Have you heard of the math learning disability, dyscalculia? Dr. Honora Wall, Executive Director of the Dyscalculia Training & Research Institute, explains the causes, symptoms, and solutions of dyscalculia in this post.
You’ve probably heard of dyslexia, and you can probably define and describe the reading learning disability to a colleague, parent, or friend. But what about the math learning disability? Dyscalculia is a Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) in the same neurodivergent family as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, Autism, and ADD/ADHD. While dyscalculia has been researched since the 1930’s, it never attracted the same interest and exposure as dyslexia. In fact, the current ratio of published research on the two SLDs is 14 to 1, but this is changing. Interest in, and research on, dyscalculia is growing. Here’s what we know:
- Causes of Dyscalculia
- Dyscalculia is a different way of thinking about, learning, and remembering math. It tends to run in families. It is something we are born with, but it is not a disease, or a problem, or a deficiency. It is simply different brain wiring, mostly in the parietal lobe. Dyscalculia makes people forget math facts over time, feel lost following multiple steps and procedures, and struggle to compare quantities.
- Signs and Symptoms
- Students with dyscalculia are bright, and they do well in other subjects (unless they have comorbidity with another SLD), but they just can’t get the hang of math. We can identify dyscalculia in very young children, but typically we recognize it around third grade. Students are still counting on their fingers, they haven’t memorized their basic facts, and they struggle with the ‘Dyscalculia Trifecta’: Time, money, and place value. They don’t respond well to traditional interventions, but with the right accommodations, they can do very well in math.
- Lifetime Impact
- Adults with dyscalculia may avoid driving and have a terrible time following or giving directions; they stay away from financial conversations; they face difficulties at work. Many young adults have a hard time finishing college, too, but this is usually due to inadequate or inappropriate accommodations and tests. This leads to less lifetime earnings, limited career choices, and prolonged feelings of not being “able to do math”. It’s embarrassing, and completely unnecessary.
- Classroom Solutions
- In the early grades, offer manipulatives, number lines, 1 to 100 charts, and extended time. In third grade, continue allowing (and encourage using) 1 to 100 charts, multiplication lists, and vocabulary or reference sheets during assignments and assessments. By fifth grade, calculators are appropriate, and so are worked examples and guided notes. Offer alternative assessments, especially oral assessments. Continue these accommodations in middle school and high school, too. Be encouraging and supportive.
The rate of dyscalculia seems to be the same as dyslexia (roughly 8% of any population, according to most researchers), which translates to about 4 million K-12 students in the United States. Students with dyscalculia are appropriately placed in general education classrooms, when given interventions and accommodations to support their learning differences. With the right support, people with dyscalculia can successfully complete grade level math.
For more information, contact Dr. Wall at honora@thedtri.org or visit www.thedtri.org and www.educalclearning.com