Posted on by catherinemartin68
Is it true that all individuals with Turner Syndrome (TS) are weaker in math than their peers? According to the many TS patients the Turner Syndrome Foundation (TSF) interacts with, they can definitely experience challenges. But, there are many exceptions to this narrative. There are many people with TS who are surprisingly competent in math and who have gone on to have successful careers in both the financial and medical fields. Of course, everybody’s experience is different, so consult with your medical and educational professionals to determine what is best for you or your child.
"Let us choose for ourselves our path in life, and let us try to strew that path with flowers." - Emilie du Chatelet, mathematician, physicist, and author
Clinical research indicates that there are differences in learning abilities, including challenges in math and spatial skills, among individuals with TS. However, with early intervention, training, and accommodations, these challenges can be overcome, and success in math can be possible. Below is a summary of two research papers: “Variation in early number skills and mathematics achievement: Implications from cognitive profiles of children with or without Turner syndrome,” by Sarah L. Lukowski, et al; and “On the relationship between mathematics and visuospatial processing in Turner syndrome,” by Joseph M. Baker et al. These papers attempt to pinpoint the specific learning differences that can bring obstacles for individuals with TS while trying to learn math.
According to the research, the challenges TS patients experience with math stem from weakness in their visuospatial processing, among other factors. The Lukowski and Baker studies describe a more specific area or domain within visuospatial processing that is the root cause of the problem. These findings can help individuals with TS and their parents request specific kinds of support from their teachers. The findings can also inspire parents to incorporate fun elements of math and numeracy (the ability to understand and work with numbers) into daily activities with their children
“Variation in early number skills and mathematics achievement: Implications from cognitive profiles of children with or without Turner syndrome” was conducted from 2016 to 2020.
The purpose of this study was to assess how the cognitive phenotype of young children with TS affects their math skills. It was funded through MM National Science Foundation (US) Grant 1644748.
This primary researchers for this study, from the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development in Minneapolis, were:
Other researchers included:
Forty-four girls with TS from 22 states enrolled in the study after a recruitment effort by coordinators of clinics and TS support groups. Two comparison groups of 44 girls each without TS were also enrolled in the study. The pairs of girls were matched based on their verbal skills and their non-symbolic magnitude comparison skills (the ability to represent and compare quantities) and their age and grade in school. The researchers strove to have as close a match as possible in all regards.
All of the girls participating were between four and eight years old, an age range that was unique for research in this subject. Identification of and early intervention with math difficulties for children of such a young age could be important.
The participants in the study were given the following two standardized tests of mathematical ability and achievement:
They were also given the following two assessments of numerical processing:
Lastly, the girls were also given two widely used tests of receptive and expressive verbal knowledge and two composite tests to measure self-regulation skills and executive function:
The test results of the girls with TS were compared with carefully matched peers without TS.
This study’s results were limited by the small sample size (44 girls with TS). Also, there were fewer appropriate tests for the young age group being studied.
The study revealed that girls with TS had lower scores on the test for mathematical ability than the general population and significantly lower scores than their matched peers. However, regarding mathematical achievement, the girls with TS scored similarly to their matched peers.
This difference between mathematical ability and achievement is interesting. According to this study, girls with TS may use their verbal skills to bolster their ability to do well in math, supporting other studies that indicate they have a unique profile regarding numerical processing skills.
As mentioned above, this study supports previous research about the possible obstacles that individuals with TS may face while learning math. However, it offers encouragement, suggesting that their verbal abilities may help them to achieve in math.
This study also shows the importance of promoting math skills at home even before children with TS start school. Integrating math into play and daily routines can bolster later success in math
Work remains to determine whether and how verbal and self-regulation skills could be utilized to improve math outcomes. This work would benefit the TS community and the larger population.
“On the relationship between mathematics and visuospatial processing in Turner syndrome” is the next study that will be discussed. This study was conducted from 2009 to 2014.
This project’s aims included:
The following researchers from Stanford University’s School of Medicine’s Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Department, Brain Sciences Division, Interdisciplinary Brain Research Center.
Also conducting the study was Megan Klabunde, PhD, from the University of Essex’s Psychology Department, Colchester, UK.
There were 112 participants in this study, 54 girls with TS and 58 without. All participants with TS had classic monosomy (they were lacking one chromosome from a pair), rather than a partial chromosomal loss.
The participant age range was 6 to 17 years old. Participants were matched by age.
Due to participants leaving the study, the study’s final year contained relatively few participants (18 total, 6 with TS). The girls had to travel to Stanford University once a year for four years, so many families found this inconvenient. Many other factors also led to participants withdrawing.
For four yearly visits over 4 years, the participants were given three major tests to measure a broad range of visuospatial areas:
These tests included standardized tests of neuropsychological (the relationship between the brain’s behavioral, emotional, and learning abilities), cognitive and academic achievement of these participants.
Like the first study, the small sample size limited this study’s outreach as well. Originally, they started with 112 participants. However, by the study’s end, there were only 18 girls in the study.
The study found that girls with TS struggled to perform well in math more than their age-matched peers. Throughout the entire study, this struggle was consistent. Three visuospatial skill areas appear to be specifically affected by TS. They could create obstacles for them while learning math:
The researchers believe that having weaker figure-ground perceptual abilities may negatively affect the girls’ abilities to identify and interpret a math equation’s various components. That is, girls with TS may have difficulty recognizing an equation’s individual elements, leading to them having more obstacles when trying to solve math problems. Thus, this causes them to not reach as much of their full potential with math as their peers.
The three visuospatial areas mentioned above are all areas that girls with TS can work on improving with targeted exercises at home and school. By being aware of the specific obstacles that girls with TS may experience, parents and teachers can empower them to persevere with math rather than give up on improving their math skills.
First Study: “Variation in early number skills and mathematics achievement: Implications from cognitive profiles of children with or without Turner syndrome”
Second Study: “On the relationship between mathematics and visuospatial processing in Turner syndrome”
The studies confirmed previous research indicating that girls with TS tend to have deficits in mathematics ability and visuospatial reasoning as compared to their age-matched peers.
Although it was not the purpose of the studies to find ways to improve the mathematics abilities of girls with TS, the findings suggest that beginning to work with children with TS at a very early age to improve visuospatial processing in collaboration with the enhancement of other cognitive abilities such as executive functioning, attention, and working memory may prove particularly beneficial. Training in these areas can be done via a computer- or tablet-based application that embeds each element in a game-like application. Parents and caregivers can also integrate math into play and daily routines. See the list below for some suggestions and additional resources.
First Study: “Variation in early number skills and mathematics achievement: Implications from cognitive profiles of children with or without Turner Syndrome https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0239224
Second Study: “On the relationship between mathematics and visuospatial processing in Turner Syndrome https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
“How To Improve Your Visual-Spatial Skills https://www.lifehack.org/898614/visual-spatial-skills
“Spatial Intelligence – What it is & 13 ways to improve it” https://www.parentingforbrain.com/visual-spatial-reasoning-skills-stem/
“7 Exercises for the rehabilitation of visuospatial skills https://neuronup.us/neurorehabilitation-activities/activities-for-visuospatial-skills/7-exercises-for-the-rehabilitation-of-visuospatial-skills/
Acknowledgements: This article was written by Catherine Martin, a TSF Blog Writer and edited by Prabhat Sharma, a TSF Blog Editor. ©Turner Syndrome Foundation 2021.
Category: Clinical Resource, Educator Cognition & Learning, Latest Articles, Parent/Caregiver, Patient Tags: Education, Health, Research
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2022feb1:00 amfeb(feb 28)11:59 pmIt's February Awareness Month!Month Long Event (february)
February is Turner Syndrome Awareness Month, a special opportunity to take action! Every February our community comes together to post, share, talk, and educate. We challenge you to take action
February is Turner Syndrome Awareness Month, a special opportunity to take action! Every February our community comes together to post, share, talk, and educate. We challenge you to take action this February – then keep the momentum going all year long!
Month Long Event (february)
Fundraiser contest hosted by Doreen Sullivan. Raising $2000 -$1,000 of the proceeds will benefit TSF - $1,000 paid out to winners Setting up this football pool to have some fun, win some money (perhaps)
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Fundraiser contest hosted by Doreen Sullivan.
Raising $2000
-$1,000 of the proceeds will benefit TSF
– $1,000 paid out to winners
Setting up this football pool to have some fun, win some money (perhaps) and support a good cause!
Select your boxes here. Donating $25 per box:
https://superbowlpoolsite.com/contest/462473
Doreen Squares Contest is an online squares contest created for free at Super Bowl Pool Site.
This contest was created by Doreen Sullivan. This fundraiser is a proceeds benefit hosted by an individual, and not by TSF. If you have any questions about this contest, please direct those questions via email to the commissioner at drs0908@aol.com
Rules: https://superbowlpoolsite.com/rules/462473
Month Long Event (january)
Month Long Event (january)
Card artists are invited to donate cards for the February Awareness Month annual card auction! World renowned artists, and enthusiasts, have joined together to support Lori Kobular's fundraiser for Turner
Card artists are invited to donate cards for the February Awareness Month annual card auction! World renowned artists, and enthusiasts, have joined together to support Lori Kobular’s fundraiser for Turner Syndrome Awareness. You can help Lori to reach her fundraising goals again this year. Lori is asking for your generous support to make this event a continued tremendous success. The cards will be awarded to the highest bidder!
The event is being organized by Lori Kobular on Instagram @mulchlady6 or email: lkobular@tsfusa.org.
1 (Wednesday) 9:00 am - 28 (Tuesday) 11:59 pm
2023thu09feb8:00 pmAdvocacy Working GroupSign up to network and advocate for TS8:00 pm EDT
Join the Advocacy Working Group! Communicating with national lawmakers is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness and influence widespread change. We are accepting applications for this working
Join the Advocacy Working Group! Communicating with national lawmakers is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness and influence widespread change. We are accepting applications for this working group. Sign up below.
The advocacy working group meets on Thursday evenings 8PM EDT.
Note: There will be no meeting on November 3, 2022.
(Thursday) 8:00 pm
Awareness Committee will meet the third Wednesday of each month to rally, brainstorm and plan for awareness outreach and impact. If you would like to be part of the committee,
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Awareness Committee will meet the third Wednesday of each month to rally, brainstorm and plan for awareness outreach and impact. If you would like to be part of the committee, please complete a volunteer application and let us know you wish to be part of the committee. If you have already submitted a volunteer application, email kholly@tsfusa.org to let her know that you would like to be part of the working committee. Link to Join: https://turnersyndromefoundation.org/volunteer_take_action/talent-application/
Why join this committee? 1- You can make a difference 2- You all meet some really great people 3- You will hone new skills & learn more about the mission. Gaining experience through doing is good for the mission and for you, too!
Thank you to everyone who is part of the awareness committee. We are so glad that you are here!
(Wednesday) 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
2023thu16feb8:00 pmAdvocacy Working GroupSign up to network and advocate for TS8:00 pm EDT
Join the Advocacy Working Group! Communicating with national lawmakers is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness and influence widespread change. We are accepting applications for this working
Join the Advocacy Working Group! Communicating with national lawmakers is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness and influence widespread change. We are accepting applications for this working group. Sign up below.
The advocacy working group meets on Thursday evenings 8PM EDT.
Note: There will be no meeting on November 3, 2022.
(Thursday) 8:00 pm
2023thu23feb8:00 pmAdvocacy Working GroupSign up to network and advocate for TS8:00 pm EDT
Join the Advocacy Working Group! Communicating with national lawmakers is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness and influence widespread change. We are accepting applications for this working
Join the Advocacy Working Group! Communicating with national lawmakers is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness and influence widespread change. We are accepting applications for this working group. Sign up below.
The advocacy working group meets on Thursday evenings 8PM EDT.
Note: There will be no meeting on November 3, 2022.
(Thursday) 8:00 pm
Join in on a night of conversation, building connections, sharing stories and coloring together with friends! Socialize, have fun & introduce your pets to the Star Sisters community! What you'll need:
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Join in on a night of conversation, building connections, sharing stories and coloring together with friends! Socialize, have fun & introduce your pets to the Star Sisters community!
What you’ll need: Get comfy – relax in the comfort of home to meet & share with friends!
Being a Star Sisters is a way to connect with others in the Turner syndrome community to share honest experiences and form a sisterhood of positivity. This is an opportunity to raise awareness while receiving support. All meet-ups and events occur online – so anyone personally affected by TS, almost anywhere can participate!
Star Sister’s enjoy these benefits offered freely to all who join.
If you are new to TSF and wish to join Star Sisters, sign up here: https://turnersyndromefoundation.org/living/star-sisters/star-sisters-application/
(Friday) 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm
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