Mathematical Disorder (dyslcalculia)
Dyscalculia is an alternative term used to refer to a specific learning impairment in mathematics. Dyscalculia affects more than a student’s ability to handle math class and homework. Math skills and concepts are used everywhere from the kitchen to the playground to the workplace. Here are some everyday skills and activities these students may find difficult:
• Social skills: Failing repeatedly in math class can lead your child to assume failure is inevitable in other areas too. Low self-esteem can affect your child’s willingness to make new friends or participate in afterschool activities. He might also avoid playing games and sports that involve math and keeping score.
• Sense of direction: Your child might have trouble learning left from right. He may have trouble getting places by reading maps or following directions. Some kids with dyscalculia can’t picture things in their minds. Does your child have trouble imagining how a building or other three-dimensional object would look if viewed from another angle? If so, he may worry about getting lost when changing classes, riding a bike or driving a car.
• Physical coordination: Dyscalculia can affect how the brain and eyes work together. So your child may have trouble judging distances between objects. He may seem clumsier than other kids the same age.
• Money management: Dyscalculia can make it difficult to stick to a budget, balance a checkbook and estimate costs. It can also make it hard to calculate a tip and count exact change.
• Time management: Dyscalculia can affect your child’s ability to measure quantities, including units of time. Your child may have trouble estimating how long a minute is or keeping track of how much time has passed. This can make it hard to stick to a schedule.
• Other skills: A child may have trouble figuring out how much of an ingredient to use in a recipe. He might have a hard time estimating how fast another car is moving or how far away it is.
What other conditions are related to dyscalculia?
It isn’t unusual for students to be diagnosed with dyscalculia and another medical condition. Doctors refer to co-existing conditions as being “comorbid.” Certain conditions can easily be confused for dyscalculia because they have some of the same symptoms. Conditions that often exist with—or are misdiagnosed as—dyscalculia are:
• Dyslexia: Children are often diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia. Researchers have found that 43–65 percent of kids with math disabilities also have reading disabilities.
• ADHD: Children are often diagnosed with dyscalculia and ADHD. But some math errors can be explained by inattention to detail and other characteristics of ADHD. So some experts recommend reevaluating math skills after getting ADHD symptoms under control.
• Math anxiety: Children with math anxiety are so worried about the prospect of doing math that their fear and nervousness can lead to poor performance on math tests. Some kids may have both math anxiety and dyscalculia.
• Genetic disorders: Dyscalculia is associated with several genetic disorders including fragile X syndrome, Gerstmann’s syndrome and Turner’s syndrome.
Help for dyscalculia: School Accommodations
If a student has been identified with dyscalculia and is eligible for special education services, the parents and the school will come up with a plan of supports and accommodations. However, schools do not formally diagnose specific learning impairments. Oftentimes parents have their child tested privately to obtain a clear diagnosis. Call us at (813) 468-6528 for more information about private testing services. In most cases, these students qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP gives access to more resources, such as assistive technology such as allowing the use of a calculator or extra time for tests and less amount of math homework and assignments.
Other interventions include…
• Response to intervention (RTI) is a program some schools use to provide extra help to students who are falling behind. If your child’s school uses RTI, routine screenings identify which kids need to bone up on certain skills. Then those children will receive small-group instruction either within or outside of their regular classroom. If enough progress isn’t made in a small group, then the program will give the student more intensive one-on-one instruction.
• Informal supports are strategies teachers often use to help struggling students. Enlisting the support of teachers is important. Set up a meeting to talk about parent-teacher concerns. Ask if the teacher is willing to keep a journal of how the child responds to different strategies or math-related activities.
Strategies for teachers:
• Using concrete examples that connect math to real life, to strengthen your child’s number sense. Examples: sorting buttons or other familiar objects.
• Using visual aids when solving problems, including drawing pictures or moving around physical objects—which teachers refer to as “manipulatives.”
• Assigning manageable amounts of work so your child won’t feel overloaded.
• Reviewing a recently learned skill before moving on to a new one, and explaining how the skills are related.
• Supervising work and encouraging your child to talk through the problem-solving process. This can help make sure he’s using the right math rules and formulas.
• Breaking new lessons into smaller parts that easily show how different skills relate to the new concept. Teachers call this process “chunking.”
• Letting your child use graph paper to help keep numbers lined up.
• Using an extra piece of paper to cover up most of what’s on a math test so your child can focus on one problem at a time.
• Playing math-related games designed to help your child have fun and feel more comfortable with math.
After testing, our report will include detailed accommodations, supports and services to be included in your child’s IEP. Call us for more information at (813) 468-6528.
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