Supporting Children with Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia affects around 6% of the population, yet many educators and parents are unfamiliar with its specific challenges. This article explores ways to support children with dyscalculia. We’ll specifically focus on what it is, symptoms at different stages, causes, and effective support strategies.

What is Dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia is a learning disability that affects one’s ability to do mathematics and to grasp mathematical concepts. Students with dyscalculia struggle to learn mathematics and to develop mathematical skills despite an adequate learning environment at home and at school. There are different severities of dyscalculia and children will react or adapt to each differently. Some students might work hard to memorise simple number facts. Others may know what to do but not understand the reason behind certain mathematical methods or steps. Students with less severe dyscalculia might understand the logic behind math but are unsure how and when to apply their knowledge when solving mathematical problems.

Dyscalculia affects people throughout their lifespan. Children with dyscalculia tend to begin falling behind from as early as primary school. Oftentimes, students may develop a strong dislike for mathematics as a result. Once they reach secondary school, they usually struggle to pass math and science subjects.

 

Signs of dyscalculia by age

Dyscalculia includes a range of mathematical challenges that vary widely from student to student. A child’s symptoms may not mirror those of another, so it’s helpful to observe and document any difficulties. Sharing these observations with teachers and healthcare providers can help tailor support strategies. Dyscalculia signs differ by age but typically become more noticeable as children grow, though they can appear as early as preschool. Research on dyscalculia is still limited, so while mathematical difficulties are the primary indicator, we know little about which symptoms persist into adolescence and adulthood. Early identification is key to effective intervention; here are some known symptoms to look for across ages:

Signs in Kindergarten to look out for

• Has trouble learning to count, especially when it comes to assigning each object in a group a number.
• Has trouble recognising number symbols, such as making the connection between “7” and the word “seven”.
• Struggles to connect a number to a real-life situation, such as knowing that “3” can apply to any group that has three things in it; 3 cookies, 3 cars, 3 kids, etc.
• Has trouble remembering numbers, skips numbers, or counts in the wrong order.
• Finds it hard to recognize patterns and to sort items by size, shape or colour.
• Avoids playing games that involve numbers, counting and other math concepts.

Signs in Elementary School to look out for

• Has trouble learning and remembering basic math facts, such as 2 + 4 = 6.
• Struggles to identify mathematical signs (+-) and use them correctly.
• May continue to use fingers to count instead of using more sophisticated strategies.
• Has trouble writing numerals clearly or putting them in the correct column.
• Has trouble coming up with a plan to solve a math problem.
• Struggles to understand words and concepts related to math, such as greater than and less than.
• Has trouble telling left from right, and even a poor sense of direction.
• Has difficulty remembering phone numbers and game scores.
• Has trouble telling time. 

Signs in High School to look out for

• Struggles to apply math concepts to everyday life, including monetary matters such as estimating the total cost, making exact change and figuring out a tip.
• Has trouble measuring things such as ingredients in a simple recipe.
• Struggles finding his or her way around and worries about getting lost.
• Has a hard time grasping information shown on graphs or charts.
• Has trouble finding and using different approaches to the same math problem.
• May lack assurance in activities that entail estimating speed and distance, such as playing sports and learning to drive.

Recognising symptoms to support children with dyscalculia

• Difficulty imagining a mental number line
• Particular difficulty with subtraction
• Difficulty using finger counting (slow, inaccurate, unable to immediately recognise finger configurations)
• Trouble decomposing numbers (e.g. recognizing that 10 is made up of 4 and 6)
• Difficulty understanding place value
• Trouble learning and understanding reasoning methods and multi-step calculation procedures
• Anxiety about or a negative attitude towards maths 

Now that you are aware of the many and varied symptoms of dyscalculia, it will be easy for you as a tutor to spot any correlations or learning challenges should your student ever have these. If, during your tutoring sessions, you notice your student experiencing difficulty, it is important that you keep a record and then speak to his or her parents about your concerns.

 

Other impacts of dyscalculia

While we’ve discussed the academic effects of having dyscalculia, there are also many other facets of life that can be affected. 

• Social skills: Failing repeatedly in math class can cause children to assume failure is unavoidable in other areas too. Low self-esteem can affect their inclination to make new friends or to partake in after school activities. 
• Physical coordination: Dyscalculia can affect how the brain and eyes work together. Because of this, a child may have problems judging distances between objects. Sometimes they may even seem clumsier than others the same age.
• Money management: Dyscalculia can make it difficult to stick to a budget and to estimate costs.
• Time management: Dyscalculia can affect a child’s ability to measure quantities, including units of time. This can make it hard to stick to a schedule.

Associated learning difficulties

• Dyslexia, or difficulty reading
• Attention difficulties
• Spatial difficulties (not good at drawing, visualisation, remembering arrangements of objects, understanding time/direction)
• Short term memory difficulties (the literature on the relation between these and dyscalculia is very controversial)
• Poor coordination of movement (dyspraxia)

There is still so much we don’t know about dyscalculia, and no definitive cause has been found. However, there are some ideas that researchers are still studying.

To read more about tutoring students with ADHD or Dyslexia, follow the links!

Possible Causes

While the exact causes are unclear, potential factors include:

• Genes and heredity: Studies show that dyscalculia is more common in some families than others. Researchers have found that a child with dyscalculia often has a parent or sibling with similar math issues. 
• Brain development: Researchers are using modern brain imaging tools to study the brains of people with and without math issues. What we learn from this research will help us understand how to help students with dyscalculia. Some studies have also found differences in the surface area, thickness and volume of parts of the brain. Those areas are linked to learning and memory, setting up and monitoring tasks and remembering math facts.
• Environment: Dyscalculia has been linked to contact with alcohol in the womb. Prematurity and low birth weight may also play a role in dyscalculia.
• Brain injury: Some studies show that injury to certain parts of the brain can result in what researchers call “acquired dyscalculia.”

At the end of the day, it comes down to a difference in brain function. Unfortunately, many people think that because it is in the brain, there is nothing to be done. This is not true! There are support systems out there, including occupational therapy and specialised tutors available to help children cope.

 

What Does All of This Mean?

The brain is highly adaptable, especially during childhood. Research shows that targeted training programs can improve brain function in areas involved with reading, and researchers are optimistic that similar methods can enhance mathematical processing for children with dyscalculia. While it’s unclear to what extent dyscalculia is shaped by genetics versus experience, studies continue to explore how specialised interventions might help “rewire” the brain, making math more accessible.

 

Tips to support children with dyscalculia (for tutors and parents)

If your student does have dyscalculia, there are many things that you can implement and do during your tutoring sessions to help him or her with their studies and academic outlook. 

• Use concrete examples that connect math to real life. For instance, use examples that include their favourite things or shopping. This helps to strengthen their number sense.
• Use visual aids when solving problems. Draw pictures or move around physical objects. Teachers and tutors can refer to this as “manipulatives”.
• Assign manageable amounts of work so your tutee will not feel overloaded.
• Review a recently learned skill before moving on to a new one, and explain how the skills are related.
• Supervise work and encourage the student to talk through the problem-solving process. This can help ensure your tutee is using the right math rules and formulas.
• Break new lessons into smaller parts that help to show how different skills relate to the new concept.
• Let your tutee use graph paper to help keep numbers lined up or in columns.
• Use an extra piece of paper to cover up most of what’s on a math test so your tutee can focus on one problem at a time.
• Playing math-related games can help a child to have fun and to feel more comfortable with math and numbers.
• If your lessons are online, record the sessions so that the tutee can go back over the content in their own time. 

 

Other ideas to support children with dyscalculia

These tips should be a great starting point and will hopefully prove useful in your tutoring. Here are a few more guidelines to keep in mind when structuring sessions: 

• Boost confidence: Identify your tutee’s strengths and use them to work on (or around) weaknesses. Activities that tap into your tutees interests and abilities can help improve self-esteem and increase resilience. Try to pace yourself during your tutoring sessions and do not use more than one strategy at a time. This makes it easier to tell which ones are producing a good result and which are not.
• Help your tutee keep track of time: Whether it is a hand on the shoulder, a few key words or an alarm – have systems in place to remind your time-challenged tutee when to start the next activity.
• See what it feels like: Try to experience what it is like to have dyscalculia. Acknowledging that you understand what your tutee is going through is another way to boost his or her confidence and to improve your own level of understanding.
• Be upbeat: Let your tutee know when you see him or her do something well. Praising effort and genuine achievement can help them feel acknowledged and supported. It can also give your tutee the confidence to work harder!

 

Support, patience and understanding are key!

To read more about being a great tutor, check out our Ultimate Guide on Tutoring!

If you would like a tutor to assist your child or student, contact BrightSparkz Tutors today!

This article has been adapted from the original 3-part series which can be found here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3