Arithmetic processing in children with spina bifida: Calculation accuracy, strategy use, and fact retrieval fluency

Area of Science:

• Developmental neuroscience
• Cognitive psychology
• Pediatric neurology

Background:

• Spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM) is frequently associated with mathematical disabilities and spatial deficits.
• Understanding the specific cognitive underpinnings of math difficulties in SBM is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the nature of math disability in children with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM).
• To differentiate between visual-spatial deficits and core arithmetic processing issues in SBM.
• To examine the relationship between single-digit addition and multidigit subtraction performance in this population.

Main Methods:

• Three studies compared 98 children with SBM to 94 typically developing children on arithmetic tasks.
• Children with SBM were categorized based on the presence of reading decoding and/or math disability.
• Tasks included multidigit subtraction, cognitive addition, and single-digit addition, with varying designs including math-level matching.

Main Results:

• Visual-spatial errors were not significantly elevated in children with SBM during multidigit arithmetic.
• Deficits in accuracy, speed, and strategy use in single-digit addition were evident in children with math disability, irrespective of reading status.
• Performance on single-digit addition strongly correlated with multidigit subtraction abilities, and children with SBM showed less mastery of math facts.

Conclusions:

• Math disability in SBM appears primarily linked to core arithmetic processing deficits rather than visual-spatial impairments.
• Difficulties with basic number fact retrieval and processing speed significantly impact arithmetic performance in children with SBM.
• Findings support cognitive and neuropsychological models of math disability, highlighting the importance of foundational arithmetic skills.