What is dyscalculia? This word probably isn’t quite as well knows as dyslexia. If you look closely at the different parts of the word, and then think to yourself that it sounds kind of like dyslexia but having to do with math, you would be correct. Dyscalculia is a math learning disability. A clinical definition of dyscalculia would be applied to a person who struggles with basic math skills, so much so that their academic math performance probably falls at least 2 grade levels below their age/grade level, and the reason for this discrepancy is because of a significant weakness in one or more perceptual skills. Some examples of these perceptual skills include: visual or auditory memory, sequential memory, processing speed, working memory, visual discrimination, visual-spatial, or visual reasoning.
People with dyscalculia typically struggle to understand math concepts early on in the school learning years. Such foundational concepts include: number sense, telling time (especially on an analog clock), counting and making change, reading graphs and charts, estimating, and remembering steps/algorithms in a sequence (such as traditional long multiplication or long division). Sometimes memorizing math facts can be extra challenging too.
How can a person with dyscalculia learn math better? One of the biggest things to remember in your approach to helping this person with math, is to look for ways to break down the math problem or math-related task into smaller steps. Be patient. More than likely, these smaller steps toward the bigger goal will each take more time than originally expected. For example, if this student has trouble telling time with an analog clock (no matter what their age), start with making sure they know how to tell time just to the hour. Then, move to practicing telling time to the half-hour, and eventually to the quarter-hour. When the student seems ready for you to teach that each big number represents counting by fives, you need to find out if they even know how to do that. If not, you might need to back-track with a number line to practice the concept of counting by fives. This person may need to learn how to jump back and forth from counting by fives and then ones, which is a number sense issue.
Another important strategy to keep in mind is that if a person is really struggling with one of these math concepts, they most likely need to see things drawn out, or even use manipulatives when available. For example, if this math student needs to learn how to count money and make change, using either a set of plastic coins or real change can make a huge difference contrasted with just trying to explain it with words. If this person has trouble shifting from counting one type of coin and then another, you may need to use a physical number line to practice jumping from one amount of number spacing to another, such as counting by 10s, 5s, and then 1s. It is important to note, though, that this student needs to eventually move from the concrete to the more abstract. Something I often do to help bridge that gap is to guide the student who has demonstrated a better understanding of number sense on a concrete number line to practice using a number line that is only visualized. I will actually ask them to imagine that same number line on an imaginary white board in front of them and to point to various numbers on that line, such as the 5 and 10, or the 10 and 20. This is also a great way to help students improve the skill of rounding numbers. Do you have a student who is struggling to memorize multiplication facts? If so, you are invited to check out my free DIY kit in my store. It is a method I have used for years to help students increase their skill and confidence in memorizing those facts.
