Tests for three-year-olds 'can predict future criminals'
Toddlers with low cognitive test scores more likely to end up in jail, hospital or on benefits, say researchers
A simple test at the age of three can predict a child's future chance of success in life, claims a new report.
Researchers from Kings College London and Duke University in North Carolina followed more than 1,000 children from pre-school to the age of 38 to see if it was possible to forecast who would lead troubled lives.
They found a fifth of the group were responsible for about 80 per cent of the criminal convictions, three-quarters of the drug prescriptions, two-thirds of the benefit payments and more than a half of the nights in hospital.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"They also discovered that the outcome could have been predicted decades earlier, simply by looking at which children attained the lowest test scores aged three," says the Daily Telegraph.
Researchers concluded that low cognitive test scores for skills such as language indicated less developed brains, possibly caused by too little stimulation in early life, leading to a greater chance those children would become criminals, dependent on the state or chronically ill unless they were given support later on.
Professor Terrie Moffitt, who co-authored the study, said society should rethink its view of these people, who are often condemned as "losers" and "dropouts", and offer more support.
She said: "Looking at health examinations really changed the whole picture. It gives you a feeling of compassion for these people as opposed to a feeling of blame."
Being able to predict which children will struggle represented "an opportunity to intervene in their lives very early to attempt to change their trajectories, for everyone's benefit and could bring big returns on investment for government", she added.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Crossword: April 19, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
In what states is abortion legal, illegal, and in limbo?
In The Spotlight Where American states stand on abortion care
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Sudoku hard: April 19, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Dengue hits the Americas hard and early
Speed Read Puerto Rico has declared an epidemic as dengue cases surge
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How happy is Finland really?
Today's Big Question Nordic nation tops global happiness survey for seventh year in a row with 'focus on contentment over joy'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Narcan is becoming harder to find at drugstores across America
Under the Radar The drug, also known as naloxone, reverses the effects of an opioid overdose
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The lows of an unregulated high: Teens are using marijuana alternative delta-8
In the Spotlight More than 1 in 10 high school seniors have reported using the substance, which contains concentrated THC
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
How Tehran became the world's nose job capital
Under the radar Iranian doctors raise alarm over low costs, weak regulation and online influence of 'Western beauty standards'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Martha's Rule: patients given right to urgent second opinion
The Explainer Hospitals in England will launch new scheme that will allow access to a rapid treatment review
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Africa's renewed battle against female genital mutilation
Under the radar Campaigners call for ban in Sierra Leone after deaths of three girls as coast-to-coast convoy prepares to depart
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The contaminated blood scandal
The Explainer Widely regarded as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, the public inquiry is due to publish its report in May
By The Week UK Published