The correlation between reading and mathematics ability at age twelve has a substantial genetic component.
Davis OSP., Band G., Pirinen M., Haworth CMA., Meaburn EL., Kovas Y., Harlaar N., Docherty SJ., Hanscombe KB., Trzaskowski M., Curtis CJC., Strange A., Freeman C., Bellenguez C., Su Z., Pearson R., Vukcevic D., Langford C., Deloukas P., Hunt S., Gray E., Dronov S., Potter SC., Tashakkori-Ghanbaria A., Edkins S., Bumpstead SJ., Blackwell JM., Bramon E., Brown MA., Casas JP., Corvin A., Duncanson A., Jankowski JAZ., Markus HS., Mathew CG., Palmer CNA., Rautanen A., Sawcer SJ., Trembath RC., Viswanathan AC., Wood NW., Barroso I., Peltonen L., Dale PS., Petrill SA., Schalkwyk LS., Craig IW., Lewis CM., Price TS., Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2 None., Donnelly P., Plomin R., Spencer CCA.
Dissecting how genetic and environmental influences impact on learning is helpful for maximizing numeracy and literacy. Here we show, using twin and genome-wide analysis, that there is a substantial genetic component to children's ability in reading and mathematics, and estimate that around one half of the observed correlation in these traits is due to shared genetic effects (so-called Generalist Genes). Thus, our results highlight the potential role of the learning environment in contributing to differences in a child's cognitive abilities at age twelve.