In this talk, Elsje van Bergen will showcase research on why educational disadvantage runs in (Norwegian) families, using both DNA-based and pedigree-based designs. She will demonstrate how genetic tools can help disentangle causality and correlation.
She will also show that ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia often co-occur due to shared genetic risk, rather than direct causal links between the conditions.
Finally, van Bergen will argue that while genetic risk for dyslexia is real, this does not mean we cannot intervene—on the contrary, we can and should.
Bio
Dr. Elsje van Bergen is Associate Professor in biological psychology at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, where she leads her lab in educational genetics.
This academic year, she is based at the University of Oslo as a Visiting Professor (PROMENTA and CREATE).
Her lab’s interdisciplinary research focuses on understanding the causes and consequences of individual differences in learning, particularly the interplay between genetic and environmental factors on skills such as reading and math.
She has received numerous international awards and prestigious grants, including an ERC.