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How can we boost IQs of "dull children"?: A late adoption study
M Duyme1, A C Dumaret, S Tomkiewicz
1Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale U.155, Epidémiologie Génétique, Université Paris VII, 75251 Paris, France. duyme@ccr.jussieu.fr
Insights
Children adopted after experiencing abuse or neglect showed significant IQ gains. Higher socioeconomic status adoptive families resulted in greater IQ improvements for adopted children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Welfare Studies
- Adoption Research
Background:
- Deprived children, defined as abused and/or neglected in infancy, face developmental challenges.
- Previous research indicates adoption can positively impact children's development.
- Socioeconomic status (SES) of adoptive families may influence outcomes for adopted children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of adoption on the IQ of deprived children.
- To examine the relationship between the adoptive family's socioeconomic status and IQ gains.
- To assess the long-term cognitive development, including verbal and performance IQ, in this population.
Main Methods:
- Selection of 65 deprived children adopted between 4-6 years with pre-adoption IQ <86.
- Comparison of IQ at adolescence (mean age 13.5 years) based on adoptive family's SES (low vs. high).
- Analysis of IQ changes and correlation with pre-adoption IQ scores.
Main Results:
- Significant IQ gains observed post-adoption, with greater gains in higher SES families (19.5 points) compared to lower SES families (7.7 points).
- Pre-adoption IQ scores were significantly correlated with post-adoption IQ scores.
- Adolescent adopted children exhibited significantly lower verbal IQ compared to performance IQ.
Conclusions:
- Adoption significantly enhances cognitive abilities in previously deprived children.
- The socioeconomic environment of the adoptive family plays a crucial role in the extent of cognitive improvement.
- Long-term cognitive profiles show a disparity between verbal and performance IQ in adopted children.
Abstract:
From 5,003 files of adopted children, 65 deprived children, defined as abused and/or neglected during infancy, were strictly selected with particular reference to two criteria: (i) They were adopted between 4 and 6 years of age, and (ii) they had an IQ <86 (mean = 77, SD = 6.3) before adoption. The average IQs of adopted children in lower and higher socioeconomic status (SES) families were 85 (SD = 17) and 98 (SD = 14.6), respectively, at adolescence (mean age = 13.5 years). The results show (i) a significant gain in IQ dependent on the SES of the adoptive families (mean = 7.7 and mean = 19.5 IQ points in low and high SES, respectively), (ii) IQs after adoption are significantly correlated with IQs before adoption, and (iii) during adolescence, verbal IQs are significantly lower than performance IQs.