Math Abilities Among Children with Neurodevelopmental Difficulties: Understanding Cognitive Factors and Evaluating a...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Math development in children is influenced by executive functions (EF), working memory (WM), and visual-motor integration (VMI).
• Understanding these cognitive underpinnings is crucial for supporting children with neurodevelopmental difficulties in math.
• Children with neurodevelopmental difficulties often exhibit below-average math performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the unique contributions of EF, WM, and VMI to math abilities in children aged 5-8 with neurodevelopmental difficulties.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a modified group-delivered math intervention (MILE) supporting these cognitive processes in a school setting.
• To explore correlations between participant characteristics (age, IQ) and math score changes post-intervention.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental waitlist control design with 28 participants (ages 5-8) with neurodevelopmental difficulties.
• Baseline assessment of math abilities, EF, WM, and VMI.
• Comparison of math gains between an immediate intervention group and a waitlist control group, followed by intervention for the control group.

Main Results:

• At baseline, math scores were significantly below the normative mean across all areas.
• EF, WM, and VMI were highly correlated with math ability; verbal WM was the sole unique predictor.
• The MILE intervention group showed significantly greater overall math gains compared to the control group.
• Over half of math content areas showed significant improvement, with 85.7% of participants demonstrating reliable change in at least one area.

Conclusions:

• The MILE intervention effectively improved math abilities in children with neurodevelopmental difficulties.
• Targeting executive functions, working memory, and visual-motor integration is a promising approach for math intervention.
• Verbal working memory plays a critical role in predicting math performance in this population.