The Toronto Star – Guy Boulton
“A six-year study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has added to the mounting evidence that growing up in severe poverty affects how children’s brains develop, potentially putting them at a lifelong disadvantage. The study — which combined the expertise of neuroscientists and economists — found that the parts of the brain tied to academic performance were 8 per cent to 10 per cent smaller for children who grow up in very poor households. It was based on a relatively large sample of predominantly white children whose mothers were much more educated than the general population. And the results show a biological link between growing up in extreme poverty and how well children do academically.”(more)