ABSTRACT
In a 3-year longitudinal study, 471 children were classified, based on their performances on arithmetic tests in first and second grade, as having persistent arithmetic disabilities (AD), persistent low achieving (LA), persistent typical achieving, inconsistent arithmetic disabilities (DF1), or inconsistent low achieving in arithmetic. Significant differences in the performances on the magnitude comparison in kindergarten (at age 5-6) were found between the AD and LA and between the AD and DF1 groups. Furthermore, the percentage of true-positive AD children (at age 7-8) correctly diagnosed in kindergarten by combination of procedural counting, conceptual counting, and magnitude comparison tasks was 87.50%. When composing clinical samples, researchers should pay attention when stipulating restrictive or lenient cutoffs for arithmetic disabilities and select children based on their scores in 2 consecutive years, because the results of studies on persistent low achievers or children with inconsistent disabilities cannot be generalized to children with persistent arithmetic disabilities.
Subject(s)
Achievement , Intelligence , Learning Disabilities/diagnosis , Learning Disabilities/psychology , Mathematics , Age Factors , Child , Child, Preschool , Educational Status , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Neuropsychological Tests/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This article is devoted to the potential early markers for mathematical learning disabilities in kindergarten in order to prevent children from falling further behind and from developing unrecognized mathematical disabilities later on. METHODS: Performances in preparatory arithmetic tasks were studied in 361 kindergartners focusing on differences between children at risk for mathematical disabilities and children who were at least moderately achieving in numerical arithmetic tasks. RESULTS: Evidence was found for several markers in kindergarten. Children at risk had lower scores on procedural counting knowledge, conceptual counting knowledge, seriation, classification, conservation and magnitude comparison tasks. Based on these kindergarten abilities, 77% of children who were at risk for mathematical disabilities could be detected. CONCLUSION: Procedural and conceptual counting knowledge, seriation and classification skills and magnitude comparison abilities could possibly serve as powerful early screeners in the detection of mathematical disabilities.
Subject(s)
Learning Disabilities/diagnosis , Mass Screening/methods , Mathematics , Analysis of Variance , Belgium/epidemiology , Child, Preschool , Educational Status , Female , Humans , Learning Disabilities/epidemiology , Male , Problem Solving , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Delay aversion, the motivation to escape or avoid delay, results in preference for small immediate over large delayed rewards. Delay aversion has been proposed as one distinctive psychological process that may underlie the behavioural symptoms and cognitive deficits of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Furthermore, the delay aversion hypothesis predicts that ADHD children's preference for immediate small over large delayed rewards will be reduced when stimulation, which makes time appear to pass more quickly, is added to the delay interval. The current paper tests these predictions. METHODS: A group of children with a diagnosis of ADHD (with or without oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)), a group with a diagnosis of high-functioning autism (HFA), and a normal control group were compared on an experimental paradigm giving repeated choices between small immediate and large delayed rewards (Maudsley Index of Delay Aversion-MIDA) under two conditions (stimulation and no stimulation). RESULTS: As predicted, ADHD children displayed a stronger preference than the HFA and control children for the small immediate rewards under the no-stimulation condition. The ADHD children preferences were normalised under the stimulation condition with no differences between the groups. This pattern of results was the same whether the ADHD children had comorbid ODD or not. DISCUSSION: The findings from the MIDA are consistent with the delay aversion hypothesis of ADHD in showing that preference for small immediate rewards over large delayed rewards is a specific feature of ADHD and that this preference can be reduced by the addition of stimulation. Further research is required to better understand the emotional and motivational mechanisms underpinning delay aversion.
