Mathematics and language are two domains used daily in many different activities. Developing competence in these two domains is important not only for children’s success during formal schooling, but also in adulthood during postsecondary education and different careers. Studies over the last few years have suggested that children’s acquisition of linguistic and mathematical skills are highly related across their development. A large body of research has established that mathematics and linguistic abilities do not develop separately from one another; rather, their development appears to be related in a bidirectional manner that persist longitudinally at least until the middle and high school years.
The connection between the linguistic domain (specifically reading) and the mathematical field is not surprising due to the similarity between the acquisition of the number and letter concepts. In both cases, arbitrary symbols (numbers, letters) represent abstract referents (quantities, sounds). These symbols arranged according to an agreed sequence (counting, alphabet) are taught early in childhood, and are the basis for more complex abilities such as calculations and reading. Furthermore, the process of learning the use of letters to write words and numbers to express quantities supports each other because of their common reliance on the development of a code-based system. When children are able to understand a set of symbols, representing sounds, they are more likely to understand a symbol system, which represents quantities. Thus, acquiring one system may reinforce the other system, since both use the child's ability to connect a symbol to its meaning.
There is an assumption in the literature, that linguistic and mathematical abilities share a cognitive basis. However, this basis is inconclusive, and different studies suggest different cognitive skills, that might constitute the basis of these two domains, such as phonological awareness, executive functions, memory ability, visual perception, attention and more. Often reading disability goes together with mathematical disability, and their appearance together is even more common than the appearance of each of them alone. Thus, many of the children with reading difficulties present a difficulty in the calculating ability also a fact, which practically reinforces the correlation between these two skills.
This cross-domain approach that examines both these skills together is necessary due to their mutual influence on each other. This approach will help us better understand the common and unique underlying abilities needed to succeed in learning how to read and how to calculate. Furthermore, this knowledge will help us to create affective assessment and the implementation of interventions for children who display different patterns of strengths and weaknesses in these two abilities.
In this Research Topic we welcome articles that may employ different methods (e.g. experimental, interventions, longitudinal and brain studies) but with the common aim to better understand the relationship between reading and mathematical abilities as well as the common and unique factors of each domain. These can include (but are not limited to):
• cognitive abilities involved in reading and mathematics;
• dyslexia and dyscalculia;
• development of mathematics and reading;
Mathematics and language are two domains used daily in many different activities. Developing competence in these two domains is important not only for children’s success during formal schooling, but also in adulthood during postsecondary education and different careers. Studies over the last few years have suggested that children’s acquisition of linguistic and mathematical skills are highly related across their development. A large body of research has established that mathematics and linguistic abilities do not develop separately from one another; rather, their development appears to be related in a bidirectional manner that persist longitudinally at least until the middle and high school years.
The connection between the linguistic domain (specifically reading) and the mathematical field is not surprising due to the similarity between the acquisition of the number and letter concepts. In both cases, arbitrary symbols (numbers, letters) represent abstract referents (quantities, sounds). These symbols arranged according to an agreed sequence (counting, alphabet) are taught early in childhood, and are the basis for more complex abilities such as calculations and reading. Furthermore, the process of learning the use of letters to write words and numbers to express quantities supports each other because of their common reliance on the development of a code-based system. When children are able to understand a set of symbols, representing sounds, they are more likely to understand a symbol system, which represents quantities. Thus, acquiring one system may reinforce the other system, since both use the child's ability to connect a symbol to its meaning.
There is an assumption in the literature, that linguistic and mathematical abilities share a cognitive basis. However, this basis is inconclusive, and different studies suggest different cognitive skills, that might constitute the basis of these two domains, such as phonological awareness, executive functions, memory ability, visual perception, attention and more. Often reading disability goes together with mathematical disability, and their appearance together is even more common than the appearance of each of them alone. Thus, many of the children with reading difficulties present a difficulty in the calculating ability also a fact, which practically reinforces the correlation between these two skills.
This cross-domain approach that examines both these skills together is necessary due to their mutual influence on each other. This approach will help us better understand the common and unique underlying abilities needed to succeed in learning how to read and how to calculate. Furthermore, this knowledge will help us to create affective assessment and the implementation of interventions for children who display different patterns of strengths and weaknesses in these two abilities.
In this Research Topic we welcome articles that may employ different methods (e.g. experimental, interventions, longitudinal and brain studies) but with the common aim to better understand the relationship between reading and mathematical abilities as well as the common and unique factors of each domain. These can include (but are not limited to):
• cognitive abilities involved in reading and mathematics;
• dyslexia and dyscalculia;
• development of mathematics and reading;
![Final path model for the effects of individual factors derived from the ARHQ and AMH on measures of children’s core academic skills [word reading (WR) and arithmetic calculation (AR)] after first and second grades, and performance on complex tasks [reading comprehension (RC) and problem solving (PS)] after second and third grades. Parents’ level of education attainment and children’s demographic information [age, IQ (at baseline), sex, and school information (Title 1 Status)] were included as covariates. (All paths with coefficients shown met p < 0.05. Covariances among factors from the ARHQ and AMHQ can be found in Supplementary Table 10. The directionality of the computed factor scores remain consistent with the that of the questions on each scale – that is, higher scores on any factors extracted from the ARHQ or AMHQ indicate, e.g., increased difficulties with learning to read or do simple arithmetic).](https://www.frontiersin.org/_rtmag/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontiersin.org%2Ffiles%2FArticles%2F710380%2Ffpsyg-12-710380-HTML%2Fimage_m%2Ffpsyg-12-710380-g002.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
