Can abacus course eradicate developmental dyscalculia

Abstract

Developmental dyscalculia (DD) is a specific mathematical learning disability, with a prevalence of around 3%-7% in the school-aged population. It negatively affects individuals, and even the national, development. Previous DD-intervention programs usually targeted on numerosity, number, simple arithmetic, or even general cognitive ability. The current study investigated the effect that a long-term (2-3 years) abacus course had on the prevalence of DD. Twelve classes of students were tested, half of which received an abacus course. Results showed that although no children were diagnosed as DD in the abacus classes, its prevalence was 6.4% in the control classes. Students with an abacus course demonstrated better performance in arithmetic computation and spatial short-term memory after controlling for age, gender, grade, and other basic cognitive abilities. The results suggest that the abacus course could be an effective tool for DD intervention in natural education settings.

The neuroscience basis and educational interventions of mathematical cognitive impairment and anxiety: a systematic literature review

“…Mathematical cognitive impairment is a complex phenomenon, covering two main areas: developmental calculation disorders and acquired calculation disorders. Developmental calculation disorders typically manifest during the natural developmental process of children, appearing as difficulties in number and calculation abilities without evident neural system damage or specific brain region developmental delays ( Lu et al, 2020 ). These difficulties extend beyond mathematical calculations, including number recognition, comparison, and estimation, possibly due to fundamental neurobiological defects such as working memory, attention, and executive function deficits ( Li et al, 2013 ; Bulthé et al, 2019 ; Klados et al, 2019 ).…”

Exploring the Implementation of an Intervention for a Pupil With Mathematical Learning Difficulties: A Case Study

“…Research studies have revealed that early interventions show great potential for teaching at-risk dyscalculic pupils (Dowker, 2017;Butterworth, 2019). Researchers have proposed that pedagogical interventions can enhance dyscalculic pupils' mathematics learning, such as the Multisensory Teaching approach (Emerson & Babtie, 2014), the Concrete-Representational-Abstract approach (Bird, 2017), Intervention using an abacus (Lu et al, 2020), intensive intervention (Bryant et al, 2014), integer module intervention (Bryant et al, 2020), intervention combining many evidence-based practices (Powell et al, 2020), intervention based on best instructional practices (Van Garderen et al, 2020), and game-type intervention (Laski & Siegler, 2014). Other studies reported that dyscalculic pupils may gain substantial improvement through technology-based interventions such as computer-based intervention programs (Butterworth & Laurillard, 2010) and Augmented Reality (AR) technology (Miundy et al, 2017).…”

Investigating the Neural Heterogeneity of Developmental Dyscalculia

“…It affects approximately 4 to 7% of school-aged children (Butterworth, 2019). Children with DD were found to show poor performance in symbolic (e.g., Arabic digits) and/or nonsymbolic (e.g., dots arrays) arithmetic (Butterworth, 2010; Lu et al, 2021; Price & Ansari, 2013). With a limited studies that have been conducted in this area, its underlying mechanisms remain controversial (De Smedt et al, 2013).…”