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?

With her long-standing history of working with children who have trouble with math or dyscalculia, Dr Schreuder can offer consultation at various levels:

Supporting parents and tutors

Some parents have a tutor they know and trust or they homeschool their child, but they may not be totally up to speed with dyscalculia. Dr Schreuder then can work with the parent or the tutor to guide them through the approaches that would be best for their child.

Supporting schools

Some schools do not have the inhouse expertise about dyscalculia and they will consult with Dr Schreuder about various topics to get them up to speed. Advice on what curriculum to use, advice on which manipulatives to buy and how to get the best out of them, and supporting their inhouse staff who are charged with providing special education for math.

Just drop her an email and we’ll see how we can help drschreuder@dyscalculiaservices.com

How to multiply with the Happy Hundred and Tweaky Twelve Basically we use the easy five times table
to do other multiplications. Example: what is 7 x 8 or 7 rows of 8, see the dotted rectangle above.
Student folds back on the dotted lines, so you see the 7 x 8 array. Ask: “How many groups of five do you
see? Remember: the fives can be horizontal and vertical.” Shapes that show 5 such as the yellow 5-rods
(Cuisenaires) help count groups of 5. Fill up the whole array with rods and ones, a rods track shows total.

See it all here https://happy.dyscalculiaservices.com

The process to deal with Dyscalculia or any other learning disability for that matter. Start by screening to see if a problem could be there, move on to testing/assessment to ensure you have all the details covered. Next create a mix of accommodations to help the student with their work to level the playing field and start remediation sessions as soon as possible. https://dyscalculiaservices.com