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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 2, 2026

Involving Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder and Their Parents/Carers in Research Priority Setting

Involving Individuals with Developmental Language Disorder and Their Parents/Carers in Research Priority Setting

Published on: June 6, 2020

Language development and intelligence in midlife.

Trine Flensborg-Madsen^1,2, Erik Lykke Mortensen^1,2

¹Unit of Medical Psychology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

The British Journal of Developmental Psychology

|November 22, 2018

Summary

Early language development impacts adult intelligence. Achieving language milestones later in childhood is linked to lower midlife IQ, highlighting the long-term significance of early communication skills.

Keywords:

birth cohort study developmental milestones intelligence language development longitudinal study

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Area of Science:

Developmental Psychology
Cognitive Neuroscience
Longitudinal Studies

Background:

Individual differences in early language skills correlate with cognitive development in youth.
Limited research exists on the persistence of these associations into adulthood.
Longitudinal data linking early language milestones to adult cognitive function is scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the association between the timing of early language milestones and midlife cognitive ability.
To examine if early language development predicts intelligence in adulthood.
To assess the long-term impact of early communication skills on cognitive function.

Main Methods:

Prospective cohort study utilizing data from the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort (CPC).
Follow-up examination of 938 participants in midlife (2009-2011).
Analysis of associations between early language milestone attainment and midlife IQ scores.

Main Results:

Later attainment of specific language milestones (e.g., naming objects, sentence formation) was associated with lower midlife IQ.
Language-related milestones accounted for 6.7% of the variance in midlife IQ.
Social interaction milestones explained 3.1% of the variance; associations remained robust after controlling for confounding factors.

Conclusions:

Early language development is significantly associated with intelligence in midlife.
The timing of acquiring fundamental language skills has lasting implications for cognitive ability.
This study provides evidence for the enduring influence of early communication development on adult intelligence.