joke that he learned Bengali, but they haven’t learned English,” she said, adding that Zorien’s curiosity extends to his grandparents.
“He asked my dad why a car has four wheels while a bicycle has only two,” Ananya said.
Because of Zorien’s curiosity and ability to pick up language quickly, the couple consulted their pediatrician who referred them to a psychologist — who administered the IQ test that led to Zorien qualifying for both Mensa and Intertel.
“I had never heard of Mensa, but they have a lot of resources for him and like-minded people,” she said.
Ananya said after her husband immigrated to the U.S. in 2014 and she in 2018, they moved a block away from a school in Vernon Hills with the intention that if they had children, they would attend the school.
However, because Zorien has displayed high intelligence — he is currently reading at a 3rd grade level, and has mastered 3-digit addition and subtraction and is doing multiplication and division, he’s enrolled at the Science & Arts Academy in Des Plaines. He also attends Kumon, an after-school math and reading program, a couple times a week.
While his academic caseload is rigorous for a 4-year-old, Zorien also loves to swim, paint and play soccer, Ananya said. Zorian’s father added he is very kind and compassionate.
“During the COVID period, I had a high fever, and he would come with a plate of food and offer me things. He’s very affectionate,” Ansari said.
His mom said Zorien also is very social, often asking people questions that go beyond how they are doing.
Ananya said while Zorien says he wants to work for NASA one day, she realizes he may change his mind .
“Right now, his interest is in space, but that can evolve at any time. Whatever he wants to do, it’s important that we give him the right environment and support and encouragement,” Ananya said. “We let him ask a lot of questions and try to answer as much as we can. We let him lead the way. His nature is curiosity, and we try to nurture him by providing him a platform without pushing him.”
While the couple has allowed Zorien to learn about the things that interest him, they do have rules they say have helped his development, such as a consistent bedtime and no screen time. He has stickers and a bike adorned with the image of Spider-Man but has never watched the popular movie, and he’s not allowed to eat sugary foods or candy.
Recently, Zorien started using words she didn’t understand and had to turn on Google translator, which helped her realize her son was counting 1 to 20 in French. This led to the couple relenting a bit on screen time, allowing their son to watch a few videos on YouTube to help his French and Spanish, two languages the couple don’t speak.
Ansari said because he and his wife sometimes speak Hindi, Zorien is also starting to learn that language, to go along with the four other languages he speaks.
As for whether he will be allowed to have a cell phone when he is in high school, Ananya said the couple has not thought that far ahead.
For now, they want to focus on providing Zorien the best atmosphere in which to thrive and pursue his interests.
“At the end of the day, we just want him to be happy,” she said.