Study: Orphanages stunt mental growth

Boston -- Four-year-olds raised in orphanages had significantly lower IQ scores than those placed with foster families, a years-long study of Romanian children shows.

The study showed an 8-point difference in the IQ of children reared in orphanages compared to peers placed in foster homes, The New York Times said. Both groups also had significantly lower IQ scores than peers raised by their biological families.

"Most of us take it as almost intuitive that being in a family is better for humans than being in an orphanage," Seth Pollak, a University of Wisconsin psychologist who wasn't involved in the research told the Times. "… What makes this study important is that it gives objective data to say that if you're going to allow international adoptions, then it's a good idea to speed things up and get kids into families quickly."

Romania and other countries have banned or restricted adoptions by U.S. families in recent years and adoption proceedings can be prolonged in other countries.

The study by researchers from the Harvard and Children's Hospital in Boston was to be published in the journal Science,

Copyright 2007 by United Press International.