Awareness Archives - Dyscalculia Blog

Rose Lister Dyscalculia And Perseverance

December 15, 2020December 16, 2020James

Last week we spoke to Rose Lister, a primary school teacher who has struggled with numbers and was eventually diagnosed with dyscalculia at age 21. Rose tells us about the frustration of completing school education without a diagnosis – by telling her story, she hopes to bring more awareness to dyscalculia. Her story is very inspiring and we hope that it can show you that dyscalculia doesn’t have to limit you in what you want to achieve in life.

In this part of the interview, we discussed the increase of the understanding of dyscalculia, her experience as a primary school teacher, advice for those who have just been diagnosed and for parents with children struggling with numbers.

As a teacher, do you feel there has been an increase of understanding of dyscalculia?

Defiantly since I was at school (I finished school in 2008) but I do believe there is still more understanding and research to be done and also awareness to be had. Everyone has heard of conditions such as dyslexia but I still meet people who have never heard of dyscalculia.

What would you advise to someone who has just gotten their diagnosis?

Please believe in your own abilities and remind yourself that you are working as hard as you can and that perseverance is far more important than grades or exam results. If you are trying your best then that is all that matters and you should feel proud of yourself for showing such perseverance and ambition. You can do it! Also, never ever compare yourself to others. Focus on your skills and gifts and what you are capable of. Having a learning difficulty does not mean you are not clever or cannot do something. It just means you learn in a slightly different way and wouldn’t it be a boring world if we were all the same!

Rose Lister Dyscalculia And Becoming A Teacher

December 8, 2020December 8, 2020James

A new feature of the blog is a conversation series with people who are living with dyscalculia.

This week we spoke to Rose Lister, a primary school teacher who has struggled with numbers and was eventually diagnosed with dyscalculia at age 21. Rose tells us about the frustration of completing school education without a diagnosis – by telling her story, she hopes to bring more awareness to dyscalculia. Her story is very inspiring and we hope that it can show you that dyscalculia doesn’t have to limit you in what you want to achieve in life.

In this part of the interview, we discussed her path to diagnosis, her time at school and the challenges that overcame to become a primary school teacher. The second part of the interview, covering her experience as a primary teacher school and advice to parent, will be published the following week!

The Dyscalculator: An App That Helps Dyscalculics Calculate

October 5, 2020October 5, 2020James

A guest article from Elisheva Seeman the creator of the Dyscalculator.

I first became aware of Dyscalculia when I noticed that my friend couldn’t read numbers. I couldn’t understand why she would always ask the people around her to tell her what number was written down, or why she would repeatedly ask what time someone said they were picking her up. When I realised how much Dyscalculia affected her on a daily basis, and how much it caused her to struggle in so many areas, I decided to find her an app or website to do the calculations for her. I figured that she was not the only one with this issue – surely someone must have developed a program to help with that.

I was wrong – all the apps I found when searching were geared towards teaching math, as opposed to offering tools to help people. So, I decided to create an app specifically to help her with numbers – and she loved it! She used it every day in different ways, and it really built up her confidence and helped her become less reliant on other people.

Mark Daly and Discovering his Dyscalculia.

July 8, 2020July 8, 2020James

We recently got introduced to Mark Daly and his inspirational story of discovering his dyscalculia and returning to education as an adult. Mark had always struggled with numbers but growing up in 1980’s Ireland there was little to no awareness of dyscalculia or how to address it. Incredibly 30 years ago he discovered he had dyscalculia whilst on holiday in the USA and now he has been facing his challenges with this learning difficulty.

Awareness of Dyscalculia through CPD work

May 13, 2020May 13, 2020James

Written by Natalie Kerslake B.A (Hons), MA Ed SEND
KS2 Teaching Assistant

A bit about me

My name is Natalie Kerslake B.A (Hons), MA Ed SEND, and I am a primary school teaching assistant, currently teaching in Year 6, with a particular interest in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities. In January 2016, I graduated with my MA Education with specialism in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) at the University of Derby,

I became motivated to complete my MA Ed research on dyscalculia after supporting a child with this in my first teaching assistant post. I did not know anything about dyscalculia myself at the time and not much was available to support teachers and children in this area. I wanted to investigate the current situation as to supporting children with dyscalculia in one particular primary school and see whether this was the case in another school.

Dyscalculia – Spot The Signs

May 15, 2019May 21, 2019James

Signs of Dyscalculia

It’s important to take signs of dyscalculia seriously. At the beginning of school, all children experience occasional difficulties with math. If these problems fail to dissipate with supported homework sessions or additional hours of practice, however, parents and teachers should be on alert for potential dyscalculia.

The following signs can indicate the presence of dyscalculia:

General well-being

…has anxiety about going to school

…has anxiety about taking tests
…has a negative perception of their own intelligence
…is withdrawn
…expects to fail
…displays frustration and a reluctance to try (maths) in other subjects

Dyscalculia – Identifying and Addressing it in Daily Life

April 24, 2019May 2, 2019James

Are you wondering why your child struggles with numbers and finds it difficult to solve the seemingly simple tasks?

Understanding Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is usually perceived as a specific learning difficulty for mathematics, or, more appropriately, arithmetic. In isolated dyscalculia, there are no deficits in reading or writing. Dyscalculia is classified under WHO ICD-10, a classification system for diseases and mental disorders, as:

“The deficit concerns mastery of basic computational skills of
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division rather than of the more
abstract mathematical skills involved in algebra, trigonometry,
geometry, or calculus.”

A Guide To Preparing For Parenthood With A Disability

December 5, 2018November 29, 2018James

Photo by bruce mars from Pexels

When you’re expecting a baby, it’s normal to spend hours on end thinking about the ways in which you will have to prepare your life and home for the arrival of a new family member. These anxieties are significantly amplified for expecting parents living with a disability. You may be keenly aware of how to adapt your life to your disability, but it’s not as obvious when you have to consider how a brand new life fits in.

But don’t worry – every parent goes through this. Your disability offers a different sort of challenge, but that doesn’t mean that preparing for parenthood has to be a logistical and emotional ordeal.

Dyscalculia in the Workplace

November 11, 2018November 16, 2018James

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

If your dyscalculia was undiagnosed until adulthood or perhaps you’re still undiagnosed, it is possible that you have gravitated towards a career that doesn’t involve maths. But no matter how often you need to do equations or handle numbers on a daily basis, simple accommodations can help you to perform your job to the best of your ability.

What is Developmental Dyscalculia?

August 22, 2018August 4, 2020James

What is Developmental Dyscalculia?

Developmental dyscalculia can be either genetic or environmental and even interaction of the two. It is a specific learning disability that affects the normal acquisition of arithmetic skills. It is equally common in boys and girls and impacts on 5-6% of the population.

Genetic Causes

Genetic causes include known genetic disorders such as Turner’s syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Velocardiofacial syndrome, Williams syndrome. In addition studies suggest that there are genes present in the general population which increase the risk of dyscalculia.