[lg policy] California: Study Finds Upbringing of Latino Children May Affect Early Language, Cognitive Skills

[Harold Schiffman]

Study Finds Upbringing of Latino Children May Affect Early Language,
Cognitive Skills

By Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato
Contributing Writer
Tuesday, October 27, 2009



UC Berkeley senior Maria Zaragoza, an English and film studies double
major, said her experience growing up in a Latino household had a
profound effect on the woman she is today. But while Zaragoza made
reference to the culture and diversity of her family life, two studies
led by UC Berkeley researchers suggest ways in which the upbringing of
Latino children may have had an impact on their early language and
cognitive skills.  According to the studies, led by UC Berkeley
education and public policy professor Bruce Fuller, toddlers in Latino
families have less developed basic language and cognitive skills in
comparison to those of Caucasian descent. Healthy prenatal care gives
Latino children an initial advantage over Caucasian children, their
robust birth weights contributing to early maturation.

But by the age of two or three, Caucasians surpass Latinos and the gap
continues to grow, the studies say. Funded in part by the Spencer
Foundation, the primary study looked at a sample of 8,114 infants born
in 2001, testing each at nine months and 24 months. The data seem to
suggest that the lower educational levels of Latina mothers and larger
family size contribute to the differences between ethnicities. "The
big drivers seem to be maternal education and the fact that Latino
kids tend to be in homes with lower parent-to-child ratios," Fuller
said. However, Fuller was quick to point out that these studies do not
reflect on the intelligence of Latino children. There is no disparity
in mental capacity between Latino and Caucasian toddlers, just the
ability of their mothers to cultivate certain skills, he said.

"It's really nurture over nature," he said.  While public policy
focuses mainly on three- and four-year-olds, the slowed cognitive
growth for Latino children occurs up two years earlier. According to
Fuller, the level of cognitive and language development at age three
predicts reading scores in elementary school. "The outcome of this
study is distressing because it suggests their (Latino children's)
futures in elementary schools are fairly bleak," Fuller said.
Zaragoza, however, finds fault with the studies, saying that her
upbringing in a large, Latino family aided her growth, rather than
hindered it.  It is very ingrained that (Latinos are)
family-oriented," she said. "I think there are more people to act as a
support system so I really disagree with that kind of assertion."




Article Link: http://www.dailycal.org/article/107252
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