Number estimation in Down syndrome: Cognition or experience?

Background: The ability to place numbers on a visual “number line” is a hallmark of the understanding of numerical magnitude and it is a strong predictor of mathematical achievement. Aim: We examined whether the performance in the number line estimation task is more driven by mental age or experience with numbers in a sample of Italian children with Down syndrome (DS). Method and procedure: Sixty-three children with DS (M_months = 128.62, SD = 30.73) and sixty-three typically developing children (M_months = 54.98, SD = 6.34) matched one to one for mental age completed number line estimation tasks and other tests to assess their numerical knowledge. Outcomes and results: No significant differences emerged between the two groups in terms of accuracy of positioning numbers on the 1–10 and 1–20 interval. In addition, the accuracy on the 1–10 interval was related to the ability to recognize numbers, while the accuracy on the 1–20 line was related to the ability to compare magnitudes. Conclusion and Implication: Results suggest that in individuals with DS the linear mapping of numbers is driven by mental age, but the accuracy of positioning numbers is also shaped by the experience with symbolic numbers. Therefore, the improvement of numerical estimation abilities should be a target of intervention programs.