Can how well a baby crawl yield information about how well they learn once they reach kindergarten? A recent story from the BBC about new research on the topic in England found that babies who did not reach expected milestones in areas like crawling and holding objects were more likely to have learning and behavior problems once they started school.
The research from London University’s Institute of Education looked at 15,000 children in the United Kingdom and concluded that delays in the first year of their lives had a significant impact on their behavior and cognitive development. The researchers also found a gap in ability “between children growing up in persistent poverty and those in families that had never received means-tested benefits.”
The researchers noted that similar conclusions had been reached in previous research, but said their new work showed for the first time that development delays — along with the “psychological characteristics of the mother and the quality of her relationship with the child,” are tied into both cognitive and behavioral development, even in poor families.
Some of the research is included in a new book by The Policy Press, Children of the 21st century, available here:
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