Different Abilities within Disabilities

How many learning disabilities do you know of? If you’re like most people, dyslexia and ADHD come to mind. But have you heard about dysgraphia, aphasia, dyscalculia, or the myriad of other conditions out there? Here, we’ll explore some of the different learning disabilities out there, how they hinder a student’s learning, and how we can work around those challenges to find the ability within disability.

At some point in our lives, most of us have seen a sheet full or numbers and felt confusion or a sinking feeling of uncertainty. But for some people (5-7% of the population, according to the Child Mind Institute), a dislike and difficulty of numbers may be a sign of dyscalculia. Dyscalculia is often called the “math version of dyslexia”, but it’s more than that. Today, we’re going to answer some common questions about this condition to help us better understand what it is and how it impacts people who have it.

What is dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia is a learning disability that makes number-related learning and concepts difficult to understand. This often extends beyond math class into all the ways numbers show up in our general lives.

How do you know if a student has it?

Signs vary depending on the age of the student. (The Dyslexia Association) Remember that learners with dyscalculia may not display all of the signs described below - or may exhibit other tendencies not listed here because of dyscalculia. 

Very young children:

• Find it difficult to recognize numbers and understand the concept of counting

• Lose track of counting easily

• May find it hard to connect a number (ex. 8) to its word (eight)

• Find pattern recognition difficult

In comparison, older students:

• Will find doing math, such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication, difficult and tedious

  • May not recognize that 3+5 and 5+3 communicate the same info

  • Will often mix up operation signs

• Struggle with mental math and may rely on using their fingers to count

• Struggle to process visual methods of displaying information in math, such as charts and graphs

• Struggle with number-based games and memory, such as postal codes, dice rolls, and those math games we talked about earlier!

• Have difficulty telling time

What can parents and teachers do to help dyscalculics?

Specialized coaching and additional tutoring in numbers and math will help dyscalculics overcome the challenges they face. Teachers might also consider special accommodations for students with a diagnosed learning disability, such as extra time to complete assessments. This is because time pressures will exacerbate any difficulties students have because of the condition (Psychology Today). Lastly, always remember to praise the work a student does, not the outcome of their work! This ensures that students focus more on the process of trying to learn math (or anything else) rather than always looking for the right answers.