Kids With Dyscalculia Switch Math Strategies Slower, Stanford Finds

Children with developmental dyscalculia, a condition that makes math problem solving persistently hard, are slower to change strategies when a problem calls for a different approach, according to a Stanford University study. The researchers also found brain activity patterns that differed in these children and could predict some of their math skills.

The study, led by Oliver Lasnick and colleagues, was published in The Journal of Neuroscience (JNeurosci). The Society for Neuroscience released a summary on Nov. 12.

What the Stanford team tested

The researchers worked with 68 children between the ages of 8 and 10. They looked at how each child tackled math problems, how well they used different methods, and how their brain activity related to their results.

Solving a math problem involves a choice about method. A child might count one number at a time, or use a faster route based on a number fact they already know. Harder problems make it more important to notice when the first method is not working.

How children with dyscalculia differed

Compared with other children, those with dyscalculia were generally less effective at using different strategies, the researchers reported. They took longer to move from one method to another and responded less when a problem got easier or harder.

The gap also showed up over time. Other children got better at picking the right approach as they went, while children with dyscalculia did not show the same improvement. The authors say this points to trouble with deciding how to approach a problem, along with doing the calculation itself.

Activity in one brain system was different in children with dyscalculia than in children who were better at choosing and using strategies. Those patterns predicted how well children counted and how well they switched methods.

What it means for parents

The findings point to mental skills beyond numbers: attention, memory and cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to adjust thinking when circumstances change. Researchers group these under executive functions, the processes that help a person stay on task, keep details in mind and change plans. In math, they help a child track numbers, compare possible answers and decide when to try another method.

The study does not show that the brain differences cause dyscalculia. It adds evidence about which thinking and brain processes go along with the condition.

The researchers also found that dyscalculia varies from child to child and does not come down to one shared problem. “This study also emphasizes the individual variability observed in dyscalculia,” Lasnick said in the summary. The team says looking at how children pick strategies and handle harder problems, and not only whether they reach the right answer, could help researchers find better ways to identify and support these students.

Parents worried about a child’s ongoing trouble with math can talk to their pediatrician.

Source: ScienceDaily