Learning Disorders in Math/Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder that affects an individual’s ability to learn, understand, and perform tasks related to numbers. Not all students who have math learning differences will receive a diagnosis of dyscalculia. For example, some students struggle only with math calculation (e.g., accurately completing pencil and paper math problems), while others struggle to read a math story problem and understand what to do with all of the provided information. Math learning differences are often noticed when a student first begins to learn math concepts.
Learning Disorders in Math/Dyscalculia: What Do They Look Like?
Since math is taught in a sequential manner (e.g., an individual first learns addition and then subtraction), weaknesses in early math skills will have a negative impact on more advanced applications of math. Individuals who have been diagnosed with a specific learning disorder in math often struggle to connect numbers to what numbers represent. This means that a student with a math learning difference struggles to connect the number 12 with twelve objects and will subsequently have difficulty determining what number is larger: 12 or 13.
Contact us to schedule an evaluation for learning disorders in math/dyscalculia.
Resources
How to help kids with dyscalculia
Classroom accommodations for dyscalculia
Math Fact Lab (fluency practice)
Books
How the Brain Learns Mathematics
The Number Sense: How the Brain Learns Mathematics
Discovering Dyscalculia: One Family's Journey with a Math Disability