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What is dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is commonly known as dyslexia with numbers. The Department for Education and Skills(2001) defines it as a condition that affects the ability to aquire arithmetical skills. Dyscalculic learners may have difficulty understanding simple number concepts, lack an intuitive grasp of numbers and have problems learning number facts and procedures. Even if they produce a correct answer or use a correct method, they may do so mechanically and without confidence.
How can I find out whether my child has dyscalculia?
Diagnosing a child with a learning difficulty is no easy task and as I am not an educational psychologist, I can not know for certain whether a child has dyscalculia. Nevertheless the following indicators may show that they have :
an over reliance on finger counting
difficulty with ordinary numeric operations for their age.
struggle to remember their times tables. Children generally know their timestables by the time they are in Year 5.
a lack of feeling for numbers. Difficulty knowing how many objects there are in a small group.
memory weaknesses - short term or long term.
lose track when carrying out task that involces more than 2 or 3 steps.
difficulty counting, in particular counting backwards.
inability to know whether an answer is reasonable.
These are some but not all of the possible indicators.
How many children have dyscalculia?
About 4 - 6% of the population.
Is there a link between dyslexia and dyscalculia?
Yes, about 50% of children with dyslexia have dyscalculia
Could it be my child does not have dyscalculia, but is simply very anxious?
I'm not too sure myself. Think of a time when you have been very anxious yourself and as a result, you have been incapable of doing something . Really, you know you were capable of doing it, it's just at that precise moment you could not do it. It could be your child is anxious and has developed number blindness. The objective here is to make the child as relaxed as possible - crack a few jokes and laugh about something silly when tackling any maths.
What books would you recommend?
There are two excellent books "Overcoming Difficulties with Number" and "The Dyscalculia Toolkit" by Ronit Bird that I have used with children in the past, which are designed to be used by a teacher, tutor or parent. The activities are easy enough to follow. It's important to remember progress may be slow and as such the activities may need to be revisted many times.
Where can I find more information on dyscalculia?
The following websites may be useful:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/features/article672976.ece. This gives a down to earth account of what dyscalculia is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyscalculia.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/tutors/expertcolumn/dyscalculia/
How often would you recommend I get tuition for my child?
It's important to do short bursts often. I recommend 30 mins of tuition daily. My hourly rate reflects that I will only come for half an hour, and compensates me for the travel to and from the class.
