While most kids his age are still trying to master tying their own shoes, 4-year-old Zorien Royce is tackling the art of three-digit multiplication.
Zorien was just recently accepted into Mensa and Intertel, societies for the highly intelligent, after the boy scored a 156 out of 160 on his IQ test for children. Having just turned 4 last month, Zorien is already reading at a second-grade level and leaning fractions.
His parents, Md Naqib Alam Ansari and Monirupa Ananya, said in a news release that they began noticing his advanced development at just 18 months old.
"By two, he was reading books and spelling words like 'hippopotamus' and 'alligator,' and counting forwards and backwards to 100," they said. "That was the moment we knew his path would be very different."
He's also bilingual in English and Bengali, but is eager to learn more languages such as Spanish, French and Hindi, his parents said.
The family, who lives in Vernon Hills, Illinois, had Zorien tested with a psychologist. His parents said the psychologist was "awestruck" at his results.
"At just three years old, he was nearly maxing out the scoring scale for his age band," they said. "That's when we knew we had to take the next step in finding the right resources to nurture him."
Zorien's parents said they reached out to Mensa because they wanted to find out how to best support their son. Their hope is that being around peers at his level will help make sure that "he has the stimulation and opportunities he needs to thrive."
Mensa posted about Zorien's acceptance on Wednesday in a celebration of "brilliant kids who remind us that learning is an adventure."
"Proving that curiosity knows no age limits, this little genius is reading at 3rd-grade level and spreading joy with every language he learns," Mensa wrote in an Instagram caption.
Zorien says he wants to be a NASA scientist one day and that the library is his "favorite place in the world."
In addition to being a math and spelling whiz, Zorien loves to play sports and solve puzzles. His parents say he's a fan of building Lego sets, drawing, swimming, soccer and reading storybooks.
Zorien's parents don't want to push their son, but hope they are able to provide him the best environment to grow.
"For us, being gifted isn't just about numbers or scores - it's about balance," they said. "We want to make sure Zorien enjoys being a child, plays, laughs, and grows emotionally alongside his intellectual journey. Our biggest goal is to keep him curious, joyful, and empathetic while supporting his immense potential."