Become more knowledgeable about Dyscalculia see DyscalculiaAware.org

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is practically never a good reason for repeating a grade, unless you're in my friend's situation with a microcephalic daughter.

My son is in advanced classes in 7th grade, despite his dyscalculia. We were told that both that and his dysgraphia were a consequence of his severe ADHD.

Dyscalculias and dysgraphias are frequently associated with ADHD, so explore that aspect of things. Once he was medicated for his ADHD, it all fell into place and he jumped ahead.

Why would microcephaly be a reason for repeating a grade?

-- special ed teacher

My friend told me the special ed team was just checking the boxes and dragging her child from one grade to another, without being able to teach her much, and with no hope of ever catching up to even the lowest standards of achievements for that grade.
She was fighting desperately to have the school let her child repeat the grade (a lower elementary one) so that her DD could experience a small sense of achievement by being given more time to work on basic skills.
I completely sympathized with her. Some situations call for certain measures.

Anonymous wrote:There is practically never a good reason for repeating a grade, unless you're in my friend's situation with a microcephalic daughter.

My son is in advanced classes in 7th grade, despite his dyscalculia. We were told that both that and his dysgraphia were a consequence of his severe ADHD.

Dyscalculias and dysgraphias are frequently associated with ADHD, so explore that aspect of things. Once he was medicated for his ADHD, it all fell into place and he jumped ahead.

Why would microcephaly be a reason for repeating a grade?

-- special ed teacher

There is practically never a good reason for repeating a grade, unless you're in my friend's situation with a microcephalic daughter.

My son is in advanced classes in 7th grade, despite his dyscalculia. We were told that both that and his dysgraphia were a consequence of his severe ADHD.

Dyscalculias and dysgraphias are frequently associated with ADHD, so explore that aspect of things. Once he was medicated for his ADHD, it all fell into place and he jumped ahead.

Dyscalculia varies greatly in severity and the kind of support needed. Sometimes the level of support that a child needs can feel disruptive, and sometimes, even with good support, a student with dyscalculia may take longer to develop skills. However, retention isn't a solution to dyscalculia, and causes many other issues.

Anonymous wrote:Any language based learning disability, including dyscalculia, requires specific, specialized instruction. If he didn't learn it the first time in a particular grade, he's not going to learn it merely by repeating it. He needs different, not just more.

Agree, but if he's young and you can provide the differentiated curriculum, then I would repeat.

Any language based learning disability, including dyscalculia, requires specific, specialized instruction. If he didn't learn it the first time in a particular grade, he's not going to learn it merely by repeating it. He needs different, not just more.

Anonymous wrote:I would expect it to be something to work on within the grade level, if everything else is going well in that grade level. I would work with the school to develop an IEP and plan for how to address this. It's a learning disability and will likely require accommodations and a plan for how to work on it, but it's not something that is going to be resolved by keeping a kid back a level.

+1 DC has dysgraphia and has accommodations and is in AAP. Friends DC has dyscalcula, has accommodations and is in AAP.

I would expect it to be something to work on within the grade level, if everything else is going well in that grade level. I would work with the school to develop an IEP and plan for how to address this. It's a learning disability and will likely require accommodations and a plan for how to work on it, but it's not something that is going to be resolved by keeping a kid back a level.

Or is it a disorder that can be worked with as the child ages and maintain their status (friends and teacher) within the same classroom without much disruption?