Systems and Cascades in Cognitive Development and Academic Achievement

552 healthy youth were assessed multiple times from 4 months to 14 years of age to assess the relationships between academic achievement at 14 years old and a variety of variables (home environment, temperament, intelligence). Many variables contributed to academic achievement in adolescence (directly, indirectly, or both), including: information processing efficiency in infancy, general mental development in toddlerhood, behavior difficulties in early childhood, intelligence in middle childhood, and maternal education.