Dyscalculia
What is dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty related to a problem with numbers and mathematics, which has associations with dyslexia (a difficulty with words) and dyspraxia (a difficulty with motor skills and movement).
People with dyscalculia may have difficulties in grasping seemingly simple number concepts and lack an intuitive understanding of numbers. They will struggle with learning number facts and procedures.
Associations with dyslexia
Unlike dyslexia, very little is known about dyscalculia - its prevalence, causes and methods of treatment. Research does suggest that 40 to 50 per cent of dyslexics show no sign of dyscalculia, while the remaining 50 to 60 per cent report difficulties with maths. However, it is difficult to determine if a dyslexic's problems with maths is to do with the numbers or the words which often surround a mathematical question.
While dyscalculia and dyslexia occur independently of each other, they are associated and can be present in one person in equal measure. The strategies employed to help people deal with dyscalculia will have the same fundamental roots as those used for dyslexics.
What are the symptoms of dyscalculia?
Dyscalculic children are likely to be shy in class for fear of providing the wrong answer. They display specific difficulties in the following areas:
- Counting: they can usually learn the sequence of counting words, but will have difficulty moving around the sequence, going back or jumping forward in twos or threes
- Calculations: learning and recalling facts around numbers will be hard. They will lack the confidence to provide an answer and struggle to learn the basic rules that build facts around numbers
- Numbers with zeros: difficulty in seeing the correlation between the words ten, hundred and thousand and the numbers 10, 100 and 1000
- Measures: problems handling money or telling the time, as well as concepts such as temperature and speed
- Directions and orientation: left and right can cause difficulties, as well as map reading and following directions
How Priory Education Services can help
Priory Education Services operates a network of schools and colleges throughout the country. It is the UK's leading specialist provider of education and care for children and young people aged four to 35 with a wide range of complex learning difficulties and disabilities. These include Asperger's Syndrome, autistic spectrum disorders, behavioural, emotional and social difficulties and specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyscalculia.
Almost all students admitted have a Statement of Special Educational Needs and will have experienced difficulties within mainstream and local authority special schools. Many will have been excluded from school or had problems at home because of their complex and challenging needs and behaviours.
Please click here for further information on the specific special educational needs our schools and colleges can address.
Please click here for more information on Mark College, our school that specialises in Dyslexia, Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia.
Contact us to find out if we can help. Telephone 0845 2 774679 or email education@priorygroup.com Lines are open from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and between 10am and 8pm at the weekends.
Further Help
The British Dyslexia Association
www.bdadyslexia.org.uk
0845 251 9002
Young Minds Parent Information Service
www.youngminds.org.uk
0800 018 2138