Attention and memory as predictors of counting skill in children with mild intellectual disability

Abstract

Counting skill in children with intellectual disabilities is conditioned to a large extent by quality development of their attention and memory skills. Though researches that dealing with estimation of relation of counting skill and basic functions have rich and long intellectual history but very few of them are tried to find most important component to mastery counting skill. The goal of this examination is to confirm is there any connection between attention and memory as variables predictors on one hand and counting function in children with intellectual disabilities as criteria variable on another, as well as which is the most important and the most influential of all estimated neuropsychological functions for mastery of basic skill. We have been examined 62 participations, age 8-12, by Stroop, Cancelation and Rey (Rey Auditory verbal learning test) test, 5 by Akadia test and 8 by subtest. Participations also been tested by Lap test (Learning Accomplishment Profile). There is positive linear connection of high intensity (F=9,777; p=0,000) between counting skill and attention and memory skills in students with intellectual disabilities. Even 67 % of total variance during estimation of counting skill can be explained by selectivity and flexibility attention as well as short term and long term memory test accomplishments differences. Selectivity of attention is the most important element among all estimated attention and memory elements for counting skill. Practical implications of our research are point to the necessity of conceiving educational program, especially in teaching math, in order to facilitate estimated skills of students with intellectual disabilities.

Savladanost veštine brojanja kod učenika s intelektualnom ometenošću u značajnoj meri uslovljeno je kvalitetom razvijenosti pažnje i pamćenja. Iako istraživanja koja se bave procenom odnosa brojanja i bazičnih funkcija imaju veoma bogatu i staru intelektualnu istoriju mali broj radova je pokušao da izdvoji najznačajniju komponentu za ovladavanje veštinom brojanja. Cilj istraživanja je da se utvrdi da li postoji povezanost između pažnje i pamćenja kao prediktorskih varijabli s veštinom brojanja kod učenika sa IO kao kriterijumskom varijablom kao i koja od procenjenih neuropsiholoških funkcija ima najveći uticaj na ovladavanje procenjenom bazičnom veštinom. Šezdeset dva ispitanika starosti 8-12 godina ispitano je Stroop testom, Cancellation testom, Rej testom (Rey Auditory verbal learning test), Akadia 5 i 8 suptestom kao i Lap testom procene akademskih postignuća (Learning Accomplishment Profile - LAP). Između veštine brojanja i sposobnosti pažnje i pamćenja postoji pozitivna linearna povezanost visokog intenziteta (F=9, 777; p=0,000) u populaciji učenika s LIO. Čak 67% ukupne varijanse na proceni veštine brojanja može da se objasni razlikama u postignuću na testovima selektivnosti i fleksibilnosti pažnje, kratkoročnog i dugoročnog pamćenja. Između svih procenjenih komponenti pažnje i pamćenja, za ovladavanje veštinom brojanja, najznačajnije mesto pripada selektivnosti pažnje. Praktične implikacije odnose se na neophodnost koncipiranja edukativnog programa s ciljem razvoja procenjenih sposobnosti u okviru nastave matematika za učenike sa intelektualnom ometenošću.