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Previous research suggests that children with language disorders often have difficulties in mathematical tasks. In the current study, we investigated two relevant factors – working memory and pattern skills – that may underlie children’s poor mathematics performance. Children with developmental language disorder (DLD, n = 18, ages 6 to 13) and age-matched typically-developing children (n = 18) completed three math tasks that tapped calculation skill and knowledge of concepts. Children also completed a visual pattern extension task and a verbal working memory task. There were four key findings: (1) children with DLD exhibited poorer mathematical knowledge than typically-developing children, both in calculation and on key math concepts, (2) children with DLD performed similarly to typically-developing children on the visual pattern extension task, (3) children with DLD had lower verbal working memory scores than typically-developing children, and these differences in working memory accounted in part for their poorer calculation performance, and (4) children’s pattern extension scores predicted their arithmetic calculation scores, but not their concept scores.

Despite efforts to expand use of evidence-based practice (EBP) within child and adolescent mental health clinics, these practices continue to be underutilized, partially due to a lack of quality training for clinicians. This article describes the second iteration of an evidence-based assessment and treatment seminar for staff clinicians and trainees in an academic medical center. The seminar was held in-person over 11 weeks in 90-min sessions and covered assessments and interventions for the most common referral concerns in our outpatient clinic. Clinicians and supervisors completed measures before and after the seminar to assess the impact of the seminar on attitudes, knowledge, skill, and frequency of use of EBP. Although, on average, the majority of clinicians and their supervisors reported that knowledge and clinically appropriate use of interventions and assessments increased after the seminar, differential effects were found for progress monitoring versus assessment for diagnostic evaluation. This study demonstrates the potential of using in-house clinic leaders and supervisors who are trained in delivering EBPs as a source of support for incoming clinicians. We highlight many practical considerations that may be helpful to consider when implementing a training seminar to increase the use of EBP.

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