Convergent evaluation of Working Memory and arithmetic ability in a child with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual impairment

Studies focusing on a joint evaluation of both Working Memory (WM) and Math Ability (MA) in autism are far from abundant in literature, possibly due to inadequate methodological approaches and reported inconsistencies between results obtained in each separate field of research, resulting in contradictory conclusions. The specific aim of this case report is therefore evaluating and integrating results on these two cognitive abilities in a child with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual impairment. Our data on an autistic 10-year-old child (M.N.) show that the levels of functional (active vs. passive), rather than structural (phonological vs. visual), data manipulation are quite relevant in the way the child scored differently in the various tasks. Furthermore, M.N. generally displayed average to good ability levels in math calculation, except for oral multiplication, and division activities. By way of conclusion, data are discussed in terms of strengths and weaknesses in relation to special learning trajectories in education and the relevant achievements

Working Memory and Early Numeracy Training in Preschool Children

Many factors influence children\u2019s performance in mathematical achievement, including both domainspecific and domain-general factors. This study aimed to verify and compare the effects of two types of training on early numerical skills. One type of training focused on the enhancement of working memory, a domain-general precursor, while the other focused on the enhancement of early numeracy, a domain-specific precursor. The participants were 48 five-year-old preschool children. Both the working memory and early numeracy training programs were implemented for 5 weeks. The results showed that the early numeracy intervention specifically improved early numeracy abilities in preschool children, whereas working memory intervention improved not only working memory abilities but also early numeracy abilities. These findings stress the importance of performing activities designed to train working memory abilities, in addition to activities aimed to enhance more specific skills, in the early prevention of learning difficulties during preschool years

The relation between cognitive and emotional factors and arithmetic problem-solving

Literature that investigates the factors underlying arithmetic problem-solving achievement extensively evaluates the cognitive components, such as Working Memory (WM) and Processing Speed, at the basis of this acquisition. Recently, studies have shown that also the emotional factors, such as Math Anxiety (MA), could play a crucial role in the resolution of arithmetic problem-solving even during the first years of formal education. In this study, we tested 145 fourth-grade students to evaluate the possible combined effect of cognitive (i.e., WM, Processing Speed) and emotional (i.e., Math Anxiety) factors in untimed arithmetical problem-solving achievement. Regression analysis showed that MA contributed significantly to explain arithmetic problem-solving achievement even after having accounted for the cognitive abilities (WM and Processing Speed). In addition, the comparison between high-MA and low-MA children showed that the former had decreased performance in arithmetical problem-solving and WM tasks. On the whole, data seemed to corroborate the findings concerning the crucial role of math anxiety on math achievement even in untimed math tasks. Findings are discussed in terms of math educational context and they underline the need to take into consideration also emotional factors\u2012 apart from the cognitive skills\u2012 when developing interventions on math achievement

Working Memory in Individuals With Down Syndrome: A Treatment Case Study

The great majority of people with Down Syndrome (DS) tend to be more limited in their short term memory (STM) and working memory (WM) abilities than other people. Moreover, research has found that individuals with DS experience relatively more difficulty storing and retrieving verbal information than they do with storing and retrieving visual information. Previous studies focusing on the enhancement of memory skills in DS generally used a rehearsal training strategy to investigate the possibility of increasing verbal memory span durably (Comblain, 1999; Conners, 2008). Therefore, these studies focused on the enhancement of shortterm memory skills. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of a school-based visuo-spatial working memory training on the short-term memory and working memory skills a teenage child (A.S.) with Down’s syndrome. The results showed that A.S. improved his WM and STM performance in the trained and non-trained working memory tasks proposed. These results suggest that school-based visuospatial memory training in a school setting could be both feasible and effective for individuals with DS

How is anxiety related to math performance in young students? A longitudinal study of Grade 2 to Grade 3 children

Both general and math-specific anxiety are related to proficiency in mathematics. However, it is not clear when math anxiety arises in young children, nor how it relates to early math performance. This study therefore investigated the early association between math anxiety and math performance in Grades 2 and 3, by accounting for general anxiety and by further inspecting the prevalent directionality of the anxiety\u2013performance link. Results revealed that this link was significant in Grade 3, with a prevalent direction from math anxiety to performance, rather than the reverse. Longitudinal analyses also showed an indirect effect of math anxiety in Grade 2 on subsequent math performance in Grade 3. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of monitoring anxiety from the early stages of schooling in order to promote proficient academic performance

The contributions of working memory domains and processes to early mathematical knowledge between preschool and first grade

Working Memory (WM) plays a crucial role in supporting children\u2019s mathematical learning. However, there is no consensus on the relative contributions of different WM domains (i.e., verbal, visuo-spatial, and numerical\u2013verbal) and processes (i.e., low-control and high-control) to mathematical performance, specifically before and after the onset of formal education. This cross-sectional study examined the relations between WM domains and processes and early mathematical knowledge, comparing a group of children in the second year of preschool (N = 66) to a group of first graders (N = 110). Results of multigroup path analysis showed that whereas visuo-spatial low-control WM significantly predicted early mathematical knowledge only among preschoolers, verbal low-control WM was a significant predictor only among first graders. Instead, the contribution of visuo-spatial high-control WM emerged as significant for both age groups, as well as that of numerical\u2013 verbal WM, although the latter to a greater extent among preschoolers. These findings provide new insights into the WM domains and processes most involved in early mathematical knowledge at different developmental stages, with potential implications for the implementation of age-appropriate training interventions targeting specific WM skills before and after the onset of formal education

Improving approximate number sense abilities in preschoolers : PLUS games

Previous studies in both typically and atypically developing children have shown that approximate number system (ANS) abilities predict formal mathematical knowledge later on in life. The current study investigated whether playing specially designed training games that targets the ANS system using nonsymbolic stimuli only would improve preschool children\u2019s ANS abilities. Thirty-eight preschool children were randomly allocated to either the training or control group. For 5 weeks, 20 preschoolers (9 girls) in the training group played daily games for 10 min that included guessing and comparing numerosities, whereas 18 control children (6 girls) were involved in interactive picture book reading sessions. Children\u2019s ANS abilities were assessed using a computerized task before and after the training program. An analysis of covariance with posttraining ANS scores as dependent variable and pretraining scores as a covariate showed that the children in the training group had higher ANS abilities after the training, in contrast to children in the control group. This study provides evidence that ANS abilities can be improved in preschool children through a daily training program that targets the ANS specifically. These findings provide support for further training programs for preschool children who show mathematical difficulties early on in life

Mathematics anxiety, working memory, and mathematics performance in secondary-school children

Mathematics anxiety (MA) has been defined as \u201ca feeling of tension and anxiety that interferes with the manipulation of numbers and the solving of math problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations\u201d. Previous studies have suggested that a notable proportion of children in primary and secondary school suffer from MA, which is negatively correlated with calculation skills. The processing efficiency and attentional control theories suggest that working memory (WM) also plays an important part in such anxious feelings. The present study aimed to analyze the academic achievement and cognitive profiles of students with high math anxiety (HMA) and low math anxiety (LMA). Specifically, 32 students with HMA and 34 with LMA matched for age, gender, generalized anxiety, and vocabulary attending sixth to eighth grades were selected from a larger sample. The two groups were tested on reading decoding, reading comprehension, mathematics achievement, and on verbal short-term memory and WM. Our findings showed that HMA students were weak in several measures of mathematics achievement, but not in reading and writing skills, and that students with HMA reported lower scores on short-term memory and WM performances (with associated difficulties in inhibiting irrelevant information) than children with LMA. In addition, a logistic regression showed that weaknesses in inhibitory control and fact retrieval were the strongest variables for classifying children as having HMA or LMA

Early numerical abilities and cognitive skills in kindergarten children

In this study, a unitary path analysis model was developed to investigate the relationship between cognitive variables (derived from published studies) and early numerical abilities in children attending the last year of kindergarten. We tested 100 children starting their last year of kindergarten on the following cognitive abilities: intelligence, phonological abilities, counting, verbal and visuospatial short-term memory and working memory, processing speed, and early numerical abilities. The same children were tested again on early numerical abilities at the end of the same year. The children\u2019s early numerical abilities at the beginning of the final year of kindergarten were found to be directly related to their verbal intelligence, phonological abilities, processing speed, and working memory and to be indirectly related to their nonverbal intelligence. Early numerical abilities at the end of the same year are directly related not only to early numerical abilities assessed at the beginning of the year but also to working memory and phonological abilities as well as have an indirect relationship with verbal and nonverbal intelligence. Overall, our results showed that both general and specific abilities are related to early mathematic learning in kindergarten-age children

Symbolic and non-symbolic number processing in children with developmental dyslexia

This study examined number processing in 10-year-olds with developmental dyslexia (DD). The phonological deficit and double deficit hypotheses imply that children with DD might have a connection deficit that affects their ability to establish links between number symbols and magnitude representations. The double deficit hypothesis also posits that symbolic number difficulties may emerge due to difficulties with processes underlying rapid automatic naming (RAN). The DD group displayed difficulties with symbolic number processing but not with non-symbolic number processing. However, the underlying processes of this access or connection deficit appeared not to be related to phonological awareness or RAN. The DD group displayed impaired arithmetic fluency and calculation that were accounted for by defective processes underlying RAN. In view of the triple-code model, children with DD have impaired verbal number codes or defective access to verbal number codes but an intact core magnitude representation