Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-12T20:23:09.451Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mathematical Outcomes and Working Memory in Children With TBI and Orthopedic Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2012

Kimberly P. Raghubar ,
Marcia A. Barnes ,
Mary Prasad ,
Chad P. Johnson  and
Linda Ewing-Cobbs
Kimberly P. Raghubar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas
Marcia A. Barnes
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics and Children's Learning Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
Mary Prasad
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics and Children's Learning Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
Chad P. Johnson
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics and Children's Learning Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
Linda Ewing-Cobbs*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics and Children's Learning Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Linda Ewing-Cobbs, Children's Learning Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center, 7000 Fannin – UCT 2401, Houston, TX 77030. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study compared mathematical outcomes in children with predominantly moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI; n = 50) or orthopedic injury (OI; n=47) at 2 and 24 months post-injury. Working memory and its contribution to math outcomes at 24 months post-injury was also examined. Participants were administered an experimental cognitive addition task and standardized measures of calculation, math fluency, and applied problems; as well as experimental measures of verbal and visual-spatial working memory. Although children with TBI did not have deficits in foundational math fact retrieval, they performed more poorly than OIs on standardized measures of math. In the TBI group, performance on standardized measures was predicted by age at injury, socioeconomic status, and the duration of impaired consciousness. Children with TBI showed impairments on verbal, but not visual working memory relative to children with OI. Verbal working memory mediated group differences on math calculations and applied problems at 24 months post-injury. Children with TBI have difficulties in mathematics, but do not have deficits in math fact retrieval, a signature deficit of math disabilities. Results are discussed with reference to models of mathematical cognition and disability and the role of working memory in math learning and performance for children with TBI. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–10)

Keywords

Head injuryCognitive additionMath fluencyCalculationMath problem solvingVerbal working memoryVisual-spatial working memory
Type
Research Articles
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 19 , Issue 3 , March 2013 , pp. 254 - 263
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, V., Catroppa, C., Morse, S., Haritou, F., Rosenfeld, J. (2005). Functional plasticity or vulnerability after early brain injury? Pediatrics, 116(6), 1374–1382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ashcraft, M. (1992). Cognitive arithmetic: A review of data and theory. Cognition, 44, 75–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine. (1990). The Abbreviated Injury Scale (1990 revision) Des Plaines, IL: Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine.Google Scholar
Ayr, L.K., Yeates, K.O., Enrile, B.G. (2005). Arithmetic skills and their cognitive correlates in children with acquired and congenital brain disorder. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 11, 249–262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Baddeley, A.D., Logie, R.H. (1999). Working memory: The multiple-component model. In A. Miyake & P. Shah (Eds.), Models of working memory: Mechanisms of active maintenance and executive control (pp. 28–61). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, M.A., Dennis, M., Wilkinson, M. (1999). Reading after closed brain injury in childhood: Effects on accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Developmental Neuropsychology, 15, 1–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barnes, M.A., Fletcher, J.M., Ewing-Cobbs, L. (2007). Mathematical disabilities in congenital and acquired neurodevelopmental disorders. In D.B. Berch & M.M. Mazzocco (Eds.), Why is math so hard for some children? The nature and origins of mathematical learning difficulties and disabilities (pp. 195–217). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.Google Scholar
Barnes, M.A., Wilkinson, M., Khemani, E., Boudesquie, A., Dennis, M., Fletcher, J.M. (2006). Arithmetic processing in children with spina bifida: Calculation accuracy, strategy use, and fact retrieval fluency. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39, 174–187.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bijur, P.E., Haslum, M., Golding, J. (1990). Cognitive and behavioral sequelae of mild head injury in children. Pediatrics, 86, 337–344.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bisanz, J., Sherman, J.L., Rasmussen, C., Ho, E. (2005). Development of arithmetic skills and knowledge in preschool children. In J.I.D. Campbell (Ed.), Handbook of mathematical cognition (pp. 143–162). New York: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Catroppa, C., Anderson, V.A., Morse, S.A., Haritou, F., Rosenfeld, J.V. (2008). Outcome and predictors of functional recovery 5 years following pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 33, 707–718.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Catroppa, C., Anderson, V.A., Muscara, F., Morse, S.A., Haritou, F., Rosenfeld, J.V., Heinrich, L.M. (2009). Educational skills: Long-term outcome predictors following paediatric traumatic brain injury. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 19, 716–732.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chadwick, O., Rutter, M., Shaffer, D., Shrout, P.E. (1981). A prospective study of children with head injuries: Specific cognitive difficulties. Journal of Clinical Neuropsychology, 3, 101–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chein, J.M., Morrison, A.B. (2010). Expanding the mind's workspace: Training and transfer effects with a complex working memory span task. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 17, 193–199.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conklin, H.M., Salorio, C.F., Slomine, B.S. (2008). Working memory performance following paediatric traumatic brain injury. Brain Injury, 22, 847–857.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cornoldi, C., Marzocchi, G.M., Belotti, M., Caroli, M.G., De Meo, T., Braga, C. (2001). Working memory interference control deficit in children referred by teachers for ADHD symptoms. Child Neuropsychology, 7, 230–240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dehaene, S., Piazza, M., Pinel, P., Cohen, L. (2005). Three parietal circuits for number processing. In J.I.D. Campbell (Ed.), Handbook of mathematical cognition (pp. 433–453). New York: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Donders, J., Janke, K. (2008). Criterion validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fourth Edition after pediatric traumatic brain injury. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 14, 651–655.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Espy, K.A., McDiarmid, M.M., Cwik, M.F., Stalets, M.M., Hamby, A., Senn, T.E. (2004). The contribution of executive functions to emergent mathematical skills in preschool children. Developmental Neuropsychology, 26, 465–486.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ewing-Cobbs, L., Barnes, M.A., Fletcher, J.M., Levin, H.S., Swank, P.R., Song, J. (2004). Modeling of longitudinal academic achievement scores after pediatric traumatic brain injury. Developmental Neuropsychology, 25, 107–134.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ewing-Cobbs, L., Levin, H.S., Fletcher, J.M., Iovino, I., Miner, M.E. (1998). Academic achievement and academic placement following traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents: A two-year longitudinal study. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 20, 769–781.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ewing-Cobbs, L., Prasad, M., Fletcher, J.M., Levin, H.S., Miner, M.E., Eisenberg, H.M. (1998). Attention after pediatric traumatic brain injury: A multidimensional assessment. Child Neuropsychology, 4, 35–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ewing-Cobbs, L., Prasad, M., Kramer, L., Cox, C., Baumgartner, J., Fletcher, S., Swank, P. (2006). Late intellectual and academic outcomes following traumatic brain injury sustained during early childhood. Journal of Neurosurgery, 105(Suppl 4), 287–296.Google ScholarPubMed
Fay, G.C., Jaffe, K.M., Polissar, N.L., Liao, S., Rivara, J.B., Martin, K.M. (1994). Outcome of pediatric traumatic brain injury at three years: A cohort study. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 75, 733–741.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fletcher, J.M., Ewing-Cobbs, L., Francis, D.J., Levin, H.S. (1995). Variability in outcomes after traumatic brain injury in children: A developmental perspective. In S.H. Broman & M.E. Michel (Eds.), Traumatic head injury in children (pp. 3–21). New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Fuchs, L.S., Fuchs, D., Compton, D.L., Powell, S.R., Seethaler, P.M., Capizzi, A.M., Fletcher, J.M. (2006). The cognitive correlates of third-grade skill in arithmetic, algorithmic computation, and arithmetic word problems. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 29–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuchs, L.S., Fuchs, D., Stuebing, K., Fletcher, J.M., Hamlett, C.L., Lambert, W. (2008). Problem solving and computational skill: Are they shared or distinct aspects of mathematical cognition? Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 30–47.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Geary, D.C. (1990). A componential analysis of an early learning deficit in mathematics. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 49, 363–383.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Geary, D.C., Fan, L., Bow-Thomas, C.C. (1992). Numerical cognition: Loci of ability differences comparing children from China and the United States. Psychological Science, 3, 180–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gorman, S., Barnes, M.A., Swank, P., Prasad, M., Ewing-Cobbs, L. (2011). The effects of pediatric traumatic brain injury on verbal and visual-spatial working memory. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 17, 1–10.Google Scholar
Hanich, L.B., Jordan, N.C., Kaplan, D., Dick, J. (2001). Performance across different areas of mathematical cognition in children learning difficulties. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 615–626.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, A.F. (2009). Beyond Baron and Kenny: Statistical mediation analysis in the new millennium. Communication Monographs, 76, 408–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hecht, S.A., Torgesen, J.K., Wagner, R.K., Rashotte, C.A. (2001). The relations between phonological processing abilities and emerging individual differences in mathematical computation skills: A longitudinal study from second to fifth grades. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 79, 192–227.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hollingshead, A. (1975). Four factor index of social status. Unpublished manuscript. Yale University.Google Scholar
Holmes, J., Adams, J.W. (2006). Working memory and children's mathematical skills: Implications for mathematical development and mathematical curricula. Educational Psychology, 26, 339–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmes, J., Adams, J.W., Hamilton, C.J. (2008). The relationship between visuospatial sketchpad capacity and children's mathematical skills. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 20, 272–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmes, J., Gathercole, S.E., Dunning, D.L. (2009). Adaptive training leads to sustained enhancement of poor working memory in children. Developmental Science, 12, F9–F15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huttenlocher, J., Jordan, N.C., Levine, S.C. (1994). A mental model for early arithmetic. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 123, 284–296.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jaffe, K.M., Fay, G.C., Polissar, N.L., Martin, K.M., Shurtleff, H., Rivara, J.B., Winn, H.R. (1992). Severity of pediatric traumatic brain injury and early neurobehavioral outcome: A cohort study. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 73, 540–547.Google ScholarPubMed
Kinsella, G., Prior, M., Sawyer, M., Murtagh, D., Eisenmajer, R., Anderson, V., Klug, G. (1995). Neuropsychological deficit and academic performance in children and adolescents following traumatic brain injury. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 20, 753–767.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klingberg, T., Fernell, E., Olesen, P.J., Johnson, M., Gustafsson, P., Dahlstrom, K., Westerberg, H. (2005). Computerized training of working memory in children with ADHD – A randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 44, 177–186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Langlois, J.A., Rutland-Brown, W., Thomas, K.E. (2004). Traumatic brain injury in the United States: Emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.Google Scholar
Levin, H.S., Hanten, G., Chang, C., Zhang, L., Schachar, R., Ewing-Cobbs, L., Max, J.E. (2002). Working memory after traumatic brain injury in children. Annals of Neurology, 52, 82–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levin, H.S., Hanten, G., Roberson, G., Li, X., Ewing-Cobbs, L., Dennis, M., Swank, P. (2008). Predictors of cognitive sequelae based on abnormal computed tomography findings in children following mild traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neurosurgery, 1, 461–470.Google Scholar
Levin, H.S., Hanten, G., Zhang, L., Dennis, M., Barnes, M.A., Schachar, R., Hunter, J.V. (2004). Changes in working memory after traumatic brain injury in children. Neuropsychology, 18, 240–247.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mabbot, D.J., Bisanz, J. (2008). Computational skills, working memory, and conceptual knowledge in older children with mathematics learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41, 15–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mazzocco, M.M.M., Murphy, M.M., McCloskey, M. (2007). The contribution of syndrome research to understanding mathematical learning disability. In D. Berch & M.M.M. Mazzocco (Eds.), Why is math so hard for some children? The nature and origins of mathematical learning difficulties and disabilities (pp. 173–193). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.Google Scholar
Melby-Lervåg, M., Hulme, C. (2012). Is working memory training effective? A meta-analytic review. Developmental Psychology. [Epub ahead of print]. doi:10.1037/a0028228CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Menon, V., Mackenzie, K., Rivera, S.M., Reiss, A.L. (2002). Prefrontal cortex involvement in processing incorrect arithmetic equations: Evidence from event-related fMRI. Human Brain Mapping, 16, 119–130.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, R., Shum, D., McFarland, K. (1992). Attentional deficits in head-injured children: An information processing analysis. Brain and Cognition, 18, 99–115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Preacher, K.J., Hayes, A.F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40, 879–891.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raghubar, K.P., Barnes, M.A., Hecht, S.A. (2010). Working memory and mathematics: A review of developmental, individual difference, and cognitive approaches. Journal of Individual Differences, 20, 110–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rivera-Batiz, F.L. (1992). Quantitative literacy and the likelihood of employment among young adults in the United States. The Journal of Human Resources, 27, 313–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roncadin, C., Guger, S., Archibald, J., Barnes, M., Dennis, M. (2004). Working memory after mild, moderate, or severe childhood closed head injury. Developmental Neuropsychology, 25, 21–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swanson, H.L., Jerman, O. (2006). Math disabilities: A selective meta-analysis of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 76, 249–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, H.G., Swartwout, M.D., Yeates, K.O., Walz, N.C., Stancin, T., Wade, S.L. (2008). Traumatic brain injury in young children: Post-acute effects on cognitive and school readiness skills. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 14, 734–745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, H.G., Yeates, K.O., Wade, S.L., Drotar, D., Klein, S. (1999). Influences on first-year recovery from traumatic brain injury in children. Neuropsychology, 13, 76–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, H.G., Yeates, K.O., Wade, S.L., Drotar, D., Stancin, T., Minich, N. (2002). A prospective study of short- and long-term outcomes after traumatic brain injury in children: Behavior and achievement. Neuropsychology, 16, 15–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teasdale, G., Jennett, B. (1974). Assessment of coma and impaired consciousness: A practical scale. Lancet, 2, 81–84.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thompson, N.M., Francis, D.J., Stuebing, K.K., Fletcher, J.M., Ewing-Cobbs, L., Miner, M.E., Eisenberg, H.M. (1994). Motor, visual-spatial, and somatosensory skills after closed head injury in children and adolescents: A study of change. Neuropsychology, 8, 333–342.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woodcock, R.W., McGrew, K.S., Mather, N. (2001). Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery – Third Edition. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.Google Scholar