Genius toddler teaches himself to read- at just 14 months old

14-month-old Justus Smith 'could give Einstein a run for his money', by being about to read only months after learning to talk. 

While we all want to think that our child will be the next Mozart, the Smith family actually have a legit reason ot claim their baby as a genius.

Most children don't learn to read until they're six or seven. 

Dad Justice Smith was blown away when his son muttered the words ‘Da-da’ at just nine months old, but little Justus took him by surprise just months later by reading out loud.

In a video recorded by his proud father, the clever tot effortlessly reads a selection of random words projected in front of him. 

Speaking to The Mirror, Justice, from Nashville, Tennessee, claims that he gets ‘gets his intelligence from his mum’. 

 “My wife, Shaylla, and I realised pretty early on that Justus would be an early talker," he confessed. "But as we were first time parents we weren't really sure what was considered average or ‘normal’.

“We’ve read to him consistently from around the time he was three months old, but we never tried to get him to read for himself – he just started doing it.

“Justus is like a super sponge at the moment, the way he catches and remembers so many things is quite staggering. I wish my mind and memory were as capable as his – we are beside ourselves with his abilities." 

The first-time parents were shocked at their child's reading capabilities. 

“We were absolutely floored when he just started seeing the words and saying them aloud without any coaching – it caught us completely off-guard. At first, we thought that maybe he’d just memorised them, but he is able to sound out words phonetically as well." 

When out and about with his parents. Justus excitedly points at words he recognises. 

“Justus will sometimes grab and book and walk over to me or my wife and just say ‘read’. We believe he could definitely give Einstein a run for his money in the history books." 

Curious about the world around him, Justice is ensuring that their son will have every opportunity open to him in the future: 

“He’s interested in lots of things right now, but as his parents, we believe the best thing to do is let him know as he grows older all his options in this world are limitless – he can be whatever he wants to be.”

He's one to watch!