Foster care better than orphanages for kids' IQs
Story Highlights
Toddlers rescued from orphanages had higher IQs than those left behind
For some it was difference between borderline retardation, average intelligence
Those removed from orphanages before age 2 had the biggest improvement
Toddlers rescued from orphanages and placed in good foster homes score dramatically higher on IQ tests years later than children who were left behind, concludes a one-of-a-kind project in Romania that has profound implications for child welfare around the globe.
This photo, provided by the journal Science, shows an orphanage in Criova, Romania, in 1994.
The boost meant the difference between borderline retardation and average intelligence for some youngsters.
Most important, children removed from orphanages before age 2 had the biggest improvement -- key new evidence of a sensitive period for brain development, according to the U.S. team that conducted the research
...
Story Highlights
Toddlers rescued from orphanages had higher IQs than those left behind
For some it was difference between borderline retardation, average intelligence
Those removed from orphanages before age 2 had the biggest improvement
Toddlers rescued from orphanages and placed in good foster homes score dramatically higher on IQ tests years later than children who were left behind, concludes a one-of-a-kind project in Romania that has profound implications for child welfare around the globe.
This photo, provided by the journal Science, shows an orphanage in Criova, Romania, in 1994.
The boost meant the difference between borderline retardation and average intelligence for some youngsters.
Most important, children removed from orphanages before age 2 had the biggest improvement -- key new evidence of a sensitive period for brain development, according to the U.S. team that conducted the research
...
Quote:
For the U.S. and other countries that depend on foster care instead of orphanages, the study has implications, too, because it used high-quality foster care that is not the norm in many places, Nelson noted. Studies comparing the impact of foster care of varying quality are under way.
