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Speech development disorders in boys are linked to testosterone
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Experts have long known that boys develop mentally more slowly than girls; in addition, speech in boys develops with some delay, which is not considered a deviation from the norm.
A research team from Norway became interested in this distinctive developmental feature between the female and male sexes and conducted an observation, which resulted in the discovery that the male hormone testosterone has a direct link to speech development in boys.
In their new project, a group of scientists observed children aged 3 to 5 years; more than 10 thousand children took part in the experiment. The scientists divided all participants into 3 groups:
- The first group included children who had pronounced problems with speech development;
- in the second – with temporary problems of speech development (at 3 years old);
- the third group includes children with development of speech disorders at the age of five.
After the specialists analyzed the data, they noted that there were more boys in the first and second groups. Experts explain this by the fact that due to the predominance of testosterone, a male fetus is more likely to develop speech disorders. To confirm their assumptions, the scientists took samples of amniotic fluid and examined it for the presence of testosterone. As it turned out, increased testosterone levels not only delay speech development, but can also cause autism (in recent years, the number of children with such mental disorders has increased significantly). In general, the researchers determined that boys are twice as likely to have speech disorders as girls at the same age.
However, scientists believe that hormones are not the only ones to blame for speech development disorders. Based on the results of observations, scientists have established that genetics plays an important role in this. As experts note, if parents had problems with reading or writing in childhood, then most likely the child will also have similar problems.
As earlier studies by scientists show, testosterone not only affects sexual desire or secondary sexual characteristics of men, but also promotes honesty on their part. In such an experiment, 90 men participated, whom specialists divided into two groups. The first group was given testosterone, and the second - putsyshki pills. After that, the participants in the experiment were offered to play a game - dice, where in order to win a fairly large prize, it was necessary to cheat. As it turned out, in the group in which men were given testosterone, cases of cheating occurred several times less. According to scientists, the male hormone increases personal self-esteem and generates a sense of pride in men, so they become more honest.
In addition, scientists have found that the male sex hormone makes men's immunity more vulnerable, so the male body is less able to resist viruses and infections than the female body.