‘David da Vinci’, anak jenius Meksiko dengan IQ lebih tinggi dari Einstein

David Camacho would most likely not approve of the title of this article.

Firstly, he doesn’t refer to himself by the moniker “child genius,” despite boasting an IQ of 162—significantly surpassing the 130 threshold established by the World Health Organization (WHO) for categorizing individuals with high abilities or exceptional intelligence.

“Geniuses are already in their graves. If they are geniuses, it’s because they have accomplished extraordinary things,” he humbly told BBC Mundo, articulating his perspective.

Secondly, he admits he isn’t particularly fond of being compared to brilliant figures such as physicist Stephen Hawking or Albert Einstein, whose IQs were estimated to be around 160.

“I’m 10 years old and just beginning. Perhaps I’ll be a genius when I’m 70, but only when I’ve already done extraordinary things in life, right?” he remarked with a wide smile, reflecting a grounded vision for his future achievements.

David reveals that one figure truly inspires him, so much so that he borrowed their surname for his social media handle: “David da Vinci.”

“My kindergarten teacher often told me stories about Leonardo da Vinci and how he was a polymath: someone who combined science, technology, engineering, mathematics, art, humanities… a bit of everything,” he recalled. “I was very impressed by his story, and then I declared: ‘I want to be like him,’ to do great things.”

Currently, David appears to be well on his way towards realizing that ambitious dream.

From NASA to writing his own book

Always smiling, articulate, and with meticulously organized thoughts, David casually recounts his experiences delivering lectures at universities and to international organizations. He also excitedly reveals his plans to publish his own book, showcasing his burgeoning career as a speaker and author.

The most memorable experience for him was the “extraordinary opportunity” to visit NASA headquarters in Houston and participate in a space training program—a journey that hints at his future trajectory. “I want to perform the first surgery in space. Create the next SpaceX, become the next Elon Musk, something like that. Combining everything with business, with humanities… my life is wide open!” he exclaimed, detailing his expansive aspirations.

Presently, David is enrolled in an online international school that will provide him with the certification needed for university admission. He is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and German, and has recently begun learning Russian, Portuguese, and Italian, demonstrating a remarkable aptitude for languages.

He states that possessing such a high IQ is “a source of pride” and that the aspect he most cherishes about being a highly able child is the ability to grasp concepts and learn new things rapidly. “Not many people are born with this, so I want to use it for the benefit of children and the welfare of humanity, to leave my mark,” he affirmed, highlighting his sense of responsibility.

However, he notes that many people harbor unrealistic expectations towards gifted children. “Many people think we have to know everything, but we’re not fortune-tellers; we need to be taught. It doesn’t mean we have all the answers to the universe,” he clarifies.

He adds with a laugh, “Often I’m challenged, with people saying: ‘If you’re a genius, tell me the square root of whatever, multiply by so-and-so…’. Hold on, if I haven’t learned it, I won’t know it,” illustrating the common misconceptions he faces.

Bullying becomes an entrepreneurial opportunity

David’s mother, Claudia Flores, recalls the early indicators that led her to believe there was something special about David. “We were on a long road trip, and he had memorized about 40 children’s songs. We enrolled him in school, and he was happy for 15 days, but after that, he told me: ‘Move me to the older children’s class, I want to learn more’,” Claudia shared with BBC Mundo.

“I was so bored,” David interjected, reinforcing his mother’s observation.

However, the defining moment arrived during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Claudia sat beside David as he attended online classes and realized that her son was learning significantly faster than the other children. “I asked him how high he could count, and we counted into the millions. So I began to investigate if he was a highly able child, and specialists advised us on how to manage his giftedness,” Claudia explained.

Nevertheless, despite all his impressive accomplishments, David’s journey to this point has not been without its difficulties.

David admits he experienced “very severe” bullying at what he considered his dream school. “Other children didn’t understand why someone who had just started school could know more than them, or how I could do so many things. Their way of expressing it was to bully me,” he elucidated.

Recently, David decided to leverage that challenging experience to develop Macayos, an innovative application set to launch this year.

David defines it as “the first digital platform in Mexico created with artificial intelligence, which playfully teaches children skills to manage their emotions,” transforming a personal struggle into a valuable resource for others.

To those who bully children like him, David pleads for empathy and urges them to befriend everyone. “We’re not aliens: we have high abilities, but we are still children,” he reminds them, advocating for understanding and acceptance.

In fact, although he has many adult friends because he feels he doesn’t “fit in” with many children, David assures that he also engages in regular age-appropriate activities, such as playing with building blocks or going to the park.

“Many think I’m a child disguised as an adult, but I’m a child doing child things… and also some adult things,” he clarified, emphasizing his dual nature.

Diagnosis of a gifted child

The diagnosis of David’s high abilities came relatively early in his life. However, many other gifted children are often misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) due to restlessness or boredom in school, a condition that can also be mistakenly identified as autism.

“What happens is that the child has already understood what is being explained and wants something more,” states Claudia, David’s mother, explaining the root cause of their apparent restlessness.

Indeed, according to estimates from institutions like the Center for Talent Attention (CEDAT), there could be an estimated one million gifted children in Mexico. Yet, the vast majority remain unidentified, and a staggering 93% of them are misdiagnosed, highlighting a critical issue in education and child development.

“I am convinced that in Mexico there are many children like me who do not receive support or guidance. It makes me very sad to see that there are great talents who have to go to other countries because their families don’t have the resources or because here they don’t find opportunities,” David expressed with heartfelt concern.

Throughout the interview, David spoke very quickly, effortlessly leaping from one topic to another and seamlessly circling back if he felt he had omitted something important, showcasing his active and associative thought process.

Claudia admits that being the mother of such a child presents a significant challenge. “Being the mother of Edgar David Camacho Flores is very easy because he is a calm, loving, and kind child. But being the mother of David da Vinci is the challenge, because he moves fast, runs here and there…,” she shared, distinguishing between his personal demeanor and his energetic intellectual drive.

“I told him he had two little squirrels in his head. But he said no, he had a quantum computer,” she concluded playfully, perfectly encapsulating the unique and brilliant mind of her son.