Neuropsychological Profiles of Children with Dyscalculia in Public Primary Schools in Ogun State

This study examines the neuropsychological profiles of primary school children identified with dyscalculia in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. Dyscalculia, a specific learning disability affecting numerical processing and mathematical reasoning, is estimated to affect approximately 3 to 7 percent of the school-age population globally, yet it remains systematically underidentified and underserved within the Nigerian primary school system. The study employs a case-control design, comparing 70 children with confirmed dyscalculia diagnoses to 70 typically developing matched controls from twelve public primary schools in Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu Local Government Areas. The Test of Early Mathematics Ability, the Working Memory Test Battery for Children, and the NEPSY-II visuospatial and attention subtests were used as instruments. Data were analysed using multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant function analysis. Findings reveal that children with dyscalculia demonstrate significantly weaker visuospatial working memory, number sense, and attentional control compared to controls. Deficits in subitising and magnitude comparison were the most diagnostically discriminating features. Comorbid attention difficulties were present in a significant proportion of the dyscalculia group, suggesting overlapping neuropsychological pathways. These results provide the first detailed neuropsychological characterisation of dyscalculia in a Nigerian primary school sample, contributing novel empirical evidence to the local learning disabilities literature. The Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board is advised to develop a standardised dyscalculia screening protocol for deployment by school psychologists and trained teachers at the Primary 2 level. Keywords: dyscalculia, neuropsychological profiles, primary school, mathematics disability, Ogun State.