Math
Dyscalculia No Universal Definition An unexpected difficulty in dealing with mathematical problems (Attwood) A condition that affects the ability to acquire arithmetic skills (The British Dyslexia Assoc., www.bda-dyslexia.org.uk Math Resources
Dyscalculia Having huge problems in math, in spite of being of normal intelligence, www.dys.dk Life-long LD involving math, www.ld.org Math Resources
Understanding Dyscalculia “Linguistic” skills: understanding or naming mathematical terms, operations, or concepts, and decoding written problems into mathematical symbols Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed, American Psychiatric Assoc.
Understanding Dyscalculia “Perceptual” skills: recognizing or reading numerical symbols or arithmetic signs and clustering objects into groups Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed, American Psychiatric Assoc.
Understanding Dyscalculia “Attention” skills: copying numbers or figures correctly, remembering to add in ‘carried’ numbers, and observing operational signs Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed, American Psychiatric Assoc.
Understanding Dyscalculia “Mathematical” skills: following sequences of mathematical steps, counting objects, and learning multiplication tables Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed, American Psychiatric Assoc.
Underlying Causes Visual-spatial difficulties Weakness Processing what the eye sees Weakness visual processing numbers and mathematical situations www.ldonline.org
Underlying Causes Auditory processing difficulties Processing and making sense of what is heard www.ldonline.org
Underlying Causes Attention Memory Information processing Motor Sequencing & organizing information Understanding concepts and symbols www.ldonline.org
Symptoms Young Children Difficulty number sense learning to count recognizing printed numbers connecting the idea of a number with what it represents in the real world www.ld.org
Symptoms Young Children Poor memory for numbers Trouble organizing things in a logical way, sorting by shape, size, color, etc. www.ld.org
Symptoms Young Children Trouble recognizing groups and patterns Trouble comparing and contrasting smaller/larger, shorter/taller, etc. www.ld.org
Symptoms School Age Children Trouble learning math facts Difficulty developing math problem solving skills Poor long term memory for math functions Not familiar with math vocabulary Difficulty with measuring things www.ld.org
Symptoms School Age Children Avoiding games that require strategy Visual-spatial difficulties hinder comprehension of written mathematics www.ld.org
Symptoms School Age Children- time Difficulty reading a clock Problems with time perception challenge planning time required to complete a task www.ld.org
Symptoms Teenagers and Adults Estimating cost (shopping..) Learning math concepts beyond basic math facts Poor ability to budget or balance a checkbook Trouble with concepts of time (appointments..) www.ld.org
Symptoms Teenagers and Adults-challenges Mental math Finding different approaches to a problem Visualizing patterns, different parts of a math problem or identifying critical information needed in problem solving www.ld.org
Strategies Graph paper Memorization techniques Practice estimating Rhythm/music Practice estimating Visualize problems, draw pictures, use diagrams
Strategies Encourage verbalization Relate to real life Uncluttered worksheet Teach to the student’s style
References Adler, B. What is Dyscalculia?, 2001, www.dyscalculiainfo.org Attwood, Toney. “Dyscalculia and Dyslexia, Two different issues, or part of the same problem”, First and Best in Education, Ltd., www.firstandbest.co.uk The British Dyslexia Assoc. www.bda-dyslexia.org.uk Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed, American Psychiatric Association, Wash. DC, 2000. Haralson, K. Understanding Dyscalculia. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 2004