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Cortex; a Journal Devoted To the Study... Dec 1988We conducted a neurobehavioral evaluation on eleven children with developmental dyscalculia in order to determine which aspects of arithmetic processes are affected in...
We conducted a neurobehavioral evaluation on eleven children with developmental dyscalculia in order to determine which aspects of arithmetic processes are affected in this disorder. Our results indicate that memorization of numerical facts in these children was poor or virtually non-existent and the ability to solve simple arithmetic exercises impaired. By contrast, comprehension and production of number functions were intact. Although all children had been referred for evaluation of selective deficits in arithmetic skills, they also displayed a mild degree of dyslexia, dysgraphia, anomia, and grapho-motor dysfunction. We conclude that cognitive mechanisms underlying arithmetic ability can be dissociated developmentally and suggest that remediation programs be designed only after detailed analyses of arithmetic and associated cognitive skills.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Cognition Disorders; Developmental Disabilities; Female; Humans; Language Disorders; Male; Mathematics; Neuropsychological Tests
PubMed: 2464456
DOI: 10.1016/s0010-9452(88)80049-2 -
New Directions For Child and Adolescent... May 2019Current definitions of specific learning disability (SLD) identify a heterogeneous population that includes individuals with weaknesses in reading, math, or writing, and... (Review)
Review
Current definitions of specific learning disability (SLD) identify a heterogeneous population that includes individuals with weaknesses in reading, math, or writing, and these academic difficulties often co-occur in many of the same individuals. The Colorado Learning Disabilities Research Center (CLDRC) is an interdisciplinary, multisite research program that uses converging levels of analysis to understand the genetic and environmental etiology, neuropsychology, and developmental outcomes of SLDs in reading (RD), math (MD), and writing (WD), along with the comorbidity between these SLDs and other developmental disorders. The latest results from the CLDRC twin study suggest that shared genetic influences contribute to the significant covariance between all aspects of reading (word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension) and math (calculations, math fluency, and word problems), and distinct genetic or environmental influences also contribute to weaknesses in each specific academic domain. RD and MD are associated with a range of negative outcomes on both concurrent measures and measures of functional outcomes completed 5 years after the twins were first assessed. Over the next several years the CLDRC will continue to expand on this work by administering a comprehensive test battery that includes measures of all dimensions of academic achievement that are described in current definitions of SLD and incorporating these measures in new neuroimaging and molecular genetic studies.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Comorbidity; Dyscalculia; Dyslexia; Humans; Twin Studies as Topic
PubMed: 31070302
DOI: 10.1002/cad.20291 -
American Family Physician Nov 2019Academic underachievement, such as failing a class and the threat of being held back because of academic issues, is common. Family physicians can provide support and... (Review)
Review
Academic underachievement, such as failing a class and the threat of being held back because of academic issues, is common. Family physicians can provide support and guidance for families as they approach their child's unique academic challenges. Specific learning disabilities are a group of learning disorders (e.g., dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyslexia) that impede a child's ability to learn. Understanding standard educational terms; looking for medical, family, and social risk factors associated with academic underachievement; and investigating the medical differential for academic underachievement can help direct the family to appropriate care. The physician can provide medical documentation to support an individualized education program evaluation and address risk factors that schools may not be aware of or cannot assess. The family physician can support children and families by understanding the connection between risk factors, medical and educational evaluations, and educational resources.
Topics: Child; Family Relations; Humans; Learning Disabilities; Physician's Role; Physicians, Family; Risk Factors; Schools
PubMed: 31730315
DOI: No ID Found -
Behavioural Neurology 2019Acalculia is an acquired disorder in calculation abilities, usually associated with left posterior parietal damage. Two types of acalculic disorders are usually... (Review)
Review
Acalculia is an acquired disorder in calculation abilities, usually associated with left posterior parietal damage. Two types of acalculic disorders are usually distinguished: (1) primary acalculia or anarithmetia, where the patient presents a loss of numerical concepts (difficulties are observed both in oral and written calculations), and (2) secondary acalculia due to a different disturbance in cognition and affecting mathematical abilities. Secondary acalculias are associated with aphasia, alexia, agraphia, executive function disorders, or visuospatial difficulties. This paper is a proposal for clinical intervention to rehabilitation of acquired primary and secondary acalculias.
Topics: Cognition; Cognition Disorders; Dyscalculia; Humans; Mathematics; Neuropsychological Tests
PubMed: 31093301
DOI: 10.1155/2019/3151092 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023Research on typically developing children and adults and people with developmental and acquired dyscalculia converges in indicating that arithmetical ability is not... (Review)
Review
Research on typically developing children and adults and people with developmental and acquired dyscalculia converges in indicating that arithmetical ability is not unitary but is made up of many different components. Categories of components include non-symbolic quantity representation and processing; symbolic quantity representation and processing; counting procedures and principles; arithmetic operations; arithmetical knowledge and understanding; multiple forms and applications of conceptual knowledge of arithmetic; and domain-general abilities such as attention, executive functions and working memory. There is much evidence that different components can and often do show considerable functional independence, not only in developmental and acquired dyscalculia, but in typically achieving children and adults. At the same time, it is possible to find complex interactions and bidirectional relationships between the different components, including between domain-specific and apparently domain-general abilities. There is a great deal that still needs to be discovered. In particular, we need to learn more about the origins in infancy of subitizing and approximate magnitude comparison, the extent to which these interact, the extent to which they may be further divisible, and the extent and ways in which they themselves may develop with age and the extent to which they may influence later-developing components. There also needs to be a lot more research on exactly how domain-general and domain-specific abilities contribute to mathematical development, and how they interact with one another.
PubMed: 37780151
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1188271 -
Deutsches Arzteblatt International Nov 2012Dyscalculia is defined as difficulty acquiring basic arithmetic skills that is not explained by low intelligence or inadequate schooling. About 5% of children in primary...
BACKGROUND
Dyscalculia is defined as difficulty acquiring basic arithmetic skills that is not explained by low intelligence or inadequate schooling. About 5% of children in primary schools are affected. Dyscalculia does not improve without treatment.
METHODS
In this article, we selectively review publications on dyscalculia from multiple disciplines (medicine, psychology, neuroscience, education/special education).
RESULTS
Many children and adolescents with dyscalculia have associated cognitive dysfunction (e.g., impairment of working memory and visuospatial skills), and 20% to 60% of those affected have comorbid disorders such as dyslexia or attention deficit disorder. The few interventional studies that have been published to date document the efficacy of pedagogic-therapeutic interventions directed toward specific problem areas. The treatment is tailored to the individual patient's cognitive functional profile and severity of manifestations. Psychotherapy and/or medication are sometimes necessary as well.
CONCLUSION
The early identification and treatment of dyscalculia are very important in view of its frequent association with mental disorders. Sufferers need a thorough, neuropsychologically oriented diagnostic evaluation that takes account of the complexity of dyscalculia and its multiple phenotypes and can thus provide a basis for the planning of effective treatment.
Topics: Brain Diseases; Brain Injuries; Diagnosis, Differential; Dyscalculia; Humans; Neuropsychological Tests; Psychotherapy
PubMed: 23227129
DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.2012.0767 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2022When asked to estimate the number of items in the visual field, neurotypical adults are more precise and rapid if the items are clustered into subgroups compared to when...
When asked to estimate the number of items in the visual field, neurotypical adults are more precise and rapid if the items are clustered into subgroups compared to when they are randomly distributed. It has been suggested that this phenomenon, termed "groupitizing", relies on the recruitment of arithmetical calculation strategies and subitizing. Here the role of arithmetical skills in groupitizing was investigated by measuring the groupitizing effect (or advantage) in a sample of children and adolescents with and without math learning disability (dyscalculia). The results showed that when items were grouped, both groups of participants showed a similar advantage on sensory precision and response time in numerosity estimates. Correlational analyses confirmed a lack of covariation between groupitizing advantage and math scores. Bayesian statistics on sensory precision sustained the frequentist analyses providing decisive evidence in favor of no groups difference on groupitizing advantage magnitude (LBF = - 0.44) and no correlation with math scores (LBF = - 0.57). The results on response times, although less decisive, were again in favor of the null hypothesis. Overall, the results suggest that the link between groupitizing and mathematical abilities cannot be taken for granted, calling for further investigations on the factors underlying this perceptual phenomenon.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aptitude; Bayes Theorem; Child; Developmental Disabilities; Dyscalculia; Humans; Mathematics
PubMed: 35379895
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09709-5 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022Dyslexia is a disorder characterized by an impaired ability to understand written and printed words or phrases. Epidemiological longitudinal data show that dyslexia is... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Dyslexia is a disorder characterized by an impaired ability to understand written and printed words or phrases. Epidemiological longitudinal data show that dyslexia is highly prevalent, affecting 10-20% of the population regardless of gender. This study aims to provide a detailed overview of research status and development characteristics of dyslexia from types of articles, years, countries, institutions, journals, authors, author keywords, and highly cited papers. A total of 9,166 publications have been retrieved from the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) from 2000 to 2021. The United States of America, United Kingdom, and Germany were the top three most productive countries in terms of the number of publications. China, Israel, and Japan led the Asia research on dyslexia. University of Oxford had the most publications and won first place in terms of h-index. was the most productive journal in this field and Psychology was the most used subject category. Keywords analysis indicated that "developmental dyslexia," "phonological awareness," children and fMRI were still the main research topics. "Literacy," "rapid automatized naming (RAN)," "assessment," "intervention," "meta-analysis," "Chinese," "executive function," "morphological awareness," "decoding," "dyscalculia," "EEG," "Eye tracking," "rhythm," "bilingualism," and "functional connectivity" might become the new research hotspots.
Topics: Asia; Bibliometrics; Child; China; Dyslexia; Humans; United Kingdom; United States
PubMed: 35812514
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.915053 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Feb 2017One specific cause of low numeracy is a deficit in a mechanism for representing and processing numerosities that humans inherited and which is putatively shared with... (Review)
Review
One specific cause of low numeracy is a deficit in a mechanism for representing and processing numerosities that humans inherited and which is putatively shared with many other species. This deficit is evident at each of the four levels of explanation in the 'causal modelling' framework of Morton and Frith (Morton and Frith 1995 In , vol. 1 (eds D Cichetti, D Cohen), pp. 357-390). Very low numeracy can occur in cognitively able individuals with normal access to good education: it is linked to an easily measured deficit in basic numerosity processing; it has a distinctive neural signature; and twin studies suggest specific heritability, though the relevant genes have not yet been identified. Unfortunately, educators and policymakers seem largely unaware of this cause, but appropriate interventions could alleviate the suffering and handicap of those with low numeracy, and would be a major benefit to society.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The origins of numerical abilities'.
Topics: Comprehension; Education; Humans; Mathematical Concepts
PubMed: 29292351
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0118