Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is understood as “math dyslexia,” but is actually a syndrome or collection of characteristics that are marked by underachievement in math in spite of good ability in speaking, reading, and writing. Sometimes dyscalculia occurs with other learning difficulties. Signs of Dyscalculia. The student with dyscalculia loses track when counting; has trouble memorizing and recalling addition and multiplication facts, as well as math procedures and rules. They tend to practice and learn math, but quickly forget, and typically do poorly on tests. Inconsistent math memory causes frustration, avoidance, and anxiety. The student is quickly overwhelmed by the volume of facts and procedures and is distressed by the daunting visual-spatial-directional-sequential demands of arithmetic. They typically have a shallow and insufficient understanding of the base ten system, place value, decimals, and fractions. They typically have trouble reading numbers with more than three digits. They wrestle to visualize and to detect subtle details in visual information and when feeling objects. They struggle to do mental calculations and to consider quantitative information about time, speed, distance, magnitude, size, weight, and area. They grapple with visual-spatial relationships, navigation, maps, directions, steps, scheduling, and organization.They often make unconscious number mistakes when reading, thinking, talking, copying, listening, and writing. Tutoring is often unproductive because ...

Assessment of Dyscalculia Some assessments are specifically marketed as dyscalculia tests. It is possible, however, for evaluators to determine if a child has dyscalculia and learning disabilities in math through general types of diagnostic math assessments, reviews of student work, and cognitive assessments.

Affects a person’s ability to understand numbers and learn math facts. Individuals with this type of learning disability demonstrate impaired math calculation skills and difficulty understanding numbers and math facts. Dyscalculia is associated with weaknesses in fundamental number representation and processing, which results in difficulties with quantifying sets without counting, using nonverbal processes to complete simple numerical operations, and estimating relative magnitudes of sets. Because these math skills are necessary for higher-level math problem solving, quantitative reasoning is likely impaired for these individuals. Dyscalculia can impact: • Estimating a quantity without counting • Calculation skills • Using processes to solve equations • Mental math • Remembering steps in a sequence • Reading graphs or charts • Remembering dates and deadlines • Counting change • Navigation skills

• Has trouble learning to count and skips over numbers long after other preschoolers can remember numbers in the right order • Struggles to recognize patterns, like smallest to largest or tallest to shortest • Has trouble recognizing number symbols (knowing that “7” means seven) • Doesn’t seem to get the idea of counting (maybe when you ask for five blocks, your child just hands you an armful) • Has a hard time learning and recalling basic math facts, like 2 + 4 = 6 • Struggles to identify +, ‒, and other signs, and to use them correctly • Still uses fingers to count instead of using more advanced strategies, like • Struggles to understand words related to math, such as greater than and less than • Has trouble using math concepts with money, including estimating the total cost, making exact change, and figuring out a tip • Has difficulty grasping information shown on charts or graphs • Has difficulty measuring things like ingredients in a simple recipe or liquids in a bottle • Has a hard time finding different approaches to the same math problem You might hear different terms, depending on whether your child has a school evaluation or a private one. Schools don’t “diagnose” conditions. They “identify” learning disabilities. So you might hear that your child has a learning disability in math. You might also hear that your child has dyscalculia.

What is Dyscalculia? • • Dyscalculia is defined as a failure to achieve in mathematics commensurate with chronological age, normal intelligence, and adequate instruction. It is marked by difficulties with visualization; visual-spatial perception, processing and discrimination; counting; pattern recognition; sequential memory; working-memory for numbers; retrieval of learned facts and procedures; directional confusion; quantitative processing speed; kinesthetic sequences; and perception of time. • The Dyscalculia Syndrome (1998) by Renee M. Newman Terms for Dyscalculia • • Calculation Disorder (1908) • Figure Blindness (1919) • Visual Figure Agnosia (1919) [ Types of Visual Agnosia , 2010] • Acalculia (1925) • Figure Agraphia • Number Deafness (1925) • Number Paraphasia • Number Agraphia • Number Alexia • Acalculia secondary to visual-spatial dysfunction with malalignment of numbers and columns and a and acalculia only infrequently produced number deafness. • Anarithmetria, primary, entailing disruption of the computation process. • Specific Learning Disability / Disorder in Mathematics (SLD-Math) • Math Learning Disability / Disorder (MLD) • Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) • Gerstmann's Syndrome • Math Dyslexia or Dyslexia in Math • Math Anxiety • Numerical Impairment • Number Agnosia • Nonverbal Learning Disorder / Disability (NLD) About Dyscalculia • • The Dyscalculia Symptoms Checklist • Causes • Dyscalculia Syndrome • Videos • Math Anxiety • Math Dyslexia? • Prediction ...