Category Archives: Educators

How do you determine it is Dyscalculia

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This is an important question with implications for the remediation of the condition.

At this moment there is no generally agreed definition about what Dyscalculia is but there are now, thanks to a working group from the UK, guidelines that you can follow to ensure you get the right diagnosis.

It starts with a few key principles to distiquis Dyscalculia and a special learning disability from other difficulties with math:

  • 1. Difficulties must be unexpected in relation to age, level of education, level of experience and level of other attainments:
  • 2. Difficulties should be specific and persistent.
  • 3. Difficulties must not be solely caused by other factors such as:
    •  Inappropriate teaching or gaps in mathematics education  Social and personal factors which adversely affect attitude/motivation with regard to learning mathematics
    •  Maths anxiety
    •  Incomplete mastery of the language of instruction (e.g. EAL/ESL)
    •  General learning difficulties
  • 4. Difficulties should not arise from another neurological, physical or mental health condition.

Next it proposes a definition for Dyscalculia and other Math difficulties:

Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to age, level of education and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities.

Mathematics difficulties are best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and they have many causal factors. Dyscalculia falls at one end of the spectrum and will be distinguishable from other mathematics issues due to the severity of difficulties with number sense, including subitising, symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparison, and ordering. It can occur singly but can also co-occur with other specific learning difficulties, mathematics anxiety and medical conditions.

Read all about it HERE

Dyslexia and Dyscalculia

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If you are already familiar with Dyslexia, it is easier to understand the things that happen when you have Dyscalculia. Although they are very different, here is an overview of where you see how it affects people similarly.

Looking for Dyscalculia Tutors

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Dyscalculia is about as prevalent as Dyslexia but not as well known and much less diagnosed. People still shrug it off when they are “bad at math” and don’t worry too much about it although it can have major implications for further education options, job opportunities and just moving through life with ease.

Daniel Ansari said it very well:

This math learning disability is nearly as common as dyslexia, however it’s studied far less, understood far worse, and diagnosed inconsistently

Dr Schreuder is on a mission to increase the number of Dyscalculia Tutors. For this she has developed an online Dyscalculia Tutor Training and to celebrate the upcoming Holidays and Black Friday and Cyber Monday she is offering Promotional Pricing of 15% off the regular price for a bundle that includes:

The bundle is available HERE and it saves you $140

More information about the online Dyscalculia Tutor Training is available at http://DyscalculiaTutor.org

 

The new school year, let’s get ready

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When your student(s) have been struggling with math it could be Dyscalculia. 

Let’s not wait too long and provide the support they need and deserve. 

To learn more about Dyscalculia you can:

Watch our Free Webinars

Follow our headlines

Do our Dyscalculia Awareness Course

Test your student online

Become a Dyscalculia Tutor with our online Training

Contact us for more or different support

DrSchreuder@dyscalculiaservices.com    tel: 832-377-8373


Dyscalculia often combined with ADHD, dyslexia, and dysgraphia

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1. ADHD 

Many students with dyscalculia or Math LD also have ADD / ADHD.

In fact, new research mentions that inattentiveness is likely one of the underlying conditions in developing dyscalculia.
So it makes sense to implement the usual strategies that teachers know to be effective for ADD / ADHD to make sure your student(s) with math difficulties and dyscalculia can benefit the most of your lessons.

Minimizing distractions, the students’ location in the classroom, a quiet spot for individual work, a short interval between doing the math work and getting feedback, a clear method for self monitoring of being on task, a token reward system, and frequent breaks with some movement can all contribute to success.

2. Dyslexia

Students with dyslexia struggle to learn to read, their reading is slow and/or has a lot of errors and comprehension is often lacking. Most dyslexic children have a hard time with spelling. Contrary to general belief dyslexia does not start at the age of learning to read, but dyslexic children are born with a different brain structure and function. This hampers phonological awareness, the processing of single sounds that make up words. Recognizing rhyme, blending and segmenting words and syllables into single sounds is really hard for them. This ability is one of the precursors for learning to read and spell. Screening in KG and 1st grade will open the opportunity for early detection and intervention. Intensive structured phonics methods make the most effective intervention.

Dyslexia and dyscalculia are often combined (some articles mention in up to 30%). It is important to remediate the reading in order to be successful in math, in particular when doing word problems.

3. Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is tied in with visuo-spatial abilities, one of the cornerstones in learning math. So it is to be expect that many dysgraphic students are struggling with math. It is obvious they need extra time for any written math work and for tests.

Using a tablet/laptop can be a blessing in language classes, but typing number sentences and formulas is cumbersome. Graph paper can help students with handwriting problems: each numeral and sign goes in a separate square and becomes more legible. Calculations are aligned and you can quickly spot an error and offer a targeted explanation.

Multiple Choice tests / quizzes do not ask for a written response so students can more easily show their math achievements. Please remember to provide square paper on the side to prevent the student being forced to scribble in the irregular shaped margins that are left open between the mc-questions.