Genes influence infants' walking age, study finds

Prof Angelica Ronald says the findings can help "better support children with motor disorders and learning disabilities"

Genes influence the age that children will start walking, research shows.

Eleven sections of the genome are associated with the age that children start walking independently in addition to environmental factors, according to a study.

Researchers reached their conclusion after studying genetic information from 70,000 infants.

"We hope these new genetic findings can advance fundamental understanding about the causes of walking and be used to better support children with motor disorders and learning disabilities," said University of Surrey professor Angelica Ronald.

"While parents should still see their GP if they are concerned, a slightly later start is not always a sign of problems," Prof Ronald added.

"There is a lot of variety in when children take their first step on their own."

The study, published in the Nature Human Behaviour journal, found that the identified genetic factors are partly the same as those that influence brain development, educational attainment, and the likelihood of developing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

According to the study, "approximately a quarter of the variability" in walking age is "explained by common genetic variants".