ERIC Number: EJ840154
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jul
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0965
EISSN: N/A
Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Two Learning Disorders with Different Cognitive Profiles
Landerl, Karin; Fussenegger, Barbara; Moll, Kristina; Willburger, Edith
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, v103 n3 p309-324 Jul 2009
This study tests the hypothesis that dyslexia and dyscalculia are associated with two largely independent cognitive deficits, namely a phonological deficit in the case of dyslexia and a deficit in the number module in the case of dyscalculia. In four groups of 8- to 10-year-olds (42 control, 21 dyslexic, 20 dyscalculic, and 26 dyslexic/dyscalculic), phonological awareness, phonological and visual-spatial short-term and working memory, naming speed, and basic number processing skills were assessed. A phonological deficit was found for both dyslexic groups, irrespective of additional arithmetic deficits, but not for the dyscalculia-only group. In contrast, deficits in processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitudes were observed in both groups of dyscalculic children, irrespective of additional reading difficulties, but not in the dyslexia-only group. Cognitive deficits in the comorbid dyslexia/dyscalculia group were additive; that is, they resulted from the combination of two learning disorders. These findings suggest that dyslexia and dyscalculia have separable cognitive profiles, namely a phonological deficit in the case of dyslexia and a deficient number module in the case of dyscalculia. (Contains 2 tables and 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Reading Difficulties, Dyslexia, Phonological Awareness, Short Term Memory, Mathematical Aptitude, Profiles, Hypothesis Testing, Correlation, Cognitive Ability, Neurological Impairments, Phonology, Numeracy, Children, Comparative Analysis, Visual Perception, Spatial Ability, Cognitive Processes, Arithmetic, Learning Disabilities
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A