learning disability question

[Anonymous]

New to this forum so please forgive if this is ignorant on my part. DC is a current 9th grader - 2.5 years ago was tested for ADHD/had full neuropsych evaluation and was told he was borderline ADHD (had tendencies) but the 360 review/evaluations from his teachers/coaches etc did not demonstrate that this was affecting his grades, behavior in class, ability to complete tasks on time etc. Was also diagnosed with mild anxiety but the psychiatrist who talked with child and us said that this was not interfering with his daily life and that he saw no need for medication for either ADHD or anxiety at that time. We know he has organization issues but are working on that and it is improving.
Now DC is in a difficult precalculus/algebra 2 math class with a teacher that is known to be "challenging". DC is telling us that they feel like when they look at complex math data sets the numbers look all jumbled and it is hard to sort them in his head. DC will also make mistakes where he copies problems down incorrectly, switching an addition sign to a subtraction sign or vice versa and then starting to work on the problem (and obviously getting it wrong). Sometimes he tries to take shortcuts and do math in his head but makes careless errors with signs and calculations. DC seems to be okay in all his other classes according to his teachers and his grades are all As.
So the question is - is there such a thing as isolated "math dyslexia" or math learning disability? And if yes, how does this get diagnosed and how can we help him with this? Thanks for any insight !

[Anonymous]

You can totally have that. I confuse time and money - obviously all related to numbers. No problem with letters.

[Anonymous]

There is dyscalculia, which is a learning disability related to math. There is some research on learning techniques for those who have it.

My DS has dyslexia and it does impact him in math. His sense of math is fine but it took him longer to visually identify numbers (5/2, 9/6, 7/1, 3/8) and sometimes he has a hard time with things in a sequence. It's still dyslexia, though. Not a math-based learning disability, for him.

[Anonymous]

There is no definition of “dyscalculia” that is commonly accepted, and to the extent it exists, it really means a more profound inability to understand numerical abstractions. A child who did fine in math up until it got more advanced (with a teacher known to be challenging) cannot really be conceptualized as having any sort of “disability.” Reaching the place where “math is hard” is not a disability. He probably could use some additional tutoring and possibly more repetition and practice than the class provides.

Now, the adhd “tendencies” may be making that focused practice harder. But that’s very different from a “math learning disability.”

In any event, the answer is to study more, likely with a tutor.

[Anonymous]

Other posters are correct, there is a specific disability in math called dyscalculia. It is unlikely that your son has it (since this is the first time "math is hard"), and it is also likely that the neuropsych he had would have at least screened for it. The quick and dirty way to diagnose/screen for it is to look at the difference between his IQ and his math standard score on his academic achievement testing. I am assuming both of those types of tests were given as part of his neuropsych.

If he is not having a lot of problem conceptually understanding the math and instead is feeling overwhelmed by the numbers and making "careless" errors, that sounds more like an attention to detail/working memory/organizational thing. But a tutor could still help with those things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Other posters are correct, there is a specific disability in math called dyscalculia. It is unlikely that your son has it (since this is the first time "math is hard"), and it is also likely that the neuropsych he had would have at least screened for it. The quick and dirty way to diagnose/screen for it is to look at the difference between his IQ and his math standard score on his academic achievement testing. I am assuming both of those types of tests were given as part of his neuropsych.

If he is not having a lot of problem conceptually understanding the math and instead is feeling overwhelmed by the numbers and making "careless" errors, that sounds more like an attention to detail/working memory/organizational thing. But a tutor could still help with those things.

Forgot to say that when you compare the math and IQ score, the math score should be within (approximately) one standard deviation of his IQ score. Of course, depending on the specific scores strengths/weaknesses the specific numbers you compare might vary. But again I would assume that the neuropsychologist has done this.

[Anonymous]

What you describe sounds much more like ADHD than an LD.

Why is he trying to do math in his head?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no definition of “dyscalculia” that is commonly accepted, and to the extent it exists, it really means a more profound inability to understand numerical abstractions. A child who did fine in math up until it got more advanced (with a teacher known to be challenging) cannot really be conceptualized as having any sort of “disability.” Reaching the place where “math is hard” is not a disability. He probably could use some additional tutoring and possibly more repetition and practice than the class provides.

Now, the adhd “tendencies” may be making that focused practice harder. But that’s very different from a “math learning disability.”

In any event, the answer is to study more, likely with a tutor.

Exactly this. This class is known to be a challenge for many bright students. Get a tutor so your child has more support and practice.