Developmental dyscalculia: Assessment of number representation by the ZAREKI-R

Abstract

This study investigated which aspects of number processing and calculation and working memory are related to arithmetic deficits. The participants were children aged from 9 to 10 years, both gender, divided in two groups based on their calculation score: a group without arithmetic disability (SDA; N=11) and with arithmetic disability (CDA; N=19); assessed by the instruments: ZAREKI-R, Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, Block Span, Digit Span, and BCPR (pseudowords repetition). CDA children exhibited slightly lower scores than SDA on intellectual level and Block Span, and deficits in dictation of numbers, mental calculation, and problem solving tasks of the ZAREKI-R. The results indicate that CDA children have specific deficits in visuospatial working memory and performed poorly in number representation tasks, which fulfill criteria for Developmental Dyscalculia.