Scientists use AI to develop better predictions of why children struggle at school

The researchers from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge say this reinforces the need for children to receive detailed assessments of their cognitive skills to identify the best type of support. The study, published in Developmental Science, recruited 550 children who were referred to a clinic -- the Centre for Attention Learning and Memory -- because they were struggling at school. The scientists say that much of the previous research into learning difficulties has focussed on children who had already been given a particular diagnosis, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), an autism spectrum disorder, or dyslexia. By including children with all difficulties regardless of diagnosis, this study better captured the range of difficulties within, and overlap between, the diagnostic categories. Dr Duncan Astle from the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge, who led the study ...