Dyscalculia -- Effective Strategies?
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Anonymous
| I a just now starting to look into this and I see that there are numerous different on-line programs, kits etc. What are approaches that people have actually used and found worthwhile? I have a 3rd grader, and every night that he has math homework is a major S-T-R-U-G-G-L-E. There have been times when both of us have ended up in tears. He does not (yet) have an official diagnosis for dyscalculia, but at this point, I think it is pretty obvious. A while ago, he was flagged for dyslexia and we have worked through several different interventions that have worked very well. I would like to be able to address these math issues as well. |
Anonymous
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Hi! My junior DD has dyscalculia. Some things that helped us: 1) get an official diagnosis in the next year or so. That will take a neuropsych evaluation. Based on that diagnosis, get an IEP for your son in school which will get him extra support, allow you to modify homework with no repercussions, allow extra time for tests, and use a calculator. He might also have executive function issues, ADHD etc. Just find out what's there so you can support him early.
On the calculator, get one very soon. His inability to do simple calculations quickly, or at all, is hampering his ability to understand larger math concepts. Don't worry that "he'll rely on it, he'll never learn his math facts." Ok, maybe. But so what? By sixth grade all kids have calculators anyway. And he may or may not ever develop "math sense." As an example, math sense is just kind of getting that 5, 10, 15, 20 is a pattern, and that other numbers that end in 5 or 0 are in the pattern too. My daughter never has really understood this, while my brother understood this at age 3. So you have to help your son use tools (a calculator, a 12 by 12 multiplication chart) to compensate. Don't be afraid to have him do part of the homework. The tears are not worth it, for you or him. Do every three problems, or the even ones, or whatever. He's in 3rd grade, it won't matter. The teacher and school will hassle you but don't let it bother you. However, if you can help him learn math facts (these will be hard won!) by use of a game with rewards or some other kind of repetitive action, this will help him a lot. My DD doesn't know all of them even now but she knows most of them. Lots of adults don't either, by the way.... She had a little handheld game called a "Flash Master" and she did it for 3 minutes each day. She also used an iPad game which repeats them over and over. If you can help him do this that would be great. Also you can have him remember multiplication tables by chanting them. 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, etc. End with "hike!" Like in football. Look on youtube for songs about numbers and games. My DD has done well in school, with a little tutoring here or there. She's not going into a STEM career but she's gotten As and Bs in math and even OK (average) PSAT scores. Good luck, and don't worry too much! Just keep the stress low and keep at it over time, a little bit each day. And get him the supports at school that he needs. |
Anonymous
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Thank you! This is all very helpful. In particular, the comments regarding a calculator. It is very true that the struggles with the intermediate "little" steps requiring math facts thwarts attempts to see the bigger picture. I will see how that can be incorporated.
We have started the ball rolling on getting a neuropsych. Hopefully, we will be able to get on schedule within the next few months. |
Anonymous
| Agree with all of the above. Don't give up on the math facts, though. Hit them hard and experiment with different modalities. Some kids have an easier time learning them in songs or when incorporating physical movement. Good luck. |
Anonymous
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Kumon is good for learning math facts.
Or go to dads worksheets.com for free worksheets that are very similar to Kumon. You do them in order starting with easiest and very gradually increasing difficulty. You want your child working at about an 85-90% success level at all times to build confidence. I did both. Both are great. But Kumon aint cheap. |
Anonymous
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NP here.
PP, I know there are Kumon books, but cannot remember where I have seen them for sale. (B&N maybe?) Would those help a child with dyscalculia? Any other books, song links or apps would be most appreciated!!! |
Anonymous
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Hold on, OP. The current thinking is that dysgraphia and dyscalculia might be the consequences of disorders such as ADHD.
When DS had a full neuropsychological evaluation, we were told that he had significant ADHD, and that as a result, he also had dyscalculia, dysgraphia and a writing disability. Which makes sense when you think about it: if a child is unable from a very young age to pay attention, then they might not develop adequate observational powers and hand-eye coordination to use their fingers correctly. For the dyscalculia, it was explained to us within the context of "working memory": that children with ADHD do not have enough attention and memory to store math facts during a multi-step math problem. They lose track of where they are, and even if they understand the concept well, the end result can be wrong because they mistook a + for -, forgot to write the unit, etc. Same for writing: since they have trouble organizing their thoughts, it is extremely hard for them to put them on paper in a productive way. My husband resisted putting DS on ADHD meds for years, but when we finally did, his dyscalculia disappeared and he was invited into the advanced math class. Before that, it was hell. Nothing worked for his math. I could clearly see he understood the concepts, but when he had to solve a problem by himself, something always tripped him up. |
Anonymous
Although this might be true for some, dyscalculia can definitely stand alone for others. I most definitely do not have ADHD, but I definitely have dyscalculia. I'm 39 and still have trouble with math facts and visual spatial activities like reading maps. Attention and focus is not an issue for me and writing was always my favorite subject in school. |
Anonymous
https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Wrap-Ups-WU-K101-Wrap-ups-Addition/dp/B0007P95JU/ref=sr_1_6?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1487966366&sr=1-6&keywords=math+facts https://www.amazon.com/Small-World-Toys-Preschool-Keyboard/dp/B00000IU9Z/ref=sr_1_15?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1487966410&sr=1-15&keywords=math+facts https://www.amazon.com/Ideal-0C241-4-Way-CountDown-Game/dp/B000229N2C/ref=sr_1_45?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1487966534&sr=1-45&keywords=addition+and+subtraction+game |
Anonymous
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"Also you can have him remember multiplication tables by chanting them. 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, etc. End with "hike!" Like in football. Look on youtube for songs about numbers and games" NP here. Thank you to the person who posted the above advice! My DS doesn't have dyscalculia but struggles with terrible math anxiety and slow processing speed. We've worked so hard on his times tables but he just can't remember and shuts down and starts to cry when we even try to practice. I love the football angle. I think he will really respond well. I can't wait to try it. To the OP, I was positive my DD had dyscalculia. She struggled through math from 1st-6th. I was surprised when a neuropsych eval ruled it out. However she did have ADHD (inattentive) and I think that caused her to zone out in math class and made it difficult to persevere through homework. We ended up hiring a tutor who worked a lot with kids with disabilities and it made a huge difference. She is actually now in honors geometry in 9th grade and tells me she enjoys math. I definitely think you should do the neuropsych because kids are complicated and it's often hard to know what the root of the problem is and how to fix it. |
Anonymous
Not for Dyscalculia, but we also do Kumon and other workbooks - mix of dollar tree, Kumon, Spectrum and a few other brands. You can get them online or at B & N - we find the repition is really helpful. |
Anonymous
I have seen both sides. DS was diagnosed with Disorder of Written Expression and the neuropsych suggested he might have some sub threshold ADHD that was exacerbating things. She recommended we consult with a psychiatrist about a trial of a stimulant. The stimulant didn't help his writing in the least (and led to new issues due to medication side effects). He has actually been retested since and we have ruled out ADHD. But I'm also the PP who said I was sure my DD had dyscalculia and was surprised testing showed she didn't. Instead she has ADHD. We found once she was medicated she was able to focus and the tutor was able to fill in the gaps and bring her back to grade level. Now that the gaps are filled, she is keeping up in class with no outside help. |
Anonymous
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My daughter has a diagnosed math disability. She had a wonderful teacher in third grade who helped her use a method called touch math that relies on various points on the numerals themselves to help solve problems. It worked very well for her for addition and subtraction but not so well for multiplication and division.
http://www.touchmath.com/ |
Anonymous
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As having 2 kids with dyscalculia (only one has ADHD), I will tell you Kumon is terrible. It's based on rote memory and memory isn't necessarily the problem--it's numeracy. (Kumon isn't evidenced based either for improving learning for NT kids, so why people use it for a kid with dyscalculia is beyond me.)
OP, this is a good overview of how kids with dyscalculia process numbers: I would get manipulatives to help your kid visualize the numbers. This site has some good ideas: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/dyscalculia/understanding-dyscalculia#item8 In terms of math apps Lumio and Motion Math are pretty good. |
Anonymous
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The Ronit Bird materials are fantastic for remediating difficulties in number sense, which is at the core of dyscalulia.
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