Cognitive and Emotional Factors in Children with Mathematical Learning Disabilities

• Published in: International journal of disability, development, and education Vol. 58; no. 1; pp. 61 - 73
• Main Author: Passolunghi, Maria Chiara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Routledge 01.03.2011
• Subjects: Anxiety; arithmetic; Auditory Stimuli; calculation; Children; Cognitive Ability; Cognitive Development; Cognitive Processes; Comparative Analysis; Digit Span Test (Case and Kurland); Elementary School Students; Emotional Development; Emotional Response; Emotions; Foreign Countries; Hypothesis Testing; Inhibition; Intelligence; Italy; Language; Learning; Learning Disabilities; learning disability; Learning disabled children; mathematical disability; Mathematics; Mathematics achievement; Mathematics Anxiety; Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale; Mathematics Instruction; Phonology; Primary education; Primary Mental Abilities Test; Primary school mathematics; Primary school students; Processing speed; Short term; Short Term Memory; Thurstone Primary Mental Abilities Schema; Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale; Working memory; Italy
• ISSN: 1034-912X; 1465-346X
• DOI: 10.1080/1034912X.2011.547351

Emotional and cognitive factors were examined in 18 children with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD), compared with 18 normally achieving children, matched for chronological age, school level, gender and verbal IQ. Working memory, short-term memory, inhibitory processes, speed of processing and level of anxiety in mathematics were assessed in the two groups. The results corroborated the hypothesis that children with MLD are impaired in working memory capacity, inhibitory ability, and speed of processing. However, no impairment was found in short-term memory tasks requiring passive storage of verbal and numerical information. Moreover, while the children with MLD showed higher levels of anxiety in mathematics, their anxiety levels in other school subjects were similar to those of normal achievers. Implications for identifying underlying emotional and cognitive deficits in children with MLD are discussed, along with possible approaches to treatment.