Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Jul-Aug;78(4):1343-59.
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01069.x.

Cognitive mechanisms underlying achievement deficits in children with mathematical learning disability

David C Geary  1 , Mary K Hoard, Jennifer Byrd-Craven, Lara Nugent, Chattavee Numtee
Affiliations

Cognitive mechanisms underlying achievement deficits in children with mathematical learning disability

David C Geary et al. Child Dev. 2007 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Using strict and lenient mathematics achievement cutoff scores to define a learning disability, respective groups of children who are math disabled (MLD, n=15) and low achieving (LA, n=44) were identified. These groups and a group of typically achieving (TA, n=46) children were administered a battery of mathematical cognition, working memory, and speed of processing measures (M=6 years). The children with MLD showed deficits across all math cognition tasks, many of which were partially or fully mediated by working memory or speed of processing. Compared with the TA group, the LA children were less fluent in processing numerical information and knew fewer addition facts. Implications for defining MLD and identifying underlying cognitive deficits are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Example items from the Number Sets Test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ashcraft MH. The development of mental arithmetic: A chronometric approach. Developmental Review. 1982;2:213–236.
    1. Baddeley AD. Working memory. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press; 1986.
    1. Barbaresi WJ, Katusic SK, Colligan RC, Weaver AL, Jacobsen SJ. Math learning disorder: Incidence in a population-based birth cohort, 1976–82, Rochester, Minn. Ambulatory Pediatrics. 2005;5:281–289. - PubMed
    1. Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1986;51:1173–1182. - PubMed
    1. Barrouillet P, Fayol M, Lathuliére E. Selecting between competitors in multiplication tasks: An explanation of the errors produced by adolescents with learning disabilities. International Journal of Behavioral Development. 1997;21:253–275.

Publication types