Dyscalculia

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by Eileen Bailey
Friday, March 27, 2009

Dyscalculia is a math learning disability. As with all learning disabilities, this can impact a person in many different ways and each person can have difficulties in different areas of mathematics. While some people may have trouble with memorizing facts and formulas, another person may understand math concepts but have difficulty with computations and yet another person may struggle with visual and spatial relationships. All of these difficulties can cause problems in mathematics, although with varying degrees.

Some of the signs of dyscalculia are: 

• Can be good at reading, may have developed language skills early, but had trouble with counting, sequencing and problem solving skills. 
• Can understand math concepts but has trouble with basic computations. 
• Has trouble with time, may be chronically late or not be able to determine how long something will take. 
• Trouble with directions, gets lost easily. 
• Inconsistency with mathematical concepts and abilities. May be able to do math problems one day but have trouble with same problems the next day. 
• Difficulty performing mental math. 
• Difficulty with estimating. 

Diagnosing Dyscalculia

There is no single test to determine whether a child (or adult) has dyscalculia. Evaluation for a math learning disability is based on a number of different tests on a range of math skills (and math-related skills). The evaluation not only measures the specific math knowledge, but also should seek to discover the understanding of math concepts, problem-solving skills, the use of logic in everyday situations.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities [1] lists several areas in a child's math development that are often used in an evaluation for dyscalculia: 

• Ability with basic math skills like counting, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing
• Ability to predict appropriate procedures based on understanding patterns - knowing when to add, subtract, multiply, divide or do more advanced computations
• Ability to organize objects in a logical way
• Ability to measure-telling time, using money
• Ability to estimate number quantities
• Ability to self-check work and find alternate ways to solve problems.  

Dyscalculia and Special Education

Special education laws can vary from state to state, however, most are very strict in eligibility requirements. A child that is performing below average may not be experiencing enough difficulties to be eligible for special education services.

If a parent believes their child is struggling with dyscalculia, the first step would be to request an evaluation. Schools, however, normally do not test for individual learning disabilities, but rather test for the need for special education services. A student that is performing at average or slightly below average in mathematics will often not qualify for special education, despite the challenges they may be facing. The math difficulties must be severe enough to qualify based on state special education law.