Brain Bases of Reading and Math in Children with Learning Disability

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Math and reading disabilities (MD and RD) are prevalent learning disabilities (LDs) that often interfere with academic, social, and vocational success. Children with these LDs often struggle in STEM related subjects due to the importance of numerical and written materials in these fields. These LDs often co-occur together (MD+RD), and even children with RD-only show impaired performance on some aspects of mathematics. To date, it is unclear how these disorders are related to each other and whether they have similar or distinct neurobiological underpinnings. This project intends to uncover the neural bases of these LDs using an intervention (tutoring) approach combined with brain imaging. The investigators will collect behavioral, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 32 children with MD. These children will be scanned prior to and following separate math and reading interventions, to examine the neural correlates of performance gains. The MD children will also be compared with existing data from RD and MD+RD children to understand the shared and distinguishing features of activity underlying reading and arithmetic in these respective groups. Together this work will inform brain-based models of LDs and shed light on the interactive nature of math and reading in the context of instruction.This project is supported by NSF's EHR Core Research (ECR) program. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in the field. Investments are made in critical areas that are essential, broad and enduring: STEM learning and STEM learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development. The program supports the accumulation of robust evidence to inform efforts to understand, build theory to explain, and suggest intervention and innovations to address persistent challenges in STEM interest, education, learning and participation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.