'My toddler is a genius - she can read Harry Potter books and she's only two'

The mum of a two-year-old who can read any complex word put in front of her has dubbed her daughter a 'whizz kid'.

Poppy Rushton might only be a toddler but she's already a gifted reader - completing her older sister's Harry Potter book without any help from her family.

Her mum, Sophie Blundell, says the tot learnt the alphabet shortly after turning one and could read out road signs just a few months later.

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The mum-of-three, from the Westhoughton area of Bolton, says Poppy can read school timetables, instructions on boxes and TV subtitles.

And despite never teaching her how to read, the 34-year-old says the youngster, who attends Happitots Nursery, is also making her way through David Walliams' books.

"She has read her two sisters' Harry Potter books," the mum said. "I never taught her how to read, she just did it herself.

"We noticed at 18-months. She started reading short words and then it just turned into longer words. She knew her alphabet just after she turned one.

"She's definitely a genius. I don't know how - I've not got higher qualifications. I only just about completed my GCSE's."

Sophie says she believed her daughter was struggling to communicate at first but now believes she's 'really clever' - saying she can read any word in sight regardless of its complexity.

The mum also believes the youngster has hyperlexia, when a child starts reading early and surprisingly beyond those expected for their age.

A child with hyperlexia might figure out how to decode or sound out words very quickly, but not understand or comprehend most of what they're reading.

"I think she decodes words and has hyperlexia," Sophie added. "It's not commonly diagnosed in the UK. She's exceptional, remarkable and talented. I'm a proud mummy."

A typical two-year-old can look at pictures in books and name familiar items such as dog, cup and baby, according to Understood.org.

They will be able to answer questions about what they see in books, recognise the covers of their favourite books and recite words of their favourite books. They might start pretending to read by turning pages and making up stories.

Gifted children, however, will often be able to speak in fuller sentences at the age of two.