Poverty linked to children’s IQ

Poverty affects the intelligence of children as young as two, a study has found - and its impact increases as the child ages. Deprived young children were found to have intelligent quotient (IQ) scores six points lower, on average, than children from wealthier families.

• Scientists compared data on almost 15,000 children and their parents
• The research was part of the Twins Early Development Study (Teds)
• Study aims to study socio-economic and genetic links with intelligence
• Deprived young children were found to have IQ scores six points lower, on average, than children from wealthier families

And the gap got wider throughout childhood, with the early difference tripling by the time the children reached adolescence. Scientists from Goldsmiths, University of London compared data on almost 15,000 children and their parents as part of the Twins Early Development Study (Teds).

The study is an on-going investigation socio-economic and genetic links to intelligence. Children were assessed nine times between the ages of two and 16, using a mixture of parent-administered, web and telephone-based tests. The results, published in the journal Intelligence, revealed that children from wealthier backgrounds with more opportunities scored higher in IQ tests at the age of two, and experienced greater IQ gains over time.

Dr Sophie von Stumm, from Goldsmiths, University of London, who led the study, said, “We’ve known for some time that children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds perform on average worse on intelligence tests than children from higher SES backgrounds, but the developmental relationship between intelligence and SES had not been previously shown.”

“We hope that our findings will drive future research into the specific mechanisms and factors that underpin the link between SES and IQ and thus, contribute to widening the IQ gap,” he added. Last year, a study by the University of Exeter revealed that children from poor backgrounds and one-parent families are more likely to suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which could affect their ability to excel at school.

Researchers found a link between social and economic status and childhood ADHD in Britain by analysing data from the Millennium Cohort Study - a database of more than 19,500 British children born between 2000 and 2002. The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, showed that there was a greater prevalence of ADHD among children from families living below the poverty line.

They also revealed that the chance of parents in social housing having a child with ADHD was roughly three times greater than for those who owned their own homes. Mothers with no qualifications were more than twice as likely to have a child with ADHD as those with degrees, and lone parents were more likely to have a child with ADHD than households with two live-in parents.

Daily Mail.Poverty affects the intelligence of children as young as two, a study has found - and its impact increases as the child ages. Deprived young children were found to have intelligent quotient (IQ) scores six points lower, on average, than children from wealthier families.

And the gap got wider throughout childhood, with the early difference tripling by the time the children reached adolescence. Scientists from Goldsmiths, University of London compared data on almost 15,000 children and their parents as part of the Twins Early Development Study (Teds).

The study is an on-going investigation socio-economic and genetic links to intelligence. Children were assessed nine times between the ages of two and 16, using a mixture of parent-administered, web and telephone-based tests. The results, published in the journal Intelligence, revealed that children from wealthier backgrounds with more opportunities scored higher in IQ tests at the age of two, and experienced greater IQ gains over time.

Dr Sophie von Stumm, from Goldsmiths, University of London, who led the study, said, “We’ve known for some time that children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds perform on average worse on intelligence tests than children from higher SES backgrounds, but the developmental relationship between intelligence and SES had not been previously shown.”

“We hope that our findings will drive future research into the specific mechanisms and factors that underpin the link between SES and IQ and thus, contribute to widening the IQ gap,” he added. Last year, a study by the University of Exeter revealed that children from poor backgrounds and one-parent families are more likely to suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which could affect their ability to excel at school.

Researchers found a link between social and economic status and childhood ADHD in Britain by analysing data from the Millennium Cohort Study - a database of more than 19,500 British children born between 2000 and 2002. The study, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, showed that there was a greater prevalence of ADHD among children from families living below the poverty line.

They also revealed that the chance of parents in social housing having a child with ADHD was roughly three times greater than for those who owned their own homes. Mothers with no qualifications were more than twice as likely to have a child with ADHD as those with degrees, and lone parents were more likely to have a child with ADHD than households with two live-in parents.

Daily Mail.