Arithmetic Operations and Attention in Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

This paper is aimed at depicting the quality of functions of some of the aspects of attention in children with mild intellectual disabilities and their influence on the mastering of arithmetic operations, including addition and subtraction. The sample used in this study encompasses 60 pupils, both males and females. The criteria used in the selection of examinees included the IQ level of the students which ranged from 50 - 69, calendar age from 12 to 14 years, school age which involved the inclusion of pupils attending grades five to seven of primary school in Serbia. To evaluate the quality of attention in our study we used the Trail Making Test form A and the Double Letter Cancellation Test, whilst a Criterion-referenced test was used to evaluate how well the specified body of knowledge, in this case arithmetic operations i.e. addition and subtraction were learned by the pupils. The implications of the study pertain to the proposal of implementing specific, creative activities and exercise during play, concrete contents, demonstration, experiments and teaching resources susceptible for teaching arithmetic.