Mathematical Cognition and Specific Learning Disabilities (R01)

Submission Date: November 29, 2007

Anticipated number of awards: 4-6

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is intended to stimulate innovative, multidisciplinary research which will contribute to our knowledge of the key factors that influence the development and expression of learning disabilities in mathematics, and concomitantly provide the evidence base to inform the design of effective instructional interventions. The overall objectives include: 1) identifying the critical etiological factors (e.g., cognitive, neurobiological, genetic) associated with persistent impairments in learning mathematical concepts and skills that are characteristic of children with mathematical learning disabilities (MLD); 2) developing explicit, measurable, and reliable criteria for differentiating MLD from more transitory mathematical difficulties (MD) which may be attributable to, among other reasons, developmental delays, disadvantaged child-rearing conditions, or poor instruction; and 3) develop and test well-defined, evidence-based treatment interventions, the effectiveness of which can be demonstrated to be both sustainable and generalizable. Advances in these domains should ultimately lead to improvements in the diagnosis, prevention, and remediation of this type of learning disorder.

For more information, please visit the NIH grants webpage.