{"title":"Distinct neural representational changes following cross-format number tutoring in children with mathematical difficulties.","authors":"Yunji Park, Yuan Zhang, Flora Schwartz, Teresa Iuculano, Hyesang Chang, Vinod Menon","doi":"10.1038/s41539-025-00345-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Children with mathematical difficulties (MD) often struggle to connect abstract numerical symbols with corresponding nonsymbolic quantities, a foundational skill for mathematical development. We evaluated a 4-week personalized cross-format number (CFN) tutoring program designed to strengthen these symbolic-nonsymbolic mappings in children with MD aged 7-10 years. CFN tutoring was associated with significant improvements in numerical and arithmetic fluency. Neural representational similarity (NRS) analysis revealed that deficient cross-format NRS in children with MD was normalized following tutoring, aligning with pre-tutoring levels of typically-developing (TD) peers. This normalization was most pronounced in parietal and parahippocampal regions known to support quantity and spatial representation. We observed a distinctive pattern of neural plasticity across groups-children with MD showed increased cross-format NRS following tutoring, while TD children showed a decrease-suggesting a nonlinear, skill-dependent plasticity. These findings underscore the need for developmentally tailored interventions to support children with MD through targeted, evidence-based strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":48503,"journal":{"name":"npj Science of Learning","volume":"10 1","pages":"52"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12350621/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"npj Science of Learning","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00345-y","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Children with mathematical difficulties (MD) often struggle to connect abstract numerical symbols with corresponding nonsymbolic quantities, a foundational skill for mathematical development. We evaluated a 4-week personalized cross-format number (CFN) tutoring program designed to strengthen these symbolic-nonsymbolic mappings in children with MD aged 7-10 years. CFN tutoring was associated with significant improvements in numerical and arithmetic fluency. Neural representational similarity (NRS) analysis revealed that deficient cross-format NRS in children with MD was normalized following tutoring, aligning with pre-tutoring levels of typically-developing (TD) peers. This normalization was most pronounced in parietal and parahippocampal regions known to support quantity and spatial representation. We observed a distinctive pattern of neural plasticity across groups-children with MD showed increased cross-format NRS following tutoring, while TD children showed a decrease-suggesting a nonlinear, skill-dependent plasticity. These findings underscore the need for developmentally tailored interventions to support children with MD through targeted, evidence-based strategies.
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