Warning Signs
Dyscalculia is the learning disability that involves being unable to do math. Many resources give warning signs for dyscalculia with varied indicators depending on different phases of life. They include:
However, struggling with math doesn’t necessarily mean having a learning disability in math, since everyone learns at different pace. If the following signs accompany math learning problems, it may indicate dyscalculia with more certainty.
- Having difficulties learning to count
- Experiencing trouble in recognizing and memorizing numbers
- Finding it hard to connect the idea of a number to its real-life application
- Having trouble organizing things in a logical way
- Finding it difficult to do math manipulations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division)
- Having difficulties developing math problem-solving abilities
- Weak long-term memory in doing math operations
- Trouble learning math vocabulary
- Difficulty in measuring objects or playing strategic games
- Being poor at managing budget or account
- Feeling uneasy learning math concepts
- Having a poor concept of time
- Having a poor sense of direction
- Finding it difficult to do mental calculations and/or estimation
- Difficulty in finding alternative approaches to solve math problems
However, struggling with math doesn’t necessarily mean having a learning disability in math, since everyone learns at different pace. If the following signs accompany math learning problems, it may indicate dyscalculia with more certainty.
- Good literature skills, such as reading, speaking, and writing, but slow in developing counting and building math problem-solving skills
- Excellent memory for printed words, but poor at recalling numbers
- General math concepts is fine, but whenever it comes to specific or practical computation problems, students feel stuck
Parent and Child Rights
Parents of children with exceptionalities have the following rights:
Regardless of race, gender, severity of his or her disability, a child with an exceptionality has the following rights:
To learn more about parent and child rights, click the link below; it offers more detailed information about the rights outlined under IDEA.
https://arksped.k12.ar.us/documents/policy/rulesandregulations/a4.pdf
- The right to be noticed (the right to know)
- The freedom to give consent (or not)
- The right of confidentiality
- The right of hearing, mediation, appeal, and complaint; send students to private school
Regardless of race, gender, severity of his or her disability, a child with an exceptionality has the following rights:
- The right to be evaluated in his or her condition (an IEP plan)
- The right to be re-evaluated (an annually updated IEP plan)
- The right to have an individual education evaluation
- The right to free public education
- The right of confidentiality
- The right to be educated in the least restrictive environment
To learn more about parent and child rights, click the link below; it offers more detailed information about the rights outlined under IDEA.
https://arksped.k12.ar.us/documents/policy/rulesandregulations/a4.pdf
Helpful Links
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=HVf_OHK2hHQ
Do you suspect that your students may have dyscalculia? You should watch this informative video, in which Dr. Horowitz talks about dyscalculia in detail. It may help you to be more certain about your suspicion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7KNGpPrlEg
This is a video about how a college student with dyscalculia advocates for her rights. Parents of K-12 students who have a great deal of trouble in math may get some ideas from her experience as to how to help your student figure out his or her problem and assert his or her rights.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-teach-a-child-with-dyscalculia.html
As parents of students with dyscalculia, how would you teach them after school tackling their math problems? Here is a website that contains a few basic principles you should follow.
http://www.dyscalculiaforum.com/news.php
This is a very good forum that aims to make more people aware of dyscalculia. Though its news section has not been updated since 2011, it contains a lot of useful information, news articles, and videos about dyscalculia. The forum is up-to-date. You need to create an account to log on. The “Parents” section is especially effective for communication among parents.
http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/dyscalculia/helpful-math-resources
More resources on dyscalculia
http://www.oecd.org/fr/sites/educeri/dyscalculiaprimerandresourceguide.htm
Some FAQs for parents
Do you suspect that your students may have dyscalculia? You should watch this informative video, in which Dr. Horowitz talks about dyscalculia in detail. It may help you to be more certain about your suspicion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7KNGpPrlEg
This is a video about how a college student with dyscalculia advocates for her rights. Parents of K-12 students who have a great deal of trouble in math may get some ideas from her experience as to how to help your student figure out his or her problem and assert his or her rights.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-teach-a-child-with-dyscalculia.html
As parents of students with dyscalculia, how would you teach them after school tackling their math problems? Here is a website that contains a few basic principles you should follow.
http://www.dyscalculiaforum.com/news.php
This is a very good forum that aims to make more people aware of dyscalculia. Though its news section has not been updated since 2011, it contains a lot of useful information, news articles, and videos about dyscalculia. The forum is up-to-date. You need to create an account to log on. The “Parents” section is especially effective for communication among parents.
http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/dyscalculia/helpful-math-resources
More resources on dyscalculia
http://www.oecd.org/fr/sites/educeri/dyscalculiaprimerandresourceguide.htm
Some FAQs for parents
Information for this page was taken from the following websites:
http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/dyscalculia/common-warning-signs-of-dyscalculia-in-college-students-and-adults
http://sped.wikidot.com/dyscalculia-the-math-disability
http://www.ncld.org/types-learning-disabilities/dyscalculia/common-warning-signs-of-dyscalculia-in-college-students-and-adults
http://sped.wikidot.com/dyscalculia-the-math-disability
