Language delay & socio economic background

A study of 12,000 children born in the UK between 2000 and 2002 conducted by the University of Oxford has found that children born following an unplanned pregnancy are more likely to have a limited vocabulary and spatial abilities compared to children who are planned.In particular it was found that children were on average three to four months behind planned children in relation to their language skills. By contrast, children born as a result of IVF and other assisted reproduction methods were found on average to be three to four months ahead in relation to language skills.

It is important to stress however that the research does not suggest that the parents of unplanned children are somehow inferior or that there is some sort of genetic inferiority. The researchers concluded that the differences could be explained by looking at the socio-economic circumstances of the families involved. They found that those children born as a result of an unplanned pregnancy had a higher than average chance of being born in to poverty or disadvantage, whereas children born following IVF treatment were more likely to be born in to relative wealth. The report underlines the importance of reducing child poverty and increasing social mobility.