The first step to find out if you or your child could have a learning disability for math, is usually to do a quick check.

We offer two different checklists:

One for Adults click here

One for Children click here

Make sure you follow up after getting your results, early intervention is best and if you are unsure about what to do, just contact us and we can help you look at your options click HERE

There are three tiers of support available in general for children who have trouble with math.

There is the base level class instruction; Tier 1. This covers everything that gets done either with the class as a whole or in smaller groups. Most students will be able to succeed in this level of instruction.

The next level is Tier 2 intervention and the domain of special education teachers, tutors and other professionals who help the student. This level of instruction handles catching up with concepts if the student has missed a series of lessons, helping by presenting the material in a more quiet environment, in a smaller group and with easier numbers and sometimes with different formats or using different tools and manipulatives. The objective is to get through classwork and keep up with where the group is at.

When students do not make satisfactory progress in Tier 2, you can intensify the intervention: like more often, longer, or using another method, Tier 3 intervention is started by Dyscalculia Specialists, usually after in depth testing for gaps in the students’ knowledge to work with the student to fill in the gaps and work on conceptual understanding of the material using a variety of tools and techniques. The objective is to train the brain to start finding paths to get the three main centers of the brain involved in math instruction to work together. This type of instruction almost always includes training in subitizing and number sense. It will go back to the level of the student and make sure basic concepts like a number line or the base-ten system is conceptually understood in such a way that further development of the math instruction can take place.

As many educators are not yet fully aware of Dyscalculia and the public in general has not heard of it either, it is good to ensure some myths about Dyscalculia are dispelled.

Dyscalculia is Dyslexia but than for Math

No that is not accurate. Although there are similarities between the conditions they actually affect a totally different part of the brain. There are lots of students who have both conditions and need help reading the words and learning the numbers!

Dyscalculia means you will never be able to do Math

No not true, you need help learning it but eventually you will be able to work with Math. It is the learning that causes issues, not the understanding of the material.

People with Dyscalculia have lower IQ’s

Not true at all, IQ has nothing to do with Dyscalculia. A low IQ may also be a problem for learning Math but Dyscalculia is a dysfunction of a part of the brain processes and all other areas are not affected where someone with a low IQ will have problems with all areas of learning.

Compared to Dyslexia there are not that many people with Dyscalculia

Also not true, in fact the prevalence is about the same. It is true however that less people with Dyscalculia get diagnosed but that is why we created this Dyscalculia Awareness Training.

Dyscalculia is the same as number blindness

No not true, although Dyscalculia goes by many different names. Some public schools refer to it as a “mathematics learning disability.” Doctors sometimes call it a “mathematics disorder.” Many kids and parents call it “math dyslexia.” and yes number blindness is also a name it has been called. Some people also confuse Dyscalculia with Math Anxiety. These are separate conditions but one may impact the other. 

Dyscalculia is just another way of saying Math is not your thing

Totally not true. This is unfortunately why many people will brush off early signs of Dyscalculia as “Math is not his thing”, “She is just not so much into Math” and other common justifications. When a baby is slow to start walking we don’t say “ oh walking is not his thing, let’s give up on teaching him to walk”. Likewise if someone is slow starting to read and write we don’t say “oh writing is just not his thing, so let’s stop teaching him to write the alphabet”. Similarly for Dyscalculia, it is possible for everyone to learn Math, we just need to diagnose the condition people have and find ways around their learning disability.

There are many more myths and half-truths that go around. It is important to remember that Dyscalculia is a serious condition and needs to be identified as soon as possible.

Research has shown that that early intervention when a child has dyscalculia will provide the best results for remediation. So below a number of early warning signs that should prompt you to seek further information. For example via https://dyscalculiascreener.org

Toddler warning signs

• late with learning the counting words in order, or rattles of 1-10 like one big word
• no one-to-one correspondence
• doesn’t enjoy building blocks and puzzles
• difficulty directional words: under, next to, behind, before
• difficulty memorizing events, what’s the order of events in a day
  KG
• late with learning the counting words in order, or rattles of 1-10 like one big word
• can’t count back
• no one-to-one correspondence
• does not recognize the dice patterns
• only sorts by color, not by size, shape, length, or quantity
• difficulty sequencing even everyday events
• can’t complete an ABAB pattern
• avoids visual puzzles
  Grade 1
• keeps ‘counting all’ instead of ‘counting on’
• miscounts quantities above 10
• difficulty knowing which number is larger
• perceives written numbers as a scribble or a sign, not something that indicates a quantity
• can’t remember ten-bonds and addition facts
• doesn’t split and recombine small numbers
• can’t work with steps on a number line
• confuses -teen and -ty numbers
• doesn’t know left and right yet
  Grade 2 – 3
• keeps counting by one on fingers, slow
• doesn’t see add and subtract as reverse operations
• can’t remember addition and subtraction facts
• sees column algorithm as unconnected questions
• place value and regrouping is difficult
• can’t choose the operation in a word problem
• seems to know it one day, forgets it the next
• can develop accuracy but does not develop fluency or automaticity
• doesn’t like analogue clocks
• doesn’t know left and right
• math anxiety
  Grade 4-5
• keeps counting or using tally marks, so slower
• adding seems the default mode
• can’t remember multiplication facts
• doesn’t see multiply and divide as reverse operations
• learning with one model can’t be applied in another
• number lines and place value operations are hard
• can’t do multistep operations like long division
• fractions and decimals are confusing
• no proportional thinking
• word problems are confusing, sometimes lacks in math vocabulary
• forgets hand-in dates for homework
• more frustration and anxiety, avoiding math, believes s/he can’t do it, so why try?