Mathematical learning disabilities (MLDs) are often associated with math anxiety, yet until now, very little is known about the causal relations between calculation ability and math anxiety during early primary school years. The main aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the relationship between calculation ability, self-reported evaluation of mathematics, and math anxiety in 140 primary school children between the end of first grade and the middle of third grade. Structural equation modeling revealed a strong influence of calculation ability and math anxiety on the evaluation of mathematics but no effect of math anxiety on calculation ability or vice versa—contrasting with the frequent clinical reports of math anxiety even in very young MLD children. To summarize, our study is a first step toward a better understanding of the link between math anxiety and math performance in early primary school years performance during typical and atypical courses of development.

The main aim of the present coordinate-based meta-analysis is to identify brain regions that are commonly activated in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies (fMRI) investigating number processing and calculation in children. Here, we include 19 developmental fMRI papers, five of which also examine children diagnosed with developmental dyscalculia and/or mathematical disability. Results reveal that children produce consistent fronto-parietal activation patterns in response to number processing and calculation. Importantly, activation patterns are clearly modulated by notation, task complexity, and competence level. Activation differences between children with and without dyscalculia are observable in number-relevant parietal regions as well as in (pre)frontal and occipital cortex.