The present study was designed to see if children with learning disabilities could
be taught three-row, double-digit addition problems using a dot-notation method. Three
children with learning disabilities were selected for the study. Prior to the intervention,
these students used a combination of count-all and count-on strategies when solving
addition problems and used concrete referents such as fingers or tallies. A multiple-probe
design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention with the 3 subjects. The
experiment consisted of a teaching phase where students were taught to touch and count
the dots on numbers 1 to 9 in a specified pattern and an intervention phase where students
progressed through nine levels of addition problems. The final stage consisted of threerow,
double-digit addition problems requiring regrouping with touch points removed.
Results indicate that the 3 subjects were able to learn and apply the dot-notation method
successfully and were able to retain the method from one and a half to four and a half
months after completing instruction. Suggestions for future research and for teachers are
discussed