Cognitive inhibition deficits in Moroccan children with dyscalculia: A cross-sectional study

Inhibitory control deficits have been implicated in developmental dyscalculia (DD), yet specific relationships between inhibition and arithmetic domains remain unclear. This study investigated inhibitory control in children with DD across nine arithmetic domains.

Sixty-four children aged 9-11 years (32 with DD, 32 typically developing) completed the Stroop Color-Word Interference Test and a comprehensive arithmetic battery assessing quantity comparison, arithmetic operations, counting dots, subitizing, quantity estimation, number positioning, reverse verbal counting, number reading, and problem solving.

Children with DD demonstrated significantly poorer inhibitory control, with longer completion times (M = 101.16 vs. 71.25 seconds) and more interference errors (d = 1.18, r = .41, both p < .001). Correlation analyses revealed a notable dissociation: controlled processing tasks showed strong negative correlations with Stroop performance (r = -.43 to -.55, p < .001), while automatic processing tasks showed positive correlations (r = +.27 to +.44, p < .05). These patterns remained significant after controlling for age.

Children with DD may require differentiated interventions depending on whether difficulties stem from weak controlled processing or disrupted automatic processing. Results support dual-process theories and highlight need for domain-specific assessment and intervention.