Domain‐General Cognitive Abilities Affecting Mathematical Attainment in Primary School Students With Mathematics Learning Disability and Low Achievers

This study examined domain‐general cognitive predictors of mathematics computation and compared cognitive profiles of primary school students with a mathematical learning disability (MLD), low achievement (LA), and a control group (CG). Students completed the WRAT‐5 Mathematics Computation subtest and the computer‐based Testing Tool for School Psychologists (TTSP), which assesses executive functions, reasoning, and verbal abilities ( N = 140). Regression analyses were conducted on the full sample, whereas group comparisons were performed on a classified subsample ( n = 88; MLD n = 18, LA n = 21, control group n = 49) for whom group membership could be determined based on mathematics performance and teacher reports. Regression analyses showed that visual attention, verbal reasoning, and vocabulary knowledge jointly explained 37% of the variance in mathematics computation scores. Students with MLD and LA performed more poorly than the control group across most cognitive domains, with broader and more pronounced weaknesses in the MLD group. Visual attention uniquely differentiated students with MLD from both LA and CG. The findings underscore the importance of attention‐ and language‐related domain‐general abilities in understanding mathematical attainment and distinguishing profiles of mathematical difficulty in primary school.