Supporting Students with Dyscalculia

Study Skills

Feb 16

Students with dyscalculia have a significantly more difficult time learning math than most, in this post we will explore how to identify dyscalculia and what we as educators and parents can do to help.

What is Dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia is a condition that affects a person’s ability to learn mathematics and acquire arithmetic skills. Sometimes called “math dyslexia”, dyscalculia impairs one’s ability to perform mathematical calculations, reason and problem solve, and understand simple numerical concepts. Many students with dyscalculia perform well in other classes like history and language arts, but struggle specifically in math or math based sciences. While research into this condition is limited, it has been found that dyscalculia affects 3-6% of the population, with a higher prevalence found in students with ADD, ADHD, and dyslexia.

These constant struggles to understand numerical concepts often lead to math anxiety in individuals with dyscalculia, often leading them to avoid math as much as possible, even into their adult lives. However, by recognizing dyscalculia symptoms and employing targeting learning strategies, students with dyscalculia can learn to excel in mathematics.

Symptoms and Accommodations

School children with dyscalculia may exhibit difficulty with the following tasks:

Connecting numbers (2) to their corresponding words (two)
Counting forwards or backwards
Recalling math facts, like multiplication tables
Mental math and problem solving
Recognizing patterns
Following multi-step procedures/instructions
Reading an analog clock and keeping track of time
Understanding spatial directions

Not all students who struggle with math have dyscalculia, however if you believe your student is persistently suffering from many of these symptoms, you should consult your student’s teachers to better understand what they are struggling with and whether they are struggling in areas other than math. From their teachers' feedback you may then want to consult a learning psychologist, or special education specialist for assessment and diagnosis.

There are no medications for dyscalculia, however your child may qualify for accommodations through an IEP. Students with dyscalculia often require extra time to process mathematical information, and need repetition in instruction, additional practice, and additional time for assessments. Students with diagnosed learning disabilities, such as dyscalculia, can request for accommodations such as extended time on standardized tests, such as the SAT.

Tips for Parents and Educators

Many students with dyscalculia struggle to hold math facts in their head or perform mental calculations, therefore many of them rely on visual aids such as drawings or counting on their fingers. Students struggling with dyscalculia will often require not only extra time to learn mathematical concepts, but also different teaching methods.

The following provisions can help students with dyscalculia overcome their math challenges:

Providing students with a quiet, distraction free environment while working on mathematical tasks
Providing mathematical reference sheets, like multiplication tables
Employing active learning methods like drawing, building, writing and demonstrating
Giving students one problem at a time, as students with dyscalculia can become more easily overwhelmed
Creating hands-on learning activities to help students commit concepts to memory
Encouraging students to draw or map out word problems
Providing strategies to cope with math anxiety

Students with dyscalculia will need more time and use of effective learning strategies like those mentioned above, but with persistence they too can come to understand and enjoy math. To learn more about how to support your student with dyscalculia, get in touch with our team.

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