Improving math and working memory in first graders with math learning disabilities
Understanding Cognitive-Academic Bidirectionality in Math Learning Disabilities
This project will test whether adding computerized working memory training to a validated math word-problem program helps first graders with math learning disabilities improve math skills more than the math program alone.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 300 (estimated) |
| Ages | 6 Years to 8 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Vanderbilt University Medical Center Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Nashville, Tennessee) |
| Trial ID | NCT07220746 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This randomized interventional study enrolls about 300 first graders (ages 6–8) with low math and working memory scores identified by a two-stage school-based screening in Metropolitan Nashville. Eligible children are randomly assigned to one of three groups: math word-problem instruction plus computerized working memory training, math instruction plus computerized reading training (active control), or math instruction without cognitive training. Interventions are delivered in schools and outcomes include word-problem solving, arithmetic, and working memory measured before and after the intervention to examine both skill gains and reciprocal (bidirectional) effects. The design tests whether coordinating cognitive training with academic instruction produces greater math gains and supports working memory development compared with math instruction alone or an active control.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are first-grade children (about 6–8 years old) in Metropolitan Nashville who score below the 30th percentile in math screening and below the 50th percentile in working memory but meet minimal cognitive performance thresholds.
Not a fit: Children who already perform at or above screening cutoffs in math or working memory, attend nonparticipating schools, or have very low cognitive scores (below study thresholds) are unlikely to be eligible or to gain from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the coordinated approach could produce larger and longer-lasting improvements in math skills and strengthen working memory in young children.
How similar studies have performed: Prior math-targeted interventions have shown reliable skill gains, while computerized working memory training has produced mixed evidence for transfer to academic outcomes, so combining the two is a relatively novel approach with limited direct trial precedent.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Attends a participating school in the Metropolitan-Nashville Public Schools * Is a member of a first-grade classroom whose teacher has agreed to let his/her students participate * Has the available school schedule to participate * Scores below the 30th percentile on the study's screening math test * Scores below the 50th percentile on the study's working memory test * Scores at or above the 7th percentile on at least one of the study's two measures of cognitive performance Exclusion Criterion: * Does not attend a participating school in the Metropolitan-Nashville Public Schools * Is not a member of a first-grade classroom whose teacher has agreed to let his/her students participate * Does not have the available school schedule to participate * Scores at or above 30th percentile on the study's screening math test * Scores at or above the 50th percentile on the study's screening working test * Scores below the 7th percentile on both of the study's two measures of cognitive performance
Where this trial is running
Nashville, Tennessee
- Vanderbilt University — Nashville, Tennessee, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Caitlin F. Craddock, B.A.
- Email: c.f.craddock@vanderbilt.edu
- Phone: 615-491-1829
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.