Diana Pardo Pardo 1

Dr. Smith

ENGL 101 2COB

June 26, 2017

Can we Blame Parents for their Childs Intelligence?

Many people, including parents, have asked themselves if parents have any effect on the

intelligence of their children. This question can make anybody think if it is a true statement and

how does it result to be true. Every child is born with both parents genetic traits. Genes are

sections of the DNA that carry chromosomes of each parent and determines specific

characteristics of the child. The environmental input is what helps to shape the childs behaviors,

thoughts, and academic success. Stimulating a fetus and infants is a significant factor because it

enhances the childs cognitive ability, language development, and other intellectual abilities.

Both parents should stimulate their infant by talking to them, reading, putting music, playing,

and exposing them to other environmental stimulations that will enhance his/her intelligence.

Parents have a huge influence on their childs intelligence due to many factors. Parents Social

Economic Status (SES) affects the intelligence of their children because the higher their SES is,

their children will be exposed to greater environmental stimulations, which will make them

succeed in life.

Intelligence is a mental ability that involves cognitive skills, receptive skills, problem-

solving, self-awareness, emotional knowledge, creativity, planning, and learning. Many parents

question if their children will be as intelligent as they are or have better abilities. People argue if

it is the SES that enables and enhances childrens intelligence and capacity to do better in school.

The answer is that poor children perform lower on tests of intelligence, language proficiency, and

academics achievement than children from wealthier families. A study by Mark M. Kishiyama et

al., tested 28 children from Low Social Economic Status (LSES) and High Social Economic
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Status (HSES). Children were assessed on neuropsychological tests, including language by using

vocabulary subtest, and executive function by measuring their working memory, attention,

cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and semantic fluency. The results by Kishiyama et al.,

show that children from LSES have a reduce performance on their memory, cognitive flexibility,

and semantic fluency compared to High Social Economic Status (HSES) (1113). The author

illustrates the huge role that SES carries on childrens academic performance and future success.

These children without the proper stimulation materials tend to drop out of school, fail courses,

and be placed in special education classrooms compared to HSES children (Kishiyama et al.,

1106). Parents with a greater education/occupation and better incomes have a greater opportunity

for their children to perform better. Children will be able to have access to more educational

materials, toys, trips, conversations with their parents, and other experiences that will increase

their intelligence.

Providing children with more stimulating materials and experiences may consist of:

stimulating toys (that teaches colors, number, letters, animal sounds, and body parts), and books

that are visible in the house (that teaches the name of the animals, words, colors, and having an

early exploration of literacy). These environmental stimulations enhance the childs cognitive,

language, memory, productive, and receptive skills. Environmental input should first take place

at home and then be carried to their school. Children need to go to school with a good academic

knowledge foundation. For example, children entering pre-K should be able to know their

letters, numbers, animal sounds, how to grasp a pencil/crayon, know the colors, and be interested

in books. Children with these foundations will be able to do well in school. Many children are

starting pre-K without any education knowledge. Children will then be left behind or require

extra help to pick up from what is being taught. Parents who come from poor backgrounds may
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not have the quality time to dedicate to their child. Also, parents may not have the income to

provide their children with educational materials. Due to this situation, poor children are left

behind their wealthier peers. According to Martha J. Farah et al., the results reveal that The

largest effect on the language composite was the Environmental Stimulation composite, with

more stimulation associated with better language abilities (797). The study illustrates that not

only intelligence is involved with environmental cues, but also with language proficiency.

Language is a crucial skill that categorizes the child as either smart or delayed. For example,

when an individual sees a two-year-old uttering fluently, the person might comment wow, what

a smart kid, she speaks so clearly! Children who quickly pick up on their language skills, they

will be seen as intelligent and dedication from their parents.

Studies have shown that poverty impacts the childs intelligence in many different ways.

According to the Daily Mail, they revealed that children who come from poor backgrounds are

more prone to suffer from Attention Hyperactivity Deficit (ADHD), which could affect their

academic success (Does Poverty Impact Intelligence? 2014). Since low-income families lack

access to educational materials and healthy foods, children will not function and develop as a

wealthier child. Another reason is that poor children tend to live in a more stressful and

disorganized life, which could affect the childs brain development. All of these complications

come primarily from the parents. Poverty affects the intelligence of children as young as two, a

study has found and its impact increases as the child ages (Does Poverty Impact

Intelligence? 2014). The author entails that as children are growing, they can be molded to

either be a better and successful person or bad and without remorse. Parents have the alternative

to shape their children into who they want them to be. Providing environmental stimulations
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since the infant is born, the babys brain will start developing language, memory, reasoning, and

spatial skills that will benefit them for their school and further in their lives.

SES influence the child development and intelligence in many factors. Could be the

childs home environment, lack of early education, nutrition, parents education/knowledge, and

familys income. LSES children have limited access to cognitively stimulating materials and

experiences, and they receive less attention from adults than children from higher SES

backgrounds (Kishiyama et al., 1113). With a satisfactory income, the parent can provide the

child with proper environmental supplies, get educated about the development of the child, and

what will enhance the childs abilities. The study by Kimberly G. Noble, Bruce D. McCandliss,

and Martha J. Farah, tested sixty-eight children from a wide range of SES backgrounds on

language, memory, cognitive control, working memory, and reward processing. According to

Noble et al., the results show that SES has a strong association on the childs intellectual

abilities, such as their cognitive control, working memory, and mostly on language production

(471). The results illustrate that it is determined by the parents SES that affects the child

intelligence. Unfortunately, children who come from poverty backgrounds will have less

academic opportunities and less successful job offers. Many parents dont measure the

consequences that their children can go through due to their SES.

Exposing young children to early education, such to a nursery school or pre-k can

enhance their social skills, language proficiency, working memory, emotional skills, and have

higher test scores. People living in poverty or in poor neighborhoods just dont have access to

enrichment programs and engaging daily activities as some in other demographics (Types of

Early Childhood Education 2017). The author illustrates that low-income families do no have

the opportunity to enter their children to a nursery school where staffs prepare them for their
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upcoming years. Parents may think that instead of paying a nursery school, they should instead

take them to a friend or a family member who will not charge them. This is the difference

between a wealthier and non-wealthy parent. A wealthy child will have all the access and

opportunities to go into any educational institution while parents are working. Poor parents do

have the option to enter their child into pre-k when they are three-years-old. Pre-K programs are

available for ages 3-5. Childrens crucial years for brain development is from birth to five-years-

old. At this age, they will learn things faster and anything that they are being taught. Pre-K is an

educational program that helps children in their social-emotional development, physical

development, cognitive development, language-communication development, and on their

academics. All parents, from any SES, should know about pre-K and the benefits that elicit for

their children.

Parents SES has an effect on the childs intelligence. SES is a huge component that

enables people to accomplish many things in their lives. One of the most important is to provide

children the best education and environmental stimulations to enhance their intellectual abilities.

Recent studies have proved that poverty is what categorizes children intelligence. Low access to

environmental stimulation, inadequate nutrition, and stressful situations is what prevents children

from being as smart as their wealthier peers. Language production was one of the strongest

deficits that were found in poor children. Low-income families dont have the opportunity to

interact with their children as much as wealthier families, due to their busy schedules and

knowledge of using proper language. Many uneducated parents may not know the benefits that

environmental stimulation provides for their children. Poor children are entering school without

a strong academic foundation. This will affect them emotionally and academically, which will

lead them to drop off out of school and fell classes. The childs first knowledge starts from their
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parents. If there is no early stimulation, the child will be behind compared to their wealthier

peers. Early childhood education has been proven to stimulate and enhance the child

developmental domains (social development, cognitive development, emotional development,

and language development). If the parent does not have the opportunity to enter their child to a

day care before the age of three, they have the chance to register their child to pre-K. This is an

excellent experience where children will learn academic things, interact with their peers, and

enhance their social skills. Staffs will teach children the basics to prepare them for their

upcoming years. Parents from any SES should be aware of the importance that environmental

stimulation brings to their childs success.

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Works Cited

Farah, M. J, et al. Environmental Stimulation, Parental Nurturance and Cognitive Development

in Humans. Developmental Science, vol. 11, no. 5, 2008, pp. 793 801.

Kishiyama, M. M, et al. Socioeconomics Disparities Affect Prefontal Function in

Children. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, vol. 21, no. 6, 2008, pp. 1106 1115.

Noble,K.G.,McCandliss,B.D.,&Farah,M.J.(2007).Socioeconomicgradientspredict

individualdifferencesinneurocognitiveabilities.DevelopmentalScience,vol.10,no.4,

2007,pp.464480.

Does poverty Impact Intelligence? Deprived Children are 6 IQ Points Worse off than Wealthy

Peers and the Gap Widens with Age. DailyMail. Access 23 June 2017.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2861063/Does-poverty-impact-
intelligence-Deprived-children-6-IQ-points-worse-wealthy-peers-gap-widens-age.html

https://www.speechbuddy.com/blog/language-development/speech-buddies-parents-corner-
benefits-of-early-childhood-education/