Dyscalculia Flashcards
Dyscalculia definition
When mathematical ability, as measured by individually administered standardised tests, is substantially below that expected given the person’s chronological age, measured intelligence and age appropriate information
Dyscalculia Prevalence (Shalev et al, 2000)
3-6% of people worldwide. Understudied though
Primary dyscalculia definition
Maths deficits stemming from an impaired ability to acquire these skills
Secondary dyscalculia “pseudo-dyscalculia” definition
Maths deficits caused by external factors such as poor education or low socio-economic status
Szucs and Goswami (2013)
P0rimary and secondary may be applicable to other conditions
Early impairments in dyscalculia
- Difficulties dealing with quantities and numbers as a preschool child e.g. in number-rhymes, counting out
loud, and playing board games - Difficulties counting to ten before starting school
- Difficulties recognising small numbers of objects (one, two, or three objects) at a glance before starting school
Later impairments in dyscalculia
Impaired arithmetic fact retrieval
Impaired basic number processing
Non-numerical deficits eg impairments in working memory and visa-spatial attention
Mazzocco, Devlin and McKenney (2008)
Dyscalculics have impaired arithmetic fact retrieval
Koontz and Berch (1996)
Dyscalculics have impaired basic number processing
Geary (2004)
Dyscalculics have impairments in working memory and visa-spatial attention
Kucian and von Aster (2015)
Dyscalculics often added extra 0s in the middle of words they hear, and often overestimate the number of objects they see
Diagnosis of dyscalculia
Diagnostic evaluation must go beyond mathematical components to include a thorough personal, familial, and scholastic developmental history
Shalev et al (2001)
Family disposition significant for parent-offspring, sibling-sibling and mother-daughter for diagnosis and significance for parent-offspring, sibling-sibling, mother-daughter, mother-son and father-daughter for performance in mathematical ability.
Carvalho (2019)
Reviewed genetic foundations of dyscalculia. Only a small number of studies had been conducted and while some candidate genes were identified, none were confirmed in independent studies
Price and Ansari (2013)
Reviewed neural basis of dyscalculia. Revealed Intraparietal Sulcus (IPS) is a key region and found that as a risk factor for dyscalculia.
Landerl et al (2013)
High comorbidity between dyscalculia and dyslexia / reading difficulties and dyscalculia and attention deficits.
Domain specific or domain general impairment?
Domain specific - an impairment in number processing and number sense
Domain general - a general cognitive impairment
Von Aster and Shalev (2007)
Proposed 4 steps to number acquisition:
1. An inherited basic number sense based on a core representation of magnitude (i.e., the quantity to which a number corresponds)
2. The acquisition of number words during preschool
3. The learning of Arabic symbols in primary school
4. The development of a mature mental number line (MNL)
Koontz and Berch (1996)
Dyscalculics have impaired magnitude judgements
Price et al (2007)
Dyscalculics have larger numerical distance effects
Van Luit and Toll (2018)
Examined frequency of cognitive impairments. Found dyscalculics had difficulties in:
1. Planning e.g. connecting randomly distributing stimuli in the correct order
2. Naming speed i.e. naming visually presented colours/ letters/numbers/objects
3. Short-term/ working memory i.e. remembering and storing verbal and visuo-spatial information
4. Attention e.g. focussing attention in order to match visual stimuli to some target stimuli
Morsanvi et al (2018)
Examined whether dyscalculia is characterised by order processing deficits:
* Questionnaire of ordering behaviours
* Measures of working memory with order requirements
* Number ordering ability (i.e. are triads in the correct order)
* Annual ordering ability (i.e. are annual events in the correct order)
* Measures of magnitude, estimation, and inhibition
Wang et al (2012)
Examined inhibition ad found significance with graph inhibition, number inhibition and word inhibition
Agostini et al (2022)
Conducted a review of the literature on domain-general cognitive skills in children with mathematical difficulties and dyscalculia
Kodosh et al (2013)
Reviewed different types of interventions used for improving numerical skills in dyscalculia
* Catch-up numeracy
* Computer based interventions
* Transcranial direct current stimulation
Kodosh et al (2013) - Catch up numeracy
Children received 15 minute interventions each week for dyscalculia for one school term, along with no intervention and unrelated independent time with teacher. Found catch-up numeracy does help
Computer based interventions
- Programmes adapt to children’s ability
- They may foster motivation and positive self-concept due to feelings of success
- Computers are an attractive medium for children
Rasanen et al (2009)
Number race interventions resulted in improvements in basic numerical cognition, but there was no transfer to counting or arithmetic
Fuchs et al (2006)
Found a computer intervention to improve addition, but there was no transfer to arithmetic story problems
Butterworth (2010)
Transcranial direct current stimulation involves the application of a constant current, increasing tissue excitability, and it helps improve numerical skills, arithmetics and automaticity
Kadosh et al (2010)
Some studies have found long-lasting effects of transcranial direct current stimulation
Snowball et al (2013)
Studies have found transfer of benefits to non-learned tasks from transcranial direct current stimulation
