A Developmental Study of Mathematics in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or Typical Development

Bullen, Jennifer C.; Swain Lerro, Lindsay; Zajic, Matthew; McIntyre, Nancy; Mundy, Peter

doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04500-9

Original Paper
Published: 18 April 2020

A Developmental Study of Mathematics in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or Typical Development

Jennifer C. Bullen¹,
Lindsay Swain Lerro^2,5,
Matthew Zajic^3,5,
Nancy McIntyre^4,5 &
Peter Mundy^5,6

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 50, pages 4463–4476 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

This study examined mathematics achievement in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or typical development (TD) over a 30-month period and the associations between cognitive and reading abilities with mathematics achievement in children with ASD. Seventy-seven children with ASD without intellectual disability (ASD-WoID), 39 children with ADHD, and 43 children with TD participated in this study. The results revealed that the ASD-WoID and ADHD samples displayed significant and comparable delays in problem solving and calculation abilities. Lower VIQ was related to lower math achievement across all subgroups. The ASD-WoID sample differed from comparison samples in terms of their pattern of mathematical achievement and the role of cognitive abilities in the development of mathematics competence.

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Funding

The research reported in this paper was supported by IES Grant # IES R324A120168, and the UC Davis Department of Psychiatry Lisa Capps Endowment for Research on Education and Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

Department of Human Ecology, Human Development, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Jennifer C. Bullen
The Swain Center for Listening, Communication and Learning, Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Lindsay Swain Lerro
Curry School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
Matthew Zajic
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Nancy McIntyre
School of Education, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
Lindsay Swain Lerro, Matthew Zajic, Nancy McIntyre & Peter Mundy
MIND Institute, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
Peter Mundy

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Jennifer C. Bullen
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Lindsay Swain Lerro
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Matthew Zajic
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Nancy McIntyre
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Peter Mundy
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Contributions

JCB analyzed and interpreted all longitudinal data and wrote all sections of the paper. LSL corrdinated data collection, contributed to the research methods, concept, and analyses. MZ and NM collected data, contributed to the research methods and concepts. PM was the PI of grant support for the project, collaborated on manuscript revisions, interpretation of data analyses, and contributed to the research methods and concepts.

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Correspondence to Jennifer C. Bullen.

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Bullen, J.C., Swain Lerro, L., Zajic, M. et al. A Developmental Study of Mathematics in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or Typical Development. J Autism Dev Disord 50, 4463–4476 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04500-9

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Published: 18 April 2020
Issue Date: December 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04500-9

Keywords

Autism spectrum disorder
ADHD
Math achievement
Academic achievement