Precursors to numeracy in kindergartners with specific language impairment.
Kindergarteners with SLI lag in logical and numeral tasks, but their number sense is intact and the gap can be taught away.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers compared early math skills in kindergarteners with specific language impairment (SLI) to peers with normal language. They tested logical thinking, numeral knowledge, and number estimation. The team also checked if better phonology or grammar predicted stronger math scores.
What they found
Kids with SLI scored lower on logical operations and written numeral tasks. Their number-line estimates looked the same as peers. Weak phonological and grammar skills explained most of the math gaps.
How this fits with other research
Mononen et al. (2014) extends these findings. After seven months of RightStart Math lessons, SLI kindergartners caught up in counting and basic arithmetic. The gap can close when you teach it.
Capio et al. (2013) used the same quasi-experimental design with low-working-memory kindergarteners. Small-group remedial math worked for them too, showing early numeracy is trainable across risk groups.
Wachob et al. (2015) found the opposite pattern in autistic children. Those kids struggled with number-line estimation, while the SLI group did not. Different clinical groups show different weak spots.
Why it matters
Screen phonology and grammar in your SLI learners before you start math units. If those skills are low, weave quick phoneme and sentence drills into your counting lessons. The Riikka study shows you have about seven months to close the gap with structured programs like RightStart. Do not assume every neurodivergent child has the same math profile; tailor your probes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The present study investigated to what extent children with specific language impairment (SLI) differ in their early numeracy skills, when compared to normal language achieving (NLA) children. It was also explored which precursors were related to the early numeracy skills in both groups. Sixty-one children with SLI (6; 1 years) and 111 NLA children (6; 2 years) were assessed on general intelligence, working memory, naming speed, linguistic ability and early numeracy skills. The results showed lower scores for the children with SLI on logical operations and numeral representations but not on numeral estimations. The variance in numeral estimations was explained by children's intelligence and visual spatial memory. Phonological awareness and grammatical ability explained the variance in logical operations and numeral representations whereas naming speed turned out to be an additional factor in predicting these early numeracy skills of children with SLI.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.05.013