Math Cognition team at UCSF

We are a new multidisciplinary team at UCSF studying the typical and atypical development of math abilities.
Our goals:

• Identify children at risk for math difficulties and follow their trajectory.
• Discover the cognitive profiles and neural basis of different math difficulties.
• Develop neuroscience-based interventions specifically tailored to individual profiles.

We are partnering with the UCSF Dyslexia Center to create a new Math Neuroscience and Education Program. This multidisciplinary partnership is crucial for young learners because research shows that 40-60% of children with dyslexia have math difficulties, and likewise, 40-60% of children with dyscalculia have reading challenges. Identification of co-occurring learning challenges may help lead to improved treatment for both difficulties.

Research also indicates that many children with dyslexia excel in math, especially in non-symbolic, visuospatial and geometrical reasoning. With proper evaluation, children can leverage these skills in the classroom and in life.

Therefore, we believe that a detailed assessment of math abilities in children at risk for dyslexia or formally diagnosed with dyslexia will help us better understand math learning differences and design effective interventions to mitigate the challenges faced by children struggling with math.