DyscalculiaPROCEDYSNCT03354481
Automatization of Counting Procedures in Children With Dyscalculia
A study testing Arithmetic facts solving in people with Dyscalculia, run by Hospices Civils de Lyon at 1 site in France.
Trial summary
Researchers in numerical cognition usually think that the greatest and most common difficulty in children suffering from dyscalculia is retrieval of arithmetic facts from long-term memory. However, we have recently shown that retrieval might not be the optimum strategy in mental arithmetic. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 8 to 11 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Dyscalculia
- What is being tested?
- Arithmetic facts solving
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 3 participants
- Where
- 1 siteFrance
- Study dates
- 12 Jul 2018to 19 Sep 2019
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 8 to 11 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Age between 8 and 11 years old
- Having a dyscalculia as described in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) V
Who cannot join
- Presenting a global intellectual deficit
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Researchers in numerical cognition usually think that the greatest and most common difficulty in children suffering from dyscalculia is retrieval of arithmetic facts from long-term memory. However, we have recently shown that retrieval might not be the optimum strategy in mental arithmetic. In fact, expert adults would rather solve simple problems such as 3 + 2 by automated and unconscious procedures. Therefore, we hypothesize that children with dyscalculia might not present deficit in retrieval but, instead, in counting procedure automatization. The aim of the current project is to test this challenging position. Through a longitudinal approach, we plan to precisely examine the behavior of children suffering from dyscalculia over a 3-year period. Children will be aged between 8 to 11 years at the beginning of the study and we will precisely observe the evolution of their solution times when they solve simple addition problems involving one-digit numbers. If children with dyscalculia still struggle with simple additions three years, their solution times plotted on the sum of the problems should still follow an exponential function. Indeed, if counting is not automated, difficulties necessarily increase with the progression on the number line or the verbal sequence, hence the exponential function. On the contrary, if counting procedures tend towards automatization, moves along a number line will progressively become as easy at the beginning of the line as at the end, hence the linear function. Importantly, a retrieval model would predict exactly the inverse pattern because, according to this model, the linear function, which is unanimously considered as the hallmark of counting procedures, should progressively be replaced by a non-linear function through practice.
- Conditions
- Dyscalculia
- Being tested
- Arithmetic facts solving
- Keywords
- Dyscalculia
- Medical subject headings
- Dyscalculia
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Arithmetic facts solvingBehavioural
The experiment will contain several tasks. The main one will be a computerized task on arithmetic facts where participants will have to solve simple additions. There will also be three additional tasks: a processing speed task where the participant will have to tell the orientation of an arrow as fast as possible, a visuo-spatial task where the participant will have to reproduce a tapping block sequence and an arithmetic task where the participant will try to solve a maximum of operations in a limited time.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral recording of arithmetic and associated information | Experimental | The experiment will contain several behavioral tasks in which solving time and correct answer will be recorded. The main one will be a computerized task on arithmetic facts. There will also be three additional tasks as described below. Receives: Behavioral: Arithmetic facts solving |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Response times to solve an informatics task on simple arithmetic facts resolution
Time between the apparition of the stimuli and the answer. The task contain only addition of one digit numbers
Measured: Inclusion
Response times to solve an informatics task on simple arithmetic facts resolution
Time between the apparition of the stimuli and the answer. The task contain only addition
Measured: 12 months
Response times to solve an informatics task on simple arithmetic facts resolution
Time between the apparition of the stimuli and the answer. The task contain only addition
Measured: 24 months
Secondary outcomes (5)
Percentage of correct responses to solve the informatics task on simple arithmetic facts resolution
Measured: 0+ 12 + 24 months
Result of the digit span memory task
Measured: 0 month
Processing speed in an informatics task on arrow orientation
Measured: 0 month
Result of the Corsi block tapping test
Measured: 0 month
Result of the Tempo Test Rekenen
The Tempo Test Rekenen is used to evaluate arithmetical ability. It consists in solving several operations in a limited time.
Measured: 0 month
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Nov 2017
- Study start12 Jul 2018
- Primary completion19 Sep 2019
- Study completion19 Sep 2019
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for DyscalculiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Hospices Civils de LyonThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 3 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Hospices Civils de Lyon
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Lausanne
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03354481
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 69HCL17_0651
- Other IDs
- 2017-A03134-49
- Acronym
- PROCEDYS
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Nov 2017
- Last updated
- 27 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Jeanne Bagnoud, Romain Mathieu, Jasinta Dewi, Sandrine Masson, Sibylle Gonzalez-Monge, Zumrut Kasikci and Catherine Thevenot. "An investigation of the possible causes of arithmetic difficulties in children with dyscalculia". L'Année psychologique. 2021;121(3):217-237. doi : 10.3917/anpsy1.213.0217.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Automatization of Counting Procedures in Children With Dyscalculia
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03354481
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- PROCEDYS / 69HCL17_0651
- Conditions
- Dyscalculia
- Keywords
- Dyscalculia
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 3 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Hospices Civils de LyonUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Lausanne
- Study start
- 12 Jul 2018 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 19 Sep 2019 (actual)
- Study completion
- 19 Sep 2019 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 Nov 2017 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Researchers in numerical cognition usually think that the greatest and most common difficulty in children suffering from dyscalculia is retrieval of arithmetic facts from long-term memory. However, we have recently shown that retrieval might not be the optimum strategy in mental arithmetic. In fact, expert adults would rather solve simple problems such as 3 + 2 by automated and unconscious procedures. Therefore, we hypothesize that children with dyscalculia might not present deficit in retrieval but, instead, in counting procedure automatization. The aim of the current project is to test this challenging position. Through a longitudinal approach, we plan to precisely examine the behavior of children suffering from dyscalculia over a 3-year period. Children will be aged between 8 to 11 years at the beginning of the study and we will precisely observe the evolution of their solution times when they solve simple addition problems involving one-digit numbers. If children with dyscalculia still struggle with simple additions three years, their solution times plotted on the sum of the problems should still follow an exponential function. Indeed, if counting is not automated, difficulties necessarily increase with the progression on the number line or the verbal sequence, hence the exponential function. On the contrary, if counting procedures tend towards automatization, moves along a number line will progressively become as easy at the beginning of the line as at the end, hence the linear function. Importantly, a retrieval model would predict exactly the inverse pattern because, according to this model, the linear function, which is unanimously considered as the hallmark of counting procedures, should progressively be replaced by a non-linear function through practice.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral recording of arithmetic and associated information | Experimental | Behavioral: Arithmetic facts solvingThe experiment will contain several behavioral tasks in which solving time and correct answer will be recorded. The main one will be a computerized task on arithmetic facts. There will also be three additional tasks as described below. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 8 to 11 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Age between 8 and 11 years old
- Having a dyscalculia as described in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) V
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Presenting a global intellectual deficit
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Arithmetic facts solvingThe experiment will contain several tasks. The main one will be a computerized task on arithmetic facts where participants will have to solve simple additions. There will also be three additional tasks: a processing speed task where the participant will have to tell the orientation of an arrow as fast as possible, a visuo-spatial task where the participant will have to reproduce a tapping block sequence and an arithmetic task where the participant will try to solve a maximum of operations in a limited time. | Behavioural | Behavioral recording of arithmetic and associated information |
Primary outcome
Response times to solve an informatics task on simple arithmetic facts resolution
Time frame: Inclusion
Time between the apparition of the stimuli and the answer. The task contain only addition of one digit numbers
Response times to solve an informatics task on simple arithmetic facts resolution
Time frame: 12 months
Time between the apparition of the stimuli and the answer. The task contain only addition
Response times to solve an informatics task on simple arithmetic facts resolution
Time frame: 24 months
Time between the apparition of the stimuli and the answer. The task contain only addition
5 secondary outcomes
Percentage of correct responses to solve the informatics task on simple arithmetic facts resolution
Time frame: 0+ 12 + 24 months
Result of the digit span memory task
Time frame: 0 month
Processing speed in an informatics task on arrow orientation
Time frame: 0 month
Result of the Corsi block tapping test
Time frame: 0 month
Result of the Tempo Test Rekenen
Time frame: 0 month
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Apr 2026.
- Results publicationJeanne Bagnoud, Romain Mathieu, Jasinta Dewi, Sandrine Masson, Sibylle Gonzalez-Monge, Zumrut Kasikci and Catherine Thevenot. "An investigation of the possible causes of arithmetic difficulties in children with dyscalculia". L'Année psychologique. 2021;121(3):217-237. doi : 10.3917/anpsy1.213.0217.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Arithmetic facts solving in people with Dyscalculia, run by Hospices Civils de Lyon at 1 site in France.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in France. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Response times to solve an informatics task on simple arithmetic facts resolution (time frame: Inclusion). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03354481, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Apr 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 7 Nov 2026.