Who Is At Risk for Persistent Mathematics Difficulties in the United States?

• Published in: Journal of learning disabilities 2016-05, Vol.49 (3), p.305-319
• Main Authors: Morgan, Paul L., Farkas, George, Hillemeier, Marianne M., Maczuga, Steve
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; At risk; At Risk Students; Attention; Attention deficits; Bayley Scales of Infant Development; Behavior Problems; Child; Child Development; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Classrooms; Developmental Delays; Developmental Disabilities; Developmental Disabilities - epidemiology; Developmentally delayed children; Developmentally delayed young children; Dyscalculia - epidemiology; Dyslexia - epidemiology; Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey; Early Intervention; Elementary education; Elementary Secondary Education; Female; Grade 3; Grade 5; Grade 8; Grade repetition; Head Start project; Households; Humans; Individual Characteristics; Infants; Intellectual disabilities; Intellectual Disability; Intervention; Kindergarten; Language Skills; Learning; Learning Disabilities; Learning Problems; Longitudinal Studies; Low Income Groups; MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory; Male; Mathematics; Mathematics Instruction; Mathematics Tests; Measures (Individuals); Perinatal Influences; Prenatal Influences; Preschool children; Preschool Education; Reading Difficulties; Reading disabilities; Regression (Statistics); Retention; Risk; Risk factors; Scores; Social Class; Socioeconomic Influences; Socioeconomic status; Special education; Surveys; United States - epidemiology; Vocabulary; Young Children
• ISSN: 0022-2194; 1538-4780
• DOI: 10.1177/0022219414553849

We analyzed two nationally representative, longitudinal data sets of U.S. children to identify risk factors for persistent mathematics difficulties (PMD). Results indicated that children from low socioeconomic households are at elevated risk of PMD at 48 and 60 months of age, as are children with cognitive delays, identified developmental delays or disabilities, and vocabulary difficulties. In contrast, children attending preschool either in Head Start or non–Head Start classrooms are at initially lower risk of PMD. Kindergarten-aged children experiencing either low socioeconomic status or mathematics difficulties are at greatest risk for PMD across third, fifth, and eighth grades. Also at risk for PMD between third and eighth grades are children displaying reading difficulties or inattention and other learning-related behaviors problems, children with identified disabilities, and those who are retained. Educationally relevant and potentially malleable factors for decreasing young children’s risk for PMD may include increasing children’s access to preschool, decreasing their risk of experiencing vocabulary or reading difficulties, and avoiding use of grade retention.