As so much of children’s brain development occurs during their younger years, parents may want to consider what role the environment plays in shaping their kids’ intelligence. Recently, researchers from Boston Children’s Hospital looked into how a child’s setting shapes their cognitive abilities.

The researchers found that while certain environments can lead to cognitive impairment, these neurological changes are reversible if children are placed in a different setting.

During the study, the results of which appear in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," researchers analyzed magnetic resonance imaging scans from Romanian children who are participating in an ongoing project. A number of these youths grew up in orphanages, but were later transferred into foster care homes.

The researchers found that children who were reared in an institutional setting were more likely to have experienced cognitive impairment. If these youths were later placed in a quality foster home, there was room for neurological improvement.

"Increasingly we are finding evidence that exposure to childhood adversity has a negative effect on brain development," said Margaret Sheridan, one of the researchers. "The implications are wide ranging, not just for institutionalized children but also for children exposed to abuse, abandonment, violence during war, extreme poverty and other adversities."

If parents are curious to see what role environmental factors have played in influencing their children’s brain development, they may want to have them sit for an IQ test for kids.