Classroom studies into cognitive style in mathematics for pupils with dyslexia in special education in the Netherlands, Ireland and the UK

Chinn, Steve; McDonagh, Donna; Elswijk, Rob van; Harmsen, Hans; Kay, Julie; McPhillips, Thérèse; Power, Angela; Skidmore, Les

doi:10.1111/1467-8527.00223

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Also, in educational settings dyslexia is typically considered to be a learning disability, rather than only concerning reading difficulties (Selikowitz, 1998 ; Ransby and Swanson, 2003 ; Jeffries and Everatt, 2004 ; Cardillo et al, 2018 ). This is partly because less accurate reading, slower reading speeds or slower comprehension of what is read, can impact on learning even where the ability to read is not the primary concern of the subject (e.g., in teaching/learning mathematics—Chinn et al, 2001 ). Therefore, for the present study, we took a further step to look at real-life performance impacts of having dyslexia.…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Language Can Obscure as Well as Facilitate Apparent-Theory of Mind Performance: Part 2—The Case of Dyslexia in Adulthood

Wright

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Many studies imply causal links between linguistic competencies and Theory of Mind (ToM). But despite Dyslexia being a prime example of linguistic deficits, studies on whether it is related to ToM have been relatively unforthcoming. In the first of 2 studies (N = 89), independently-diagnosed dyslexic adults and non-dyslexic adults were presented with false-belief vignettes via computer, answering 4 types of question (Factual, Inference, 1st-order ToM & 2nd-order ToM). Dyslexia related to lower false-belief scores. Study 2 (N = 93) replicated this result with a non-computer-based variant on the false-belief task. We considered the possibility that the apparent-issue with ToM is caused by processing demands more associated to domains of cognition such as language, than to ToM itself. Addressing this possibility, study 2 additionally utilised the ToM30Q questionnaire, designed largely to circumvent issues related to language and memory. Principal-Components analysis extracted 4 factors, 2 capturing perceptual/representational ToM, and the other 2 capturing affective components related to ToM. The ToM30Q was validated via its associations to a published measure of empathy, replication of the female gender advantage over males, and for one factor from the ToM30Q there was a correlation with an existing published index of ToM. However, when we considered the performance of dyslexic and non-dyslexic participants using the ToM30Q, we found absolutely no difference between them. The contrasting findings from our 2 studies here, arguably offer the first experimental evidence with adults, that there is in fact no ToM deficit in dyslexia. Additionally, this finding raises the possibility that some other groups considered in some sense atypical, failed ToM tasks, not because they actually have a ToM deficit at all, but rather because they are asked to reveal their ToM competence through cognitive domains, such as language and memory.

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