W4 – Dyscalculia and Other Mathematics Learning Difficulties

Symposium Chair: Michèle M. Mazzocco, Ph.D.  Professor, Institute of Child Development; Research Director, Center for Early Education and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

What underlies the difficulties that many children (and adults) experience with mathematics, and what remediation or prevention methods are most effective? When do these difficulties indicate a mathematics learning disability (MLD, or dyscalculia)? The caution with which researchers attempt to answer these questions reflects the paucity of research on MLD relative to the large body of research on reading disability. Still, answers are emerging from the recent, rapid growth in MLD research. In this symposium, the speakers will each address an area of research that is critical for understanding MLD, collectively revealing the vast range of skills that underlie mathematical development and behavior and how this knowledge guides our efforts to prevent, identify, and remediate mathematics difficulties in school age children.

Welcome & Introduction
Michèle M. Mazzocco, Ph.D.

The Roles of Working Memory and Attention in Mathematical Learning Difficulties
Daniel B. Berch, Ph.D., Professor of Educational Psychology and Applied Developmental Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA  

Limitations in working memory and attention for children with math learning difficulties and disabilities influence both the speed and accuracy of their performance. These deficits affect not only basic numerical and arithmetic skills, but some higher order mathematics skills as well. The nature and extent of their impact varies as a function of the type of task demands, reflecting the differential contributions of executive function, phonological, and visuo-spatial competencies. This presentation will focus on these effects at elementary through middle school age levels.

What Longitudinal Studies Tell Us about Early Risk Factors for Later Mathematical Difficulties
Marcia A. Barnes, Ph.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Research Chair in Childhood Reading and Learning, University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston, Houston, TX

Findings from longitudinal studies of the development of math and reading skills in typically developing children and in children with spina bifida, a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with a very high rate of math disability, will be presented. The findings will be used to demonstrate some of the similarities and differences in the developmental precursors of ability and disability in mathematics and reading. Implications for early assessment and intervention will also be discussed.

Break

The Relationship between Numerical Magnitude Processing and Typical and Atypical Arithmetic Achievement: Evidence from Brain and Behavior
Daniel Ansari, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada

Recent research has shown that basic number processing (such as comparing which of two numbers is larger) is related to individual differences in children's arithmetic achievement. Furthermore, children with mathematical disabilities (Developmental Dyscalculia) have been found to perform poorly on basic number processing tasks. In this talk I will review evidence for an association between basic number processing and arithmetic achievement in children with and without mathematical difficulties. I will draw on evidence from both brain and behavior and discuss the implications of this research for diagnosis. 

LUNCH BREAK

How Longitudinal Studies Inform Evolving Definitions of Mathematics Learning Disabilities
Michèle M. Mazzocco, Ph.D.

Not all children who struggle with mathematics have a mathematical learning disability (MLD), and not all children who have low achievement in mathematics face the same challenges. I will review findings from a longitudinal study from grades Kindergarten to Grade 9 that reveal why definitions of MLD matter in research and practice.

Determining which Children with Low Math Achievement have a Mathematical Learning Disability: Evidence from a Longitudinal Study from Kindergarten to Grade 7
Drew H. Bailey, M.A., Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri – Columbia, Columbia, MO

Children with mathematical learning disability (MLD), low achievement (LA), or typical achievement in mathematics (TA) show different developmental trajectories on a range of skills. For instance, group differences in mathematics achievement increase across time, such that children with MLD lag increasingly behind children with TA. I will present findings from the MU Math Study, an ongoing longitudinal, prospective study of mathematical development and MLD.  I will highlight efficient methods for distinguishing MLD and LA children from TA children and from each other. I will focus on early (first grade) identifiers, how these relate to the deficits underlying MLD and LA, and how they relate to later outcomes through seventh grade."

BREAK

Preventing and Understanding Mathematics Disability: Arithmetic Combinations at First Grade
Lynn S. Fuchs, Ph.D., and Douglas Fuchs, Ph.D., Nicholas Hobbs Professors of Special Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

A large randomized control trial, assessing the effects of tutoring to prevent difficulty with arithmetic combinations, will be presented. The tutoring program will be described; an overview of the study methods and results will be shared; and implications for practice and understanding about mathematics disability will be discussed.

Panel Discussion