1. Math

2. 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.,
Math Resources

3. Dyscalculia
Having huge problems in math, in spite of being of normal intelligence,
Life-long LD involving math,
Math Resources

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Underlying Causes Visual-spatial difficulties Weakness
Processing what the eye sees
Weakness
visual processing
numbers and
mathematical situations

9. Underlying Causes Auditory processing difficulties Processing and
making sense of what is heard

10. Underlying Causes Attention Memory Information processing Motor
Sequencing & organizing information
Understanding concepts and symbols

11. 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

12. Symptoms Young Children
Poor memory for numbers
Trouble organizing things in a logical way,
sorting by
shape,
size,
color, etc.

13. Symptoms Young Children
Trouble recognizing
groups and
patterns
Trouble comparing and contrasting
smaller/larger,
shorter/taller, etc.

14. 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

15. Symptoms School Age Children
Avoiding games that require strategy
Visual-spatial difficulties
hinder comprehension of written mathematics

16. Symptoms School Age Children- time
Difficulty reading a clock
Problems with time perception
challenge
planning time required to complete a task

17. 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..)

18. 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

19. Strategies Graph paper Memorization techniques Practice estimating
Rhythm/music
Practice estimating
Visualize problems,
draw pictures,
use diagrams

20. Strategies Encourage verbalization Relate to real life
Uncluttered worksheet
Teach to the student’s style

21. References
Adler, B. What is Dyscalculia?, 2001,
Attwood, Toney. “Dyscalculia and Dyslexia, Two different issues, or part of the same problem”, First and Best in Education, Ltd.,
The British Dyslexia Assoc.
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