Basic number processing in children with specific learning disorders: Comorbidity of reading and mathematics...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Deficits in number processing are characteristic of mathematics disorders (MD) and are also observed in individuals with reading disorders (RD).
• Understanding the specific numerical processing components affected in RD and MD is crucial for targeted interventions.
• The Triple Code Model provides a framework for analyzing numerical cognition across different modalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the distinct numerical processing components affected in children with reading disorders (RD) versus mathematics disorders (MD).
• To examine the cognitive underpinnings of number processing deficits in RD and MD within the Triple Code Model framework.
• To characterize the performance profile of children with comorbid RD and MD.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of children with reading disorders (RD), mathematics disorders (MD), comorbid RD + MD, and typically developing children (TD).
• Assessment using verbal, visual-verbal, and nonverbal number processing tasks.
• Analysis of performance in speeded verbal number tasks and rapid automatized naming (RAN).

Main Results:

• Children with MD exhibited widespread impairments in numerical tasks.
• Children with RD showed deficits specifically in (visual-)verbal number tasks, with intact nonverbal number skills.
• The comorbid group displayed an additive pattern of impairments seen in the single-deficit groups.
• Rapid automatized naming (RAN) correlated with verbal number task performance in the RD group, but not in the MD group.

Conclusions:

• Number skill deficits in children with RD stem from phonological processing issues, distinct from the numerical processing deficits observed in MD.
• RD-related number impairments are domain-specific and linked to reading difficulties.
• MD-related number impairments are associated with broader deficits in processing numerosities.