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Children (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024There is still much debate about the exact nature and frequency of developmental dyscalculia, and about how it should be defined. This article examines several key... (Review)
Review
There is still much debate about the exact nature and frequency of developmental dyscalculia, and about how it should be defined. This article examines several key questions in turn: Is developmental dyscalculia a distinct disorder, or should it be seen as the lower end of a continuum-or possibly more than one continuum-of numerical ability? Do individuals with developmental dyscalculia show atypical brain structure or function? Does the study of acquired dyscalculia have anything to teach us about developmental dyscalculia? In studying dyscalculia, should we look less at arithmetical ability as a single entity, and more at separable components of arithmetical ability? How heterogeneous is developmental dyscalculia, and how important is it to study individual profiles? To what extent is developmental dyscalculia influenced by domain-specific versus domain-general abilities? The conclusion is that, though a significant amount has been discovered through existing research, and though this has some important implications for screening and diagnosis of dyscalculia, there is much more research that still needs to be conducted if we are to answer all of these questions fully. In particular, the study of developmental dyscalculia must be more integrated with the study of individual differences in mathematics in the population as a whole.
PubMed: 38929203
DOI: 10.3390/children11060623 -
Research in Developmental Disabilities Jun 2024Students with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) struggle with number processing skills (e.g., enumeration and number comparison) and arithmetic fluency....
BACKGROUND
Students with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) struggle with number processing skills (e.g., enumeration and number comparison) and arithmetic fluency. Traditionally, MLD is identified based on arithmetic fluency. However, number processing skills are suggested to differentiate low achievement (LA) from MLD.
AIMS
This study investigated the accuracy of number processing skills in identifying students with MLD and LA, based on arithmetic fluency, and whether the classification ability of number processing skills varied as a function of grade level.
METHODS AND PROCEDURES
The participants were 18,405 students (girls = 9080) from Grades 3-9 (ages 9-15). Students' basic numerical skills were assessed with an online dyscalculia screener (Functional Numeracy Assessment -Dyscalculia Battery, FUNA-DB), which included number processing and arithmetic fluency as two factors.
OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor structure of FUNA-DB. The two-factor structure was invariant across language groups, gender, and grade levels. Receiver operating characteristics curve analyses indicated that number processing skills are a fair classifier of MLD and LA status across grade levels. The classification accuracy of number processing skills was better when predicting MLD (cut-off < 5 %) compared to LA (cut-off < 25 %).
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
Results highlight the need to measure both number processing and arithmetic fluency when identifying students with MLD.
PubMed: 38924955
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104795 -
"Intelligent tutoring effects on induced emotions and cognitive load of learning-disabled learners".Disability and Rehabilitation.... May 2024This study addresses the learning requirements of learners with learning difficulties by monitoring their learning experience in an Intelligent Tutoring System....
PURPOSE
This study addresses the learning requirements of learners with learning difficulties by monitoring their learning experience in an Intelligent Tutoring System. Intelligent Tutoring Systems were developed to enrich the teaching-learning process.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In the present work, the interface is designed and developed utilizing the potential of Artificial Intelligence to meet their individual needs. Designing an online learning platform for a learners with learning difficulties requires consideration of their learning problems and preferences. The interface was developed focusing on all the requirements of the LD learners. The objective of the present study is to monitor the learning experience in the form of induced emotions and cognitive load of the learners to determine the impact of learning.
RESULTS
83 learners were observed during various stage of learning. The results obtained through the Support Vector machine (SVM) classification technique showed the positive attitude towards intelligent tutoring. The analysis revealed that a total of 0.23% of learners were positively induced. Their learning experience was positive and effective. The cognition load on learners was minimum with single-mode instruction and least disturbed.
CONCLUSIONS
The system was improved based on preference feedback on design features. This helps in improving content design and creating device independent and responsive visual design. The fatigue effect analysis on cognitive load implied that multiple modes of instruction increased drowsiness. Single mode of instruction have a positive impact on the learning process and it reduces the cognitive load of the learners.Implications for RehabilitationThe user interface designed and developed for learners with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia has learning disabled-friendly features. These can be used to create a device-independent and responsive design.Learning experience is monitored along with the impact on cognitive load of the learners.The research helps in understanding the stimulation and response of learners with learning disability for different learning conditions.Most existing learning systems are limited to non-learning-disabled learners. The ITS developed during research presents a Universal learning design helpful for all learners with and without learning disability.
PubMed: 38808670
DOI: 10.1080/17483107.2024.2357685 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2024Reading and math constitute important academic skills, and as such, reading disability (RD or developmental dyslexia) and math disability (MD or developmental...
BACKGROUND
Reading and math constitute important academic skills, and as such, reading disability (RD or developmental dyslexia) and math disability (MD or developmental dyscalculia) can have negative consequences for children's educational progress. Although RD and MD are different learning disabilities, they frequently co-occur. Separate theories have implicated the cerebellum and its cortical connections in RD and in MD, suggesting that children with combined reading and math disability (RD + MD) may have altered cerebellar function and disrupted functional connectivity between the cerebellum and cortex during reading and during arithmetic processing.
METHODS
Here we compared Control and RD + MD groups during a reading task as well as during an arithmetic task on (i) activation of the cerebellum, (ii) background functional connectivity, and (iii) task-dependent functional connectivity between the cerebellum and the cortex.
RESULTS
The two groups (Control, RD + MD) did not differ for either task (reading, arithmetic) on any of the three measures (activation, background functional connectivity, task-dependent functional connectivity).
CONCLUSION
These results do not support theories that children's deficits in reading and math originate in the cerebellum.
PubMed: 38741787
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1135166 -
European Journal of Neurology May 2024Dementia is assumed to alter mental capacity, which may necessitate legal guardianship. However, only limited research exists on how dementia affects mental capacity,...
BACKGROUND
Dementia is assumed to alter mental capacity, which may necessitate legal guardianship. However, only limited research exists on how dementia affects mental capacity, and most studies have focused solely on a medical perspective and concentrate on memory functions. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate physicians' and legal experts' perceptions on a broad range of cognitive and neuropsychiatric domains potentially affecting mental capacity and the need for guardianship in people with dementia.
METHODS
Physicians (N = 30) and legal experts (N = 20) participated in semi-structured individual interviews. The data were analyzed by using content analysis and further semi-quantified according to the cognitive and neuropsychiatric domains.
RESULTS
Physicians considered neuropsychiatric symptoms and executive dysfunction to be the most important deficits in the legal context, while legal experts highlighted episodic memory impairment and dyscalculia. Perceptions regarding the importance of several cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms varied between and within the professional groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Physicians and legal experts diverged in their perceptions of cognitive and neuropsychiatric domains affecting mental capacity and the need for guardianship. The evaluation and influence of medical evidence among legal experts heavily rely on subjective opinions. Given the substantial potential impact on patients' equal access to their rights, developing standardized guidelines is essential.
PubMed: 38733099
DOI: 10.1111/ene.16334 -
Development and Psychopathology May 2024We present a theory of atypical development based on a developmental theory of the typical mind integrating developmental, cognitive, and psychometric theory and...
We present a theory of atypical development based on a developmental theory of the typical mind integrating developmental, cognitive, and psychometric theory and research. The paper comprises three parts. First, it outlines the theory of typical development. The theory postulates central cognitive mechanisms, such as relational integration, executive and inferential processes, and domain-specific processes underlying different environmental relations, such as visuospatial or quantitative relations. Cognitive development advances in cycles satisfying developmental priorities in mastering these systems, such as executive control from 2-6 years, inferential control from 7-11 years, and truth control from 12-18 years. Second, we discuss atypical development, showing how each neurodevelopmental disorder emerges from deficiencies in one or more of the processes comprising the architecture of the mind. Deficiencies in relational integration mechanisms, together with deficiencies in social understanding, yield autism spectrum disorder. Deficiencies in executive processes yield attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder. Deficiencies in symbolic representation yield specialized learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia. Finally, we discuss clinical and educational implications, suggesting the importance of early diagnosis of malfunctioning in each of these dimensions and specific programs for their remediation.
PubMed: 38724520
DOI: 10.1017/S0954579424000944 -
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology Aug 2024A solid understanding of fractions is the cornerstone for acquiring proficiency with rational numbers and paves the way for learning advanced mathematical concepts such... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
A solid understanding of fractions is the cornerstone for acquiring proficiency with rational numbers and paves the way for learning advanced mathematical concepts such as algebra. Fraction difficulties limit not only students' educational and vocational opportunities but also their ability to solve everyday problems. Students who exit sixth grade with inadequate understanding of fractions may experience far-reaching repercussions that lead to lifelong avoidance of mathematics. This article presents the results of a randomized controlled trial focusing on the first two cohorts of a larger efficacy investigation aimed at building fraction sense in students with mathematics difficulties. Teachers implemented an evidence-informed fraction sense intervention (FSI) within their sixth-grade intervention classrooms. The lessons draw from research in cognitive science as well as mathematics education research. Employing random assignment at the classroom level, multilevel modeling revealed a significant effect of the intervention on posttest fractions scores after controlling for pretest fractions scores, working memory, vocabulary, proportional reasoning, and classroom attentive behavior. Students in the FSI group outperformed their counterparts in the control group, with noteworthy effect sizes on most fraction measures. Challenges associated with carrying out school-based intervention research are addressed.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Child; Schools; Mathematics; Students; Problem Solving; Dyscalculia
PubMed: 38718680
DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.105954 -
Research in Developmental Disabilities Jun 2024Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability which prevents children from acquiring adequate numerical and arithmetical competences. We investigated...
Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific learning disability which prevents children from acquiring adequate numerical and arithmetical competences. We investigated whether difficulties in children with DD spread beyond the numerical domain and impact also their ability to perceive time. A group of 37 children/adolescent with and without DD were tested with an auditory categorization task measuring time perception thresholds in the sub-second (0.25-1 s) and supra-second (0.75-3 s) ranges. Results showed that auditory time perception was strongly impaired in children with DD at both time scales. The impairment remained even when age, non-verbal reasoning, and gender were regressed out. Overall, our results show that the difficulties of DD can affect magnitudes other than numerical and contribute to the increasing evidence that frames dyscalculia as a disorder affecting multiple neurocognitive and perceptual systems.
Topics: Humans; Dyscalculia; Female; Male; Child; Time Perception; Auditory Perception; Adolescent; Case-Control Studies
PubMed: 38663331
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2024.104733 -
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Jun 2024The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) has been associated with numerical processing. A recent study reported that the IPS sulcal pattern was associated with arithmetic and...
The intraparietal sulcus (IPS) has been associated with numerical processing. A recent study reported that the IPS sulcal pattern was associated with arithmetic and symbolic number abilities in children and adults. In the present study, we evaluated the link between numerical abilities and the IPS sulcal pattern in children with Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) and typically developing children (TD), extending previous analyses considering other sulcal features and the postcentral sulcus (PoCS). First, we confirm the longitudinal sulcal pattern stability of the IPS and the PoCS. Second, we found a lower proportion of left sectioned IPS and a higher proportion of a double-horizontal IPS shape bilaterally in DD compared to TD. Third, our analyses revealed that arithmetic is the only aspect of numerical processing that is significantly related to the IPS sulcal pattern (sectioned vs not sectioned), and that this relationship is specific to the left hemisphere. And last, correlation analyses of age and arithmetic in children without a sectioned left IPS indicate that although they may have an inherent disadvantage in numerical abilities, these may improve with age. Thus, our results indicate that only the left IPS sulcal pattern is related to numerical abilities and that other factors co-determine numerical abilities.
Topics: Humans; Dyscalculia; Male; Child; Female; Adolescent; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Parietal Lobe; Mathematics; Functional Laterality; Brain; Neuropsychological Tests
PubMed: 38642426
DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101369 -
Nursing Standard (Royal College of... Apr 2024Neurodivergent conditions such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Tourette's syndrome are common, and it is...
Neurodivergent conditions such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and Tourette's syndrome are common, and it is highly likely that practice assessors and supervisors will be asked to support neurodivergent nursing students in their practice learning environments. This article details the strengths that neurodivergent students can bring to nursing, as well as some of the challenges they may experience in practice settings. It outlines how practice assessors and supervisors can develop neuro-inclusive learning environments where neurodivergent students can thrive, as well as how to support them if they are not meeting their required proficiencies. The authors also discuss how appropriate reasonable adjustments can be implemented by using a collaborative approach with students.
PubMed: 38616773
DOI: 10.7748/ns.2024.e12262