The Gift Beneath the Struggle

In psychology, there is a concept known as twice exceptionality. This is a term used for individuals who are both gifted and challenged.

They may have exceptional talents in art, intellect or creativity, yet live with a learning disability such as dyslexia, ADHD, or dyscalculia.

Often, the disability hides the gift so effectively that teachers, parents, and even the individuals themselves fail to recognize it.
But perhaps “twice exceptionality” isn’t just a psychological label – maybe it’s a reflection of the human condition itself.

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Dyscalculia: the cultural lie

We still treat math as a moral test. If you cannot do mental arithmetic on command you must be lazy distracted or irresponsible.

That myth starts early. A child who struggles with multiplication gets told to try harder. That same child grows up downloads a budgeting app and is told again to just be more disciplined.

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Too hot for math?

  • Academic performance drops when temperatures rise, according to a study released Thursday by the NWEA. When test-day temperatures clocked over 80 degrees, students had lower math MAP Growth scores, the organization that administers the assessment found. 
  • Extreme heat affects high-poverty students especially. The NWEA study found that high heat negatively impacted math scores up to twice as much for students in high-poverty schools than for those from low-poverty schools.
  • The study recommends educators set testing schedules around weather conditions when possible, create better testing conditions by moving testing to cooler areas and testing during the morning, invest in updated HVAC infrastructure, and ensure that districts’ infrastructure planning takes into account high-poverty communities. 

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Understanding How You Can Help Students With Dyscalculia

By providing targeted supports and instruction, teachers can help students with dyscalculia find more comfort and success in math class.

Teachers can make a significant positive impact on students with dyscalculia by building their own understanding of the condition and implementing teaching strategies that effectively support students.

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Signs of Dyscalculia: How to Recognize the Struggles with Math

The Stemly tutoring company has a great page with lots of good information about dyscalculia.

See the full page here