What is dyscalculia? Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability in math. When I read that I actually felt a sense of panic. Dyslexia is listed as a specific learning disability in IDEA law, and it is very hard to get schools to recognize it, how am I ever going to get schools to recognize dyscalculia when IDEA doesn't mention it? Oh man.
Since getting teachers to watch for the warning signs for dyslexia is finally happening thanks to a law in the state of TN that requires teachers be trained in dyslexia, I am now on a mission to get teachers to watch for warning signs of dyscalculia. Here's why...when teachers don't understand that a child may be struggling with reading and/or math because of a neurological issue they may try to help them in ways that won't help that child the way they need it and that child may not be able to "get it". What then happens is what happened to my daughter, she starts to feel stupid. It's not the teachers fault. But knowing what to look for can help.
So, what should a teacher look for? Here are the signs of possible dyscalculia in school age children, thanks to the National Center for Learning Disabilities website, here.
- Trouble learning math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
- Difficulty developing math problem-solving skills
- Poor long term memory for math functions
- Not familiar with math vocabulary
- Difficulty measuring things
- Avoiding games that require strategy
Not every child that doesn't know their math facts has dyscalculia but statistics show that 1 in 20 children do. Right now we live in an age where schools are trying not to label children, and we have a system in place, RTI (response to intervention) that is making it harder for kids to get diagnosed with a learning disability. What I am asking for is that teachers learn the signs of dyscalculia and dyslexia (and dysgraphia but that is for another post) so that they can help their students succeed before they really start to fail and then the system may or may not finally help. I speak from experience when I say, if we wait till the system finally agrees with a parent, you already have a child on your hands that is already feeling inadequate.
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