Effects of phonological awareness and naming speed on mathematics skills in children with mild intellectual disabilities

Cognitive processes that underlie mathematically gifted emergent bilinguals

The purpose of this study was to determine those cognitive measures that increase the likelihood of identifying mathematically gifted students who are emerging bilinguals. Elementary school children (Grades 1, 2, and 3) were administered a battery of math, vocabulary, reading, and cognitive measures (short-term memory, inhibition, and working memory in their first language (L1: Spanish) and second language (L2: English). Multilevel polytomous logistic modeling compared mathematically gifted children with children who were average math achievers or low math achievers. The results indicated that cognitive parameters that included estimation and working memory in the L2 and problem-solving in the L1 were unique predictors that significantly influenced whether a child was categorized as gifted relative to average achievers. Relative to average achievers, L2 parameters (magnitude judgment) and English reading were significantly related to the identification of children with low math computation. The results are discussed in terms of a multidimensional model that taps domain-specific skills and general cognitive processes that increase the ability to correctly identify children who score in the gifted range in both their L1 and L2.

Emergent math difficulties among English learners: can the odds be reduced?

Solving word problems in mathematics presents difficulties for many English learners (ELs), including those who use Spanish as a home language. In the early stage of learning to solve mathematics word problems, some children, including ELs, experience difficulties. By English status, EL refers to those children whose home language was Spanish while in the process of developing English at school. Math difficulties (MD) refers to those children with low normative mathematical problem-solving scores in both English and Spanish. The purpose of this study was to determine those measures that increase the odds of identifying EL children with emergent MD. Elementary school children (grades 1, 2, and 3) were administered a battery of math, vocabulary, reading, and cognitive measures (short-term memory [STM], inhibition, working memory [WM]) in both Spanish (L1) and English (L2) in Year 1 and again one year later. Multilevel growth modeling compared MD children identified one year later who manifested MD to children who were average math achievers or poor math achievers across the two testing waves (year 1 and year 2). The results indicated that significant growth parameters (i.e., measures of estimation, WM) increased the odds of identifying emergent MD relative to children with Persistent math deficits and average achievers. The results were discussed in terms of a multidimensional model that taps domain-specific skills and general cognitive processes that increase the odds of identifying later math difficulties.

Cognitive factors and educational placement affecting mathematical attainment in middle school students with mild intellectual disability

The study investigated the relationship between mathematics achievement, cognitive and motor skills, and general intellectual ability among seventy 10-12 years old students with mild intellectual disability (MID) attending regular school (n = 30) and special school (n = 40). The purpose of the study was to identify the critical deficits teachers need to consider when teaching mathematics at the secondary school level. The students attending regular schools had significantly higher fluid intelligence scores (p = 0.036), but we found no difference in the total score of the math achievement test. Special school students were more eager to use assistance and aids when solving math problems (p = 0.040). The study indicated significant associations between basic mathematical skills, verbal and visuospatial processing, and motor skills. Thus, it is essential to compensate for the delay of students' cognitive development to improve their basic mathematical skills and, in general, mathematical performance. The educational placement affects the willingness or ability to seek academic help when solving mathematical problems.

Early Numeracy and Literacy Skills Among Monolingual and Bilingual Kindergarten Children

Early numeracy and literacy skills are all the knowledge that children acquire spontaneously and independently before entering school and beginning formal learning. This knowledge is essential and forms the basis for the acquisition of reading and arithmetic in school. A bilingual child is a child who is fluent in two languages, as opposed to a monolingual child who is exposed to only one language. Bilingualism has been found to affect verbal and mathematical abilities in children, but only a few studies have focused on the early numeracy and literacy skills of preschoolers. This study examined the connection between early numeracy and literacy skills and among monolingual children as compared to bilingual children in preschool. Three hundred and two children aged 5–6years old were recruited from 74 kindergartens. Participants were divided into two groups: 151 monolingual children who spoke and were exposed to only one language (Hebrew) and 151 bilingual children who spoke and were exposed to two languages (the bilingual children spoke different languages). Monolingual children performed better than the bilingual children in most of the literacy tasks, except for phonological awareness, in which no differences were found between the groups. In addition, in the early numeracy tasks, a difference was found only in the task, which included linguistic knowledge, number knowledge, and counting tasks, in which the monolingual children performed better. Furthermore, stronger correlations were found between the early numeracy and literacy skills among the monolingual group compared to the bilingual group. The study findings stress the importance of strengthening linguistic abilities, such as vocabulary expansion in kindergarten among populations in which more than one language is spoken. Supporting these abilities can reduce the gap between bilingual children and their monolingual classmates before entering school.

Habilidades matemáticas tempranas en niños chilenos con Trastorno del Desarrollo del Lenguaje: Un estudio comparativo

En las últimas décadas se ha incrementado el interés de las investigaciones respecto a las dificultades académicas que presentan los niños con Trastorno del Desarrollo del Lenguaje (TDL). No obstante, su relación con las habilidades matemáticas es una de las menos estudiadas. El objetivo de este estudio consistió en determinar si existen diferencias relevantes entre las habilidades matemáticas tempranas de niños con TDL y con desarrollo típico (DT). Participaron 78 niños de 4 a 7 años 11 meses de edad, pertenecientes a colegios con programas de integración escolar de Santiago de Chile. Se conformó un grupo de 44 niños con TDL y un grupo de 34 con DT. Se establecieron comparaciones del rendimiento en tareas matemáticas pertenecientes a la versión en español del Test de Evaluación Matemática Temprana de Utrecht (TEMT-U): subtest relacionales (comparación, clasificación, correspondencia uno a uno y seriación), y subtest numérico (conteo verbal, conteo estructurado, conteo resultante y conocimiento general de los números); hallándose un rendimiento matemático significativamente menor en el grupo con TDL de educación infantil en ambos subtest. Los hallazgos sugieren que las dificultades propias de los niños con TDL impactan el aprendizaje matemático, especialmente en los niños más pequeños, por lo que resulta imperante disminuir las barreras que obstaculizan su proceso de aprendizaje.