Mathematical problem-solving profiles of students with mathematics disabilities with and without comorbid reading disabilities

The purpose of this study was to describe the mathematical problem-solving profiles of students with mathematics disabilities (MD) with and without comorbid reading disabilities (RD). The disability status of fourth-grade students was verified through testing (n = 18 MD; n = 22 MD + RD). Then a hierarchy of mathematics problem-solving tasks was administered. The results demonstrated large deficits for both groups; however, the differences between students with MD and those with MD + RD were mediated by the level of problem solving (arithmetic story problems vs. complex story problems vs. real-world problem solving) and by performance dimension (operations vs. problem solving). On arithmetic story problems, the differences between the disability subtypes were similar for operations and problem solving. By contrast, on complex story problems and real-world problem solving, the differences between the subtypes were larger for problem solving than for operations.