Our Top 5 Blog Posts on Dyscalculia

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We have dipped into the blog archives to find our content on dyscalculia that has proved most useful to our readers. We’d like to share these articles here as the ones that, going by popularity and response in the comments, resonate the most with our audience. Thank you for reading!


1. Helping Adults with Maths Learning Difficulties

Our top post is a guest post from educator Sarah Jarvis and she covers a topic on which it can be difficult to find in-depth information: adult math learning difficulties. The post lists reasons why adults may be struggling with maths such as poor schooling, maths anxiety and visual stress difficulties, how dyscalculia could remain undiagnosed in many adults and what you can do to help yourself or someone with dyscalculia/maths difficulties.


2. Dyscalculics: The Famous, The Successful, The Inspiring

In at number two: The Famous, The Successful, The Inspiring. Well-known dyscalculics, leading us to think that there is a need for spotlighting dyscalculic role models. Singer Cher and actress Mary Tyler Moore make the list of famous people with dyscalculia.

There is plenty of information on famous dyslexics available but much less on dyscalculics. We try to share examples of success achieved by dyscalculics and update this page regularly. Read more.


3. What is it Like to Have Dyscalculia?

This post looks more deeply into the struggles dyscalculics face. A special focus is given to those difficulties caused when a child is dyscalculic but the condition goes unrecognised or misunderstood at home and school. This can lead to deep feelings of anxiety and a lack of confidence in a dyscalculic child. Hopefully, as dyscalculia becomes better understood, support and intervention will also increase. Read more.


4. Dyscalculia: The Secret Behind IKEA’s Product Names.

The founder of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad, is known to have suffered from dyscalculia. The traditional numeral product codes used in most businesses seemed like an unending nightmare to him. To avoid the challenging typing of numbers in the computer system, he decided to name his products using names! This example shows that dyscalculia does not have to automatically be a hindrance and that the experience of having a learning difference can also shape innovative approaches to common situations and lead to extraordinary careers. Read more here.


5. Homeschooling and Dyscalculia

While some dyscalculics receive the support and intervention they need from their teachers and therapists, others struggle with their schools’ lack of resources or awareness. In the latter case, parents of dyscalculic children may consider homeschooling if this is a legal option where they live. This post covers it all read more.

6 Tips to Make Maths Fun!


Most children find mathematics interesting and encouraging their interest is simpler than you think, as mathematics is a big part of everyday life. In this article, we are offering you some ideas, how to create a playful link between mathematics and daily routine.


Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
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Dyscalculia Research Presented for Kids

Photo by Vanessa Bucceri on Unsplash

We’ve been happy to publish articles from both educators and researchers on this blog and hope with these to raise awareness of dyscalculia and provide support to teachers and parents. But what about information for kids?

Frontiers for Young Minds is an online collection of science articles aimed at children and one of these articles focuses on dyscalculia and the research around it: When your brain cannot do 2 + 2: a case of developmental dyscalculia.


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Homeschooling with dyscalculia - read more on the Dyscalculia Blog

Homeschooling & Dyscalculia

Homeschooling takes a lot of commitment from parents.
Homeschooling requires a large commitment on the part of parents.

While some dyscalculics receive the support and intervention they need from their teachers and therapists, others struggle with their schools’ lack of resources or awareness. In the latter case, parents of dyscalculic children may consider homeschooling if this is a legal option where they live.

Homeschooling is a challenge and a commitment, but for some families, it offers an alternative way to educate their children when more traditional schooling methods are failing. The main drive for homeschooling parents across the board remains to offer their children the best learning experience they can provide.

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Dyscalculia Resources Around the World

We are an English-language blog but we are aware that we have readers from all over the world. We would like to put together a list of dyscalculia resources to meet other linguistic needs. We’ve found a few resources in various languages but we invite readers to submit their own suggestions in the comments! Together we can collect resources to help readers across the globe.

Please note: the inclusion of a website in the below list does not represent an endorsement but rather a starting point for readers to explore new possible resources.


French

For a quick overview of the symptoms of dyscalculia in French, visit the Dyscalculie section of the Fédération française des Dys. The page is quite short but a nice feature is optional audio that makes the text more accessible to visitors with dyslexia.

The site DYS Positif gives a more detailed look at dyscalculia under Dyscalculie. You’ll find information not just on symptoms but on treatment and diagnosis options.

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“More Awareness & Training needs to be Provided for Teachers…to aid them in Supporting Children with Dyscalculia”

“More Awareness & Training needs to be Provided for Teachers…to aid them in Supporting Children with Dyscalculia”

Natalie Kerslake, teaching assistant who focused her research on dyscalculia. Natalie spoke with the Dyscalculia Blog on the need for more awareness of dyscalculia in the classroom.
Natalie Kerslake spoke with the Dyscalculia Blog on the need for more awareness of dyscalculia in the classroom.

This week the Dyscalculia Blog interviewed Natalie Kerslake, a teaching assistant who conducted her master’s degree research around dyscalculia. Natalie shared her thoughts on the importance of increasing school resources for dyscalculics and their teachers.



Please introduce yourself to the blog and tell us what motivated you to focus on dyscalculia.

My name is Natalie Kerslake B.A (Hons), MA Ed and I am a primary school teaching assistant, with a particular interest in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities.

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.

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Getting a diagnosis of dyscalculia means getting tested by a professional such as a psychologist

How To Get A Dyscalculia Diagnosis

Does your child constantly struggle with numbers? Perhaps they always need to count with their fingers or have difficulty telling time. Or cannot tell the difference between large and small quantities.

These could be signs of dyscalculia and if you notice them in your child or student it may be worthwhile to follow up with tests for math learning difficulties and perhaps a full diagnosis.

So, how do you go about getting your child tested for and, if necessary, diagnosed with dyscalculia?

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Numberphile: Dyscalculia Explained

Numberphile: Dyscalculia Explained

Read about dyscalculia on the Numberphile website.

At first glance, the Numberphile website seems both charming and a tad overwhelming. The site is dedicated to numbers and explanations of math problems and math research by means of short videos. The videos are linked to via illustrations which are engaging but don’t give a casual visitor many clues as to where they are navigating. It is great for exploring though: click around and see which page you land on and then watch the video to learn something new about math.

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Maths Apps and Aids, Tools and Tutoring

Maths Apps and Aids, Tools and Tutoring

Child using Dybuster Calcularis on iPad with the teacher checking progress remotely

A diagnosis of dyscalculia or other math learning difficulties can feel overwhelming. Parents of a child with recently diagnosed dyscalculia may find themselves asking, “What should I do next? What can I do next?”


Fortunately, both awareness of and support for dyscalculia are increasing. To give you a first look at what resources for dyscalculia are out there, we’ve put together a shortlist of online and offline aids for maths.


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