Adoption and cognitive development: a meta-analytic comparison of adopted and nonadopted children's IQ and school performance
This meta-analysis combined 62 studies involving 17,767 adopted children and compared cognitive and educational outcomes with several different comparison groups. Adopted children performed better than children who remained in institutional care or their birth families; compared with non-adopted peers in their current environments, IQ was similar overall, while school performance and language outcomes lagged and learning problems were more common. The choice of comparison group is therefore central to understanding the findings.
Limitations: The 62 studies covered different adoption circumstances and comparison groups. The research concerns children and cannot simply be extrapolated to adult adoptee outcomes.
- Research type
- Meta-analysis
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Children
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: Children
Adoption context: Mixed adoption contexts
Programme: Not recorded
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified in the bibliographic material screened. This is not confirmation of institutional independence; affiliations, funding and conflicts were not comprehensively audited.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: children, cognitive development, education, IQ, language, learning, learning difficulties, meta-analysis
Review scope: Source checked: Abstract. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: International
- Funding
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Commissioner
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Funder role
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Declared conflicts
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Recruitment
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Adoptee involvement
- Not yet checked for this entry
Entry: study_164b6641a0d355b7