Arithmetic Disabilities Research Articles

Ab. No. 93 Prevalence of Learning Disability in School-Going Kids of Government School in District Patiala, Punjab

Introduction: The purpose of the study is to determine the prevalence of learning disability in school-going children from the IIIrd –Vth class of government schools by using the Learning Disability Diagnostic Inventory (LDDI). The study contributes to expanding the role of physiotherapy in multidisciplinary teams by fostering effective therapeutic approaches to promote balanced development of children with learning disability. Methods: A total of 80 students belonging to the class III-V between the 8-11 years of age group from different government schools were selected as participants in the present study. Methods: The study was conducted using convenience sampling method. A detailed questionnaire was used to document each student’s academic performance. The students were then subjected to a series of assessments, including visual auditory perception tests and an IQ based (Colored Progressive Matrices) CPM test followed by LDDI filled by the teacher of each student. The data was analysed through descriptive statistics and inferences. Results: The findings of the study were that out of total 80 students the prevalence of Learning Disability in Writing domain constitutes (10%), Reading (7.5%), Speaking (21.25%),Reasoning (6.25%),Listening (25%), Arithmetic disability (8.75%). Students of primary class IIIrd-Vth were at higher risk of learning disability in government schools. Conclusion: The study concluded that the learning disability is more prevalent in early aged students between age of 8-11. Institutional based educational strategies are required for appropriate modifications in education and teaching techniques. Implications: The present study helps in making early diagnosis of learning disability at school level and further widens the spectrum for planned effective therapeutic interventions to enhance the academic performance of students with learning disability and enhance the overall quality of life.

Contribution of Attentional Networks to Basic Arithmetic Achievement in School-age Children

Nowadays, there is still debate about the origin of arithmetic disabilities. Two predominant hypotheses have been developed in this regard: 1) difficulties in arithmetic appear due to a deficit in domain-specific skills (numerical skills) and 2) there is a strong relationship between the development of the domain-general processes and arithmetical skills. In this study we explore the specific contribution of orienting and executive control attentional networks to individual variability in basic mental arithmetic. Participants were elementary school children, from second to third grade, with and without difficulties in basic mental arithmetic. Results provide support for the two proposed hypotheses. Children with difficulties in arithmetic showed difficulties both in numerical skills and in attentional networks. These findings suggest that arithmetic difficulties may be associated with a heterogeneous combination of deficits, including difficulties in attentional functioning.

Prevalence of Learning Disabilities Among Chinese Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults: Comorbidity, Age Trend, and Gender Differences

Background: Early identification and prevalence estimates of learning disabilities (LDs) is critical to future intervention. However, in China, most studies were conducted in a single area and they only investigated children of a specific age group. There still lacks a large-sample study on the prevalence of LDs and their comorbidities in Chinese children, adolescents, and young adults. Methods: For the first time, this study examined the prevalence of LDs and their comorbidity rates and age trend and gender difference in 9236 Chinese children (6–11 years old, mean age = 9.55, standard deviation (SD) = 1.17), adolescents (12–17 years old, mean age = 14.03, SD = 1.65), and young adults (18–35 years old, mean age = 20.63, SD = 2.72). Computerized screening tests addressing arithmetic fluency (dyscalculia), reading fluency (dyslexia), and their comorbidity were administered in a large population-based sample of children (n = 3541, 1833 males and 1708 females), adolescents (n = 3641, 1928 males and 1713 females), and young adults (n = 2054, 1045 males and 1009 females). The prevalence of dyscalculia, dyslexia, and comorbidity were analyzed based on two cutoff criteria. Findings: The results showed that with -1 SD cutoff criteria, the prevalence rates of dyscalculia and dyslexia were 10.8% and 12.3%, respectively. The comorbidity rate of dyscalculia with reading disabilities was 34.8% and the comorbidity rate of dyslexia with arithmetic disabilities was 29.6%. Using -1.5 SD cutoff criteria, the prevalence rates of dyscalculia and dyslexia were 5.8% and 6.3%, respectively. The comorbidity rate of dyscalculia with reading disabilities was 24.3% and the comorbidity rate of dyslexia with arithmetic disabilities was 22.3%. When more stringent cutoff criteria were applied, the comorbidity rates of dyscalculia and dyslexia decreased. Among the three age groups, children showed the highest prevalence rate of dyscalculia and dyslexia. In addition, we observed a preponderance of males with dyslexia, whereas the gender ratio for dyscalculia was balanced among the three age groups. Interpretation: These findings suggested that the prevalence rates of dyscalculia and dyslexia in China are similar to that of other counties. The comorbidity rates of dyscalculia and dyslexia decreased as cutoff criteria became more stringent, suggesting that dyslexia and dyscalculia may have a common biological basis. Under the two cutoff criteria among the three age groups, the prevalence rate of dyslexia was higher than dyscalculia, which suggested that dyslexia affected a wider population than dyscalculia. Children were more vulnerable to dyscalculia and dyslexia compared to adolescents and young adults. Among the three age groups, gender differences existed in the prevalence rate of dyslexia; males were more likely to have dyslexia than females. Funding: This study is funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31700977, 31671151), Natural Science Foundation of Beijing (Grant No. 5212004), The 111 Project (Grant No. BP0719032), Advanced Innovation Center for Future Education (Grant No. 27900-110631111). Declaration of Interest: We declare no competing interests. Ethical Approval: The study design was approved by the State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning at Beijing Normal University and the school principals.

Prevalence of specific learning disability among schoolchildren between 8 and 12 years

Background: Specific learning disability (SLD) is known to cause a great amount of psychological and mental stress to the children and their parents. Objectives: To find out the prevalence of SLD among children in Gwalior and to find out the risk factors associated with SLD. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2016 and 2017 in two government and two private schools of Gwalior. A total of 800 students from the 3rd to 6th standard were included in the study. The details of every student were filled in a pro forma which included their academic performance. Based on this, last 10% of the low-performing students from each class were recruited and they were subjected to visual, hearing, IQ assessment, and NIMHANS index for SLD. Results: A total of 23 students were identified as having SLD, with a prevalence of 2.87%. The most common type was combined type (dyslexia and dyscalculia). The prevalence of arithmetic disability was found to be around 2.25%, reading disability was 2.5%, and that of writing disability was around 1.37%. The mean age of students diagnosed as SLD was 9.8. Among the learning-disabled students, 19 students (82%) were having only one sibling. SLD was diagnosed mostly in class IV students (p=0.023). Among SLD students, a history of prematurity was found in 11 students (48%), low birth weight in 13 students (57%), and head trauma in 13 students (57%) with SLD. Among SLD students, 7 were having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). No students were identified as having ADHD in the remaining students and it was highly significant (p<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of SLD was 2.87%, with the most common type being combined type. The antenatal risk factors associated with SLD were prematurity, low birth weight, and a history of head trauma. The most common comorbid condition associated with SLD was attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Arithmetic Abilities in Children With Developmental Dyslexia: Performance on French ZAREKI-R Test

A high comorbidity between reading and arithmetic disabilities has already been reported. The present study aims at identifying more precisely patterns of arithmetic performance in children with developmental dyslexia, defined with severe and specific criteria. By means of a standardized test of achievement in mathematics (Calculation and Number Processing Assessment Battery for Children; von Aster & Dellatolas, 2006), we analyzed the arithmetic abilities of 47 French children with dyslexia attending 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. Of them, 40% displayed arithmetic deficits, mostly with regard to number transcoding and mental calculation. Their individual profiles of performance accounted for varying strengths and weaknesses in arithmetic abilities. Our findings showed the pathway for the development of arithmetic abilities in children with dyslexia is not unique. Our study contrasts with the hypotheses suggesting the mutual exclusiveness of the phonological representation deficit and the core number module deficit.

Training of Attention in Children With Low Arithmetical Achievement

This study focuses on the role of attentional processes in arithmetical skills and examines if training of basic attentive skills may improve also working memory abilities reducing arithmetic difficulties. In order to study the efficacy of attentional treatment in arithmetic achievement and in enhancing working memory abilities a test-treatment-retest quasi experimental design was adopted. The research involved 14 children, attending fourth and fifth grades, with Arithmetical Learning Disabilities (ALD) assigned to experimental and control conditions. The numerical comprehension and calculation processes were assessed using the ABCA battery (Lucangeli, Tressoldi, & Fiore, 1998). Attentional abilities were evaluated using a multitask computerized assessment battery Attenzione e Concentrazione (Di Nuovo, 2000). WM abilities were evaluated by Listening span task, Digit span backward, Making verbal trails and Making colour trails. The results showed that intensive computerized attention training increased basic attentive skills and arithmetical performances with respect to numeric system in children with ALD. No effect on working memory abilities was found. Results are also important from a clinical perspective, since they may suggest strategies for planning individualized training programs.

Magnitude Representation and Working Memory Updating in Children With Arithmetic and Reading Comprehension Disabilities

It has been argued that children with learning disabilities (LD) encounter severe problems in working memory (WM) tasks, especially when they need to update information stored in their WM. It is not clear, however, to what extent this is due to a generally poor updating ability or to a difficulty specific to the domain to be processed. To examine this issue, two groups of children with arithmetic or reading comprehension LD and a group of typically developing children (9 to 10 years old) were assessed using two updating tasks requiring to select the smallest numbers or objects presented. The results showed that children with an arithmetic disability failed in a number updating task, but not in the object updating task. The opposite was true for the group with poor reading comprehension, whose performance was worse in the object than in the number updating task. It may be concluded that the problem of WM updating in children with LD is also due to a poor representation of the material to be updated. In addition, our findings suggest that the mental representation of the size of objects relates to the semantic representation of the objects’ properties and differs from the quantitative representation of numbers.

Detecting Children With Arithmetic Disabilities From Kindergarten: Evidence From a 3-Year Longitudinal Study on the Role of Preparatory Arithmetic Abilities

In a 3-year longitudinal study, 471 children were classified, based on their performances on arithmetic tests in first and second grade, as having persistent arithmetic disabilities (AD), persistent low achieving (LA), persistent typical achieving, inconsistent arithmetic disabilities (DF1), or inconsistent low achieving in arithmetic. Significant differences in the performances on the magnitude comparison in kindergarten (at age 5—6) were found between the AD and LA and between the AD and DF1 groups. Furthermore, the percentage of true-positive AD children (at age 7—8) correctly diagnosed in kindergarten by combination of procedural counting, conceptual counting, and magnitude comparison tasks was 87.50%. When composing clinical samples, researchers should pay attention when stipulating restrictive or lenient cutoffs for arithmetic disabilities and select children based on their scores in 2 consecutive years, because the results of studies on persistent low achievers or children with inconsistent disabilities cannot be generalized to children with persistent arithmetic disabilities.

Classification, Seriation, and Counting in Grades 1, 2, and 3 as Two-Year Longitudinal Predictors for Low Achieving in Numerical Facility and Arithmetical Achievement?

Previous research stresses the importance of seriation, classification, and counting abilities that should be assessed in kindergarten, when looking for crucial predictors of mathematical learning disabilities in Grade 1. This study examines ( n = 158) two-year-long predictive relationships between children's seriation, classification, procedural counting knowledge, and conceptual counting knowledge, and their numerical facility and arithmetical achievement in Grades 3, 4, and 5. Path analyses reveal a relationship between procedural counting knowledge in Grades l and 3 and numerical facility, and between conceptual counting knowledge in Grade l and arithmetical achievement in Grades 1 and 2. In addition, procedural counting knowledge correlates with seriation, and conceptual counting knowledge correlates with classification as well as with seriation in Grade 1. Clinicians are encouraged to select early arithmetic subtests with caution when assessing and predicting arithmetic and arithmetical disabilities.

When the mental number line involves a delay: The writing of numbers by children of different arithmetical abilities

Our study focused on number transcoding in children. It investigated how 9-year-olds with and without arithmetical disabilities wrote Arabic digits after they had heard them as number words. Planning time before writing each digit was registered. Analyses revealed that the two groups differed not only in arithmetical abilities but also in verbal and reading abilities. Children with arithmetical disabilities were overall slower in planning Arabic digits than were control children with normal arithmetical abilities. In addition, they showed a number size effect for numbers smaller than 10, suggesting a semantically mediated route in number processing. Control children did not need more planning time for large numbers (e.g., 8) than for small numbers (e.g., 3), suggesting a direct nonsemantic route. For both two- and three-digit numbers, both groups of children showed a number size effect, although the effect was smaller each time for control children. The presence of the stronger number size effect for children with arithmetical disabilities was seen as a delay in the development of quick and direct transcoding. The relation between transcoding problems and arithmetical disabilities is discussed. A defect in the linking of numerical symbols to analog numerical representations is proposed as an explanation for the transcoding problems found in some children.

Prevalence of Combined Reading and Arithmetic Disabilities

This study assesses the prevalence of combined reading and arithmetic disabilities in 799 Dutch schoolchildren using st dardized school achievement tests. Scores of arithmetic, word recognition, reading comprehension, and spelling of child in fourth and fifth grade were used. The main interest involved the co-occurrence of word recognition and arithmetic d abilities because of their possible relationship. The authors find a percentage of 7.6 for combined reading and arithme disabilities. Reading disabilities and arithmetic disabilities co-occurred more often than expected based on rates of the s arate conditions. Children with combined reading and arithmetic disabilities seem to have more generalized achievem difficulties than single-deficit groups. Different operationalizations for reading disabilities (spelling and reading comp hension measures instead of word recognition) led, in part, to selection of other children. This might imply that differ processes underlie the relationship between arithmetic and word recognition disabilities compared to the relationship arithmetic disabilities with difficulties in spelling and reading comprehension.

Arithmetical impairments related to domain-specific working memory updating

Event Abstract Back to Event Arithmetical impairments related to domain-specific working memory updating Teresa Iuculano1*, R. Moro1, 2 and B. Butterworth1 1 Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, United Kingdom 2 Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, United Kingdom The ability to perform simple arithmetic, such as single-digits additions, evolves with practice from algorithmic computation to direct retrieval from memory (Geary, 1994). Mathematical disabilities have often been associated with poor general working memory capacities (Geary, 1993; Koontz & Berch, 1996; McLean & Hitch, 1999). Moreover, there is also evidence of a specific working memory deficit in relation to processing numerical information in children with arithmetical disabilities (Siegel & Ryan, 1989). However, previous studies investigating working memory in relation to mathematical ability have not accounted for the possibility of other confounding numerical impairments. Using the Dyscalculia Screener standardized testing battery (Butterworth, 2003) we identified a group of children who presented a selective impairment in single-digit addition. This group with Poor Arithmetical ability (PA) scored in the lowest 7% of the population for children between the ages of eight and nine compared to Normal Achievement children (NA). The impairment in PA was specific to arithmetic: they displayed normal scores on symbolic and non-symbolic numerosity comparisons, on continuous magnitude comparisons, as well as on non-symbolic approximate arithmetic. This group also obtained IQ and reading scores within the normal range of the population for their age group. In a series of behavioural tests on ten PA and twenty-three NA children, we aimed to find if the selective impairment in arithmetic was due to a working memory impairment and, if so, whether it was generalized or domain-specific. No significant differences were found between PA and NA for digit span and word span tests. In order to assess their ability of working memory to continually update relevant information and to inhibit irrelevant information, a modified version of a working memory updating task was used (Palladino et al., 2001). In this test, participants were presented with a set of oral stimuli (word or number task) with increasing memory load and were required to retain the relevant stimuli based on a ongoing magnitude criteria (i.e. report smallest number or subset of numbers within a trial). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant group by task interaction (p < 0.05), where PA displayed significantly decreased accuracy for number tasks, but increased accuracy for word tasks when compared to NA. This result suggests that the PA group might experience a specific working memory impairment related to numerosity. Furthermore, such impairment doesn’t seem to be due to a low working memory capacity for numbers, but instead may derive from the inability to continually update and modify numerical information. Conference: 10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience, Bodrum, Turkey, 1 Sep - 5 Sep, 2008. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Memory & Learning Citation: Iuculano T, Moro R and Butterworth B (2008). Arithmetical impairments related to domain-specific working memory updating. Conference Abstract: 10th International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.09.2009.01.282 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 09 Dec 2008; Published Online: 09 Dec 2008. * Correspondence: Teresa Iuculano, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom, t.iuculano@ucl.ac.uk Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Teresa Iuculano R. Moro B. Butterworth Google Teresa Iuculano R. Moro B. Butterworth Google Scholar Teresa Iuculano R. Moro B. Butterworth PubMed Teresa Iuculano R. Moro B. Butterworth Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Verbal and Visual Short-Term Memory in Children with Arithmetic Disabilities

With the exception of the explication of the Nonverbal Learning Disability Syndrome, our knowledge of cognitive characteristics of children with isolated arithmetic (A) disabilities contrasted with those with comorbid arithmetic and reading (AR) disabilities is limited. Of the existing studies, most suggest that visual deficits are characteristic of Subtype A. This study examined short-term memory in 45 children who were classified into these two subtypes. Children in Subtype A displayed better verbal memory on some tasks than children in the AR subtype, but no subtype differences in visual memory were found. Counter to our hypothesis, children in Subtype A did not display relatively poorer visual memory than verbal memory. These results suggest a mixed neuropsychological profile, and the absence of visual short-term memory weaknesses as descriptive of the A subtype.

Gestational Age and Birth Weight in Relation to School Performance of 10-Year-Old Children: A Follow-up Study of Children Born After 32 Completed Weeks

Children born extremely premature (<28 weeks) or with a very low birth weight (<1500 g) have a poorer school performance than children born at term with a normal birth weight. Much less is known about children of higher gestational ages and birth weights. We studied gestational age after 32 completed weeks and birth weight in relation to the child's school performance at the age of 10 years. We performed a follow-up study of 5319 children born between January 1990 and June 1992. We got the information on birth weight and gestational age from birth registration forms; when the children were between 9 and 11 years of age, we gathered information about their school performance (reading, spelling, and arithmetic) from questionnaires completed by the parents and the children's primary school teachers. The association between birth weight and reading, as well as spelling and arithmetic disabilities, showed a graded relationship, with children who weighed <2500 g having the highest risks. Even children who weighed between 3000 and 3499 g had an increased risk of all 3 learning disabilities compared with children who weighed between 3500 and 4000 g. This association persisted after adjustment for potential cofounders and when the analyses were restricted to children born at term (39-40 weeks of gestation), suggesting that the association could not be explained by a low gestational age. Compared with children born at term, reading and spelling difficulties were more often found among children born at gestational age 33 to 36 weeks and 37 to 38 weeks, whereas there was no relation between gestational age and arithmetic difficulties. Gestational age and birth weight were associated with school performance in the 10-year-old child and the association extended into the reference range of both birth weight and gestational age.

Working Memory in Dutch Children with Reading- and Arithmetic-Related LD

The aim of the two studies presented in this article was to examine working memory performance in Dutch children with various subtypes of learning disabilities. The performance of children with reading disabilities (RD) was compared to that of children with arithmetic disabilities (AD), children with both reading and arithmetic disabilities (RAD), and chronological age-matched controls (CA). Measures covered the phonological loop, the visuospatial sketchpad, and the central executive. In both studies, the children with RD showed no working memory deficits whatsoever. Children with AD showed a single impairment on the task tapping working memory for dynamic visual information. Children with RAD performed lower only on the digit span backward task. The failure to replicate the expected working memory deficits in children with reading-related disabilities is discussed.

Arithmetic Education and Learning Disabilities in Italy

In the first part of this article, we briefly present the context of mathematics education in Italy and its specific programs, teaching and assessment methods, use of psychological concepts, and policies in favor of pupils with difficulties. We illustrate the importance and the role of mathematics teachers' associations. In the second part, we focus more directly on the issue of arithmetic learning and learning disabilities in Italy. Despite the absence of a specific strong tradition in the field, new perspectives regarding mathematics education are evident in Italy. The preparation of new assessment tools has proceeded together with an effort toward the identification of subtypes of arithmetic learning disabilities. A basic distinction has been made between difficulties in number processing/calculation and problem-solving tasks. Within the area of calculation, a finer distinction between numerical knowledge, speed, and accuracy seems critical, but a more articulated differentiation of subcomponents relying on modern cognitive-neuropsychological models can be used also.

Cognitive Functioning as Measured by the WISC-R

Patterns of performance on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) have been proposed as useful tools for the identification of children with learning disabilities (LD). However, most of the studies of WISC-R patterns in children with LD have been plagued by the lack of a typically achieving comparison group, by failure to measure individual patterns, and by the lack of a precise definition of LD. In an attempt to address these flaws and to assess the presence of patterns of performance on the WISC-R, we examined data from 121 children with typical achievement (TA), 143 children with reading disabilities (RD), and 100 children with a specific arithmetic disability (AD), ages 6 to 16 years. The results indicated that the RD and AD groups had significantly lower scores than the TA group on all the Verbal IQ subtests. Many of the children with AD and RD showed a significant difference between Verbal and Performance IQ scores, but so did many of the typically achieving children. Although there were some children with LD who showed the predicted patterns, typically, 65% or more of the children with LD did not. Furthermore, a proportion of the TA group-generally not significantly smaller than that of the RD and AD groups-showed discrepancy patterns as well. Our results indicate that the patterns of performance on intelligence tests are not reliable enough for the diagnosis of LD in individual children. Therefore, it might be more profitable to base the detection of an individual's LD on patterns of achievement test scores.

Strategy Choice in Solving Arithmetic Word Problems: Are there Differences between Students with Learning Disabilities, G-V Poor Performance and Typical Achievement Students?

This study was designed to test whether there are differences between children with arithmetic learning disabilities, garden-variety (G-V) poor performance and typically achieving children in strategy choice when solving arithmetic word problems. Using the standard-score discrepancy method (differences between IQ and achievement standard scores), samples were selected of dyscalculic, G-V poor mathematics performance, and typically achieving students. The groups were compared to analyze whether there were differences in their strategy choice when solving arithmetic word problems. No significant differences were found between dyscalculic and G-V children, both groups relying more on backup strategies than the nonimpaired group. Thus, the IQ-achievement discrepancy does not seem to be a relevant criterion for differentiating between individuals with dyscalculia and those with garden-variety poor mathematics performance.

Theory, assessment and remediation of arithmetical disabilities Three presentations at the XXVII International Congress of Psychology, Stockholm, Sweden,23–28 July 2000

Theory, assessment and remediation of arithmetical disabilities Three presentations at the XXVII International Congress of Psychology, Stockholm, Sweden,23–28 July 2000

Learning disabilities and executive dysfunction in boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

The effect of comorbid reading or arithmetic learning disabilities (LDs) on neuropsychological function in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was studied. Participants were young males diagnosed with ADHD, with and without LD, and non-ADHD, non-LD male controls of similar age. LD was defined by combined regression-based and low-achievement classifications. Analyses adjusted for the effect of psychiatric comorbidity, age, and socioeconomic status on neuropsychological function. Children who had both ADHD and LD were significantly more impaired on both executive and nonexecutive functions than ADHD children without LD. Neuropsychological performance was most impaired in ADHD with combined arithmetic and reading disability. These data indicate that comorbid LD, especially arithmetic disability, significantly increases the severity of executive function impairment in ADHD.