THE PREVALENCE OF SPECIFIC ARITHMETIC DIFFICULTIES AND SPECIFIC READING DIFFICULTIES IN 9-YEAR-OLD TO 10-YEAR-OLD BOYS AND GIRLS

Data from an epidemiological sample (n = 1206) of British schoolchildren were used to estimate the proportions of 9- to 10-year-olds with specific arithmetic difficulties (SAD), combined with arithmetic-and-reading difficulties (ARD), and specific reading difficulties (SRD). Children in the sample contributed scores on separate tests of arithmetic, reading and nonverbal intelligence. Using a cutting-score approach, which took into account performance on all three tests, a small group of children with SAD (1.3 %) were distinguished from larger groups with ARD (2.3 %) and SRD (3.9 %). Contrary to some previous reports, there were equal numbers of males and females within each of the two groups with arithmetic difficulties but a preponderance of males over females amongst the group with specific reading difficulties.