- Page 6 of 6 - Dyscalculia, math anxiety, and other number struggles. Raising awareness of dyscalculia.

Dyscalculia Resources Around the World

September 6, 2016November 8, 2021Rebekkah

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.

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

August 25, 2016December 14, 2020Rebekkah

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.

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

How To Get A Dyscalculia Diagnosis

August 18, 2016October 25, 2021Rebekkah

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?

Dyscalculia By Any Other Name…

August 11, 2016October 18, 2021Rebekkah

<span>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jontyson?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Jon Tyson</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/name-tags?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></span> — Dyscalculia wears various name tags. Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

The word “dyscalculia” is a tad unwieldy. It’s difficult to pronounce and plenty of people have never come across the term and don’t really know what it means.

But plenty of people have come across dyscalculia itself; they just know it under a different name. For our first time readers, dyscalculia is a learning difference that affects the ability to do math functions. (Learn more by reading What is dyscalculia? on our blog.)

What are the words we use to refer to dyscalculia? Well, some people know dyscalculia as “dyslexia with numbers” or “math dyslexia”. They know that it’s not just a matter of being “bad at math”. Dyscalculics process numbers differently than people without dyscalculia. As most children develop number skills they automate certain math tasks so that they can focus on more advanced ones. Dyscalculics don’t do this, which slows down any problems they need to solve that involve numbers.

Numberphile: Dyscalculia Explained

August 4, 2016October 11, 2021Rebekkah

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.

Maths Apps and Aids, Tools and Tutoring

July 12, 2016October 4, 2021Rebekkah

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.

What Causes Dyscalculia?

July 5, 2016September 27, 2021Rebekkah

According to sources listed on both Understood.org and AboutDyscalculia.org, there is no universal consensus on the causes of dyscalculia. However, there have been studies on what happens in the brains of dyscalculics while solving math problems. To understand this let’s first have a look at how children develop mathematic abilities in general.

By the time they are just three months old, babies are able to differentiate between large and small quantities. When they get to preschool, children learn number words to enable them to describe these quantities. In elementary school, they learn Arabic numerals, which will not make any sense without those number words from the previous stage. Finally, children develop a mental conception of numbers – an internal number line – which automates such judgments as large vs. small, and estimations.

Educate yourself on the signs of dyscalculia

Signs & Symptoms Of Dyscalculia

July 5, 2016September 20, 2021Rebekkah

Dyscalculia receives less press than dyslexia. Parents and teachers may not even be aware that dyscalculia exists, much less recognise what could be signs of the learning difference. We’ve put together a list of things to watch out for if you think your child may have dyscalculia. Read more →

What is it like to have Dyscalculia?

July 5, 2016September 6, 2021Rebekkah

Dyscalculia affects around 5% of children, a smaller proportion than those affected by dyslexia (the rate of occurrence for dyslexia in the United States is approximately 15%). This has resulted in dyscalculia remaining relatively unknown; many people are not even familiar with the term.

What effect could this have on children with dyscalculia? Imagine struggling every day at school with number problems that your peers master far more quickly than you do. Your teacher is beginning to lose patience with you and your parents think you are just not trying hard enough. They don´t understand that you are trying hard every day, but even basic arithmetic concepts make no sense to you. You are called lazy or stupid or both.

Dyscalculics: The Famous, The Successful, The Inspiring

July 5, 2016August 30, 2021Rebekkah

As dyscalculia is less diagnosed than dyslexia, it is less present when it comes to information and resources on websites and blogs. Dyslexics, for example, can find extensive lists of famous people who have or were reported to have had dyslexia. Dyscalculics are left more on their own when looking for such sources of encouragement and inspiration.

What Is Dyscalculia?

What Is Maths Anxiety?

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