4-year-old Vernon Hills boy dreams of a career at NASA. A genius IQ might get him there.

At 4 years old, Zorien Royce already is a charmer.

Asked what he learned after his first week at the Science & Arts Academy in Des Plaines, the boy serenades a reporter with a verse from “Criss-Cross Applesauce.”

“Ears are listening. Eyes are looking. Brain is thinking,” he continues in a sing-song voice before gleefully describing his Play-Doh creations.

His favorite subject is math, specifically multiplication and division. He enjoys libraries and in his spare time he puts together puzzles and “Lion King” LEGOS. He plays soccer and swims. And one day, he hopes to become a NASA scientist.

In many respects, the Vernon Hills youngster is like any other child. With one exception.

Zorien Royce is a genius.

In July, he took the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence test. His score of 156 out of 160 placed him in the profoundly gifted category and earned him admission to high-IQ organizations Mensa and Intertel, which accept the top 2% and 1% of the world's population, respectively.

Zorien’s father, Md Naqib Alam Ansari, attributes their son's abilities to his high-achieving wife, Monirupa Ananya. A civil engineer, summa cum laude graduate and “constant learner,” Ananya was studying for her LEED-accredited professional green building certification when she was pregnant with Zorien.

“We noticed very early,” recalled Ansari, associate director of technology for a global pharmaceutical company. “Even as a baby, he started smiling very early.”

His parents say Zorien uttered his first words at 6 months, recognized shapes and letters at 9 months and spoke in small, full sentences at 13 months. He was reading, spelling and counting forward and backward from 100 by age 2.

But Ansari and Ananya didn’t consider their son gifted until their pediatrician convinced them otherwise and urged them to contact a psychologist. That led them to Mensa, which assisted the couple in establishing a support system to help their son thrive.

Fluent in English and Bengali, Zorien is learning Hindi, Spanish and French. But his greatest gift is kindness, says Ananya, who urges both him and his younger brother Eizayn to always “choose kindness.”

“He’s outgoing, very friendly,” she said. “He says hi to people and asks them 'do you need anything?' I love seeing that.”

As a toddler, he peppered his parents and grandparents with questions.

“He was always hungry for more,” said Sk Nasiruddin, Ananya's father and Zorien’s grandfather, via email. “Once mastered, he was ready to move on to the next challenge. It kept us on our toes to keep him engaged.”

“We were amazed at how fast he absorbed and retained new things,” said Nasiruddin who, together with his wife, Azima Begum, Zorien’s grandmother, helped care for their grandson when he was younger. Most days they visited the library for books and puzzles. They also played sports and explored nature.

“Whatever he wanted to try, we encouraged him to explore more,” Nasiruddin said.

Zorien’s parents describe their son as “endlessly curious.” Azima Begum says he shares that trait with his mother.

“He never stopped asking why,” said Azima Begum via email. “Riding in the car, he would read road signs and traffic signals and ask: ‘why do the colors change?’ or ‘why do you stop at red and go on green?’”

And when they didn’t know the answer, they took him to the library to find it, she said.

Nurturing curiosity is important, Nasiruddin said. If parents stop answering questions, children may stop asking and their enthusiasm could fade.

Ansari and Ananya say they will support their son’s interests and celebrate whatever career path he chooses.

“For us as parents it is about giving him the right opportunities,” said Ananya. “Every child has unique gifts. With the right support and encouragement, anything can happen.”