(Photo : woodleywonderworks)
Not every child likes Math, and it seems that not every child is good at it either. These were the findings suggested by a recent study.
Dutch researchers have found that children whose mothers have low levels of thyroid hormones during pregnancy had a tendency to struggle with math in early primary school.
In this longitudinal study, the researchers monitored 1,196 children identified as healthy from the time they were born to the age of five. The thyroxine levels of their mothers were also recorded at 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Meanwhile, the researchers also analyzed the test scores of the kids for arithmetic and language. The yielded results proved interesting- children born to moms with recorded low levels of thyroxine were twice as likely to have below average scores in arithmetic.
The researchers, with lead author Dr. Martijn Finken of the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, shared that the language results of the five year-old kids were no different.
Also, they found that the results on arithmetic remained the same despite taking into account the family background of the child.
The research authors attribute these findings to the fact that low levels of thyroxine in women who are pregnant have already been found to be associated with poor mental health development in infancy. This stunted development could possibly lead to learning problems and difficulties and reduced physical growth.
According to Dr. Finken, whether these difficulties will still persist even during the adult years of the child remains to be seen. He said that he and his research team will continue with their longitudinal study, with the intention of sustaining their project and following these kids in their coming years to see if their findings are still applicable.
Dr. Finken suggests that in the years to come, hormone tests could be used to identify the children who need extra help in arithmetic at school.