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24/07/2014

Children Who Read Younger 'Are More Intelligent'

Children who demonstrate strong reading skills at a young age, are likely to have higher intelligence levels later in life, a new study has claimed.

The research, carried at the University of Edinburgh and King's College London and published in the journal Child Development, looked at 1,890 pairs of identical twins over a period of nine years. The children had taken IQ tests at the ages of seven, nine, 10, 12 and 16. The results were then collated and it was revealed that the children who were better at reading, also had higher general intelligence. In addition, they were more readily able to spot patterns, observe trends and complete pictures.

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Due to identical twins sharing genes and growing up in the same home, researchers omitted the genetic and environmental factors and were subsequently able to pinpoint any differences attributable to experiences the twins did not share. This might include a particularly effective teacher, or a group of friends that encouraged reading. Interestingly, they found that even with identical twins, those who were better readers again had higher intelligence, thus suggesting that tackling problems with reading at an early age could have a number of benefits at a later stage.

Psychologist Dr Stuart Ritchie, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "Since reading is an ability that can be improved, our findings have implications for reading instruction. Early remediation of reading problems might aid not only the growth of literacy, but also more general cognitive abilities that are of critical importance across a person's lifetime."

The twins tested were part of the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS) – an ongoing study led by Professor Robert Plomin at King's College London. The study was funded by the Medical Research Council, the Eunice Kennedy National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the European Research Council.

(JP/IT)

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"Children who demonstrate strong reading skills at a young age, are likely to have higher intelligence levels later in life, a new study has claimed."