Researchers from King's College London have used a genetic scoring technique to predict reading performance throughout school years from DNA alone

The study shows that a genetic score comprising around 20,000 of DNA variants explains 5% of the differences between children's reading performance. Students with the highest and lowest genetic scores differed by a whole two years in their reading performance. These findings highlight the potential of using genetic scores to predict strengths and weaknesses in children's learning abilities. According to the study authors, these scores could one day be used to identify and tackle reading difficulties early, rather than waiting until children develop these problems at school.