Infants adopted from foreign countries may be slower to master the language of their new home than children born there, according to a new study published in the journal Child Development.
Researchers at McGill University in Quebec followed Chinese-born children between the ages of seven months and two years who were adopted into French language homes, and compared their language development skills to children who had been born into similar francophone homes.
In testing, over one-third of the adopted children had more trouble expressing themselves, and about 25 percent had some difficulty understanding the language.
"They are not huge differences, but they are statistically reliable differences," explained lead author Fred Genesee.
The study was one of the first to compare adopted children to other children from similar socioeconomic backgrounds. Families who adopt tend to be middle or upper-class and don’t have any other children, which should boost language development.
"If you look very carefully you realize there are lags or gaps in their language development taking into account the fact that they’re being raised in these fairly enriched kinds of environments."
Still, the researchers say adoptive parents shouldn’t worry unduly, but just watch their child’s development closely.
"Despite concerns that people might have they’re actually, generally speaking, on track," assures Genesee.