Don't blame that kid

Genes that influence
children's reading skills also
affect their maths
Study suggests that half of the genes that
affect 12-year-olds' literacy also play a
role in their abilities in mathematics
Many of the genes that play a role in reading
ability among schoolchildren also affect their
numeracy.

Many of the genes that affect how well a
child can read at secondary school have
an impact on their maths skills too,
researchers say.
Scientists found that around half of the
genes that influenced the literacy of 12-
year-olds also played a role in their
mathematical abilities. The findings
suggest that hundreds and possibly
thousands of subtle DNA changes in
genes combine to help shape a child's
performance in both reading and
mathematics.
But while genetic factors are important,
environmental influences, such as home
life and schooling, contributed roughly
the same amount as genetics in the
children studied, the researchers said.
"Children differ genetically in how easy
or difficult they find learning, and we
need to recognise, and respect, these
individual differences," said Robert
Plomin, professor of behavioural genetics
at Kings College London and an author
on the study.
"Finding such strong genetic influence
does not mean that there is nothing we
can do if a child finds learning difficult.
Heritability does not imply that anything
is set in stone. It just means it may take
more effort from parents, schools and
teachers to bring the child up to speed."
In the study, 12-year old twins and
unrelated children from around 2,800
British families were assessed for reading
comprehension and fluency, and tested
on mathematics questions from the UK
national curriculum. This information
was then analysed alongside the
children's DNA.
Oliver Davis , a geneticist at University
College London, said: "We looked at this
question in two ways, by comparing the
similarity of thousands of twins, and by
measuring millions of tiny differences in
their DNA. Both analyses show that
similar collections of subtle DNA
differences are important for reading and
maths."
The study did not identify specific genes
linked to numeracy or literacy, and
researchers do not know what the
various gene variants do. But they may
affect brain development and function,
or other biological processes that are
important for learning both skills.
The findings build on previous studies
showing that genetic variations among
British schoolchildren explain most of
the differences in how well they perform
in exams.
Writing in the journal Nature
Communications, the authors explain
that understanding how genes affect
children's abilities "increases our
chances of developing effective learning
environments that will help individuals
attain the highest level of literacy and
numeracy, increasingly important skills
in the modern world".
Chris Spencer at Oxford University said:
"We're moving into a world where
analysing millions of DNA changes, in
thousands of individuals, is a routine tool
in helping scientists to understand
aspects of human biology. This study
used the technique to help investigate
the overlap in the genetic component of
reading and maths ability in children.
Interestingly, the same method can be
applied to pretty much any human trait,
for example to identify new links
between diseases, or the way in which
people respond to treatments."