This rather specific type of learning disability usually "show up" early in the early education of the student

Dyscalculia (or dyscalcula)

"Dyscalculia" is a lessor-known learning disability that affects mathatical calculations. It is derived from the generic name "mathematics difficulty".

There are rigorous criteria used to determine if a student has a learning disability as it is defined by special education criteria. When a student's mathematics difficulties are severe enough to meet certain criteria, special education services are indicated. However, "dyscalculia" has no clearly defined criteria and cannot be assessed reliably. A student with any degree of mathematics difficulty may be considered to have "dyscalculia" by some educational specialists.

Because of the ambiguity of categorization, being identified as having "dyscalculia" may or may not indicate the need for special education services. The term appears to be seldom used within public schools because of the lack of any clear, measurable criteria. Nevertheless, many students have it.

UNDERLYING CAUSES

Dyscalculia has several underlying causes. One of the most prominent is a weakness in visual processing. To be successful in mathematics, one needs to be able to visualize numbers and mathematics situations. Students with dyscalculia have a very difficult time visualizing numbers and often mentally mix up the numbers, resulting in what appear to be "stupid mistakes."

Another problem is with sequencing. Students who have difficulty sequencing or organizing detailed information often have difficulty remembering specific facts and formulas for completing their mathematical calculations.

SYMPTOMS

MITIGATIVE STRATEGIES

Although dyscalculia may be difficult to diagnose, there are strategies that teachers and parents should know about to aid students in learning mathematics.

1. Encourage students to work extra hard to "visualize" mathematics problems. Draw them or have them draw a picture to help understand the problem, and make sure that they take the time to look at any visual information that is provided (picture, chart, graph, etc.)

2. Have the student read problems out loud and listen very carefully. This allows them to use their auditory skills (which may be strength).

3. Provide examples and try to relate problems to real-life situations.

4. Provide younger students with graph paper and encourage them to use it in order to keep the numbers in line.

5. Provide uncluttered worksheets so that the student is not overwhelmed by too much visual information (visual pollution). Especially on tests, allow scrap paper with lines and ample room for uncluttered computation.

6. Discalculia students must spend extra time memorizing mathematics facts. Repetition is very important. Use rhythm or music to help memorize.

7. Many students need one-on-one attention to fully grasp certain concepts. Have students work with a tutor, a parent, or a teacher after school hours in a one-on-one environment.

8. If possible, allow the student to take the exam on a one-to-one basis in the teacher's presence.

9. The student might like instant answers and a chance to do the problem over once s/he is wrong. Often their mistakes are the result of "seeing" the problem wrong.

10. In early stages, design the test problems "pure," testing only the required skills. In their early learning, they must be free of large numbers and unnecessary destructive calculations.

11. Allow more than the "common" time to complete problems and check to see that student is not panicking (tears in eyes, mind frozen).

12. Most importantly, be PATIENT! Never forget that the student WANTS to learn and retain. Realize that mathematics can be a traumatic experience and is highly emotional because of past failures. The slightest misunderstanding or break in logic can overwhelm the student and cause emotional distress. Pity will not help, but patience and individual attention will. It is typical for students to work with until they know the material well and then get every problem wrong on the test. Then 5 minutes later, they can perform the test with just the teacher, on the chalkboard, and many times get all problems correct. Remember that this is very frustrating for the teacher/parent as well as the student. Patience is essential.

13. Assign extra problems for practice and maybe a special TA (teaching assistant) or special education is assigned to assist the affected student.

14. When presenting new material, make sure the student with discalculia is able to write each step down and talk it through until they understand it well enough to teach it back to you.

15. Go over the upcoming lesson with so that the lecture is more of a review.

TECHNOLOGY AND REOURCES

The technology for remediating and accommodating persons with mathematics disabilities has not developed as readily as the technology for reading and writing. However, the technology, which is available now, can provide beneficial assistance for some problems. 

The limited technology can be of help, especially to those who have problems writing numbers down in the correct order. The most common currently available tools include the following:

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) mathematics courses (instruction targeted to special students) are being developed. These are particularly helpful to the user with learning disabilities if the learning is reinforced with voice output.  Here are some computer programs that may be helpful for mathematical learning.

Mathematics Pad, The

 

Compatibility/Requirements:

Macintosh system 7 or higher, 4 MB RAM

Grades: Elementary and older

Price: $79.95 (single copy)$50.00 each (multi-user; 25 users or more) 

MathematicsPad is the ideal solution for students who:

* Need help organizing mathematics problems

* Have difficulty doing pencil and paper mathematics

* Have vision problems that require large-size print, high-contrast background colors or speech feedback.

Mathematics Shop Series

 

Compatibility/Requirements:

PC/DOS or Macintosh-Bilingual version in DOS available

Grades:

4 - 8

Price:$29.95 for each shop

Helping customers in the real world environment of a shopping mart, students gain a sense of how mathematics is applied in everyday life. Whether they are calculating the area of carpet, loading a soda truck, or boxing cartons of eggs, students will need to make maximum use of their mathematics skills. There are four shops for the students to work in:

Mathematics Shop includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, ratios and more.

Mathematics Shop Spotlight: Weights and Measures focuses on pounds and ounces; feet and inches; cups,

Pints, quarts and gallons; days and weeks; and more.

Mathematics Shop Spotlight: Fractions & Decimals teaches students how to add and subtract fractions, multiply fractions by whole numbers, convert decimals to fractions, and add decimals.

Algebra Shop covers factoring, squares/square roots, cubes/cube roots, number series and more.

 

Mathematics Trek 7,8,9

 

Compatibility/Requirements:

Macintosh or Windows

Ages: 7 - 9

Price: $84.95 each module

The modules in this product cover the following topics:

* Algebra

* Fractions

* Geometry

* Graphing

* Integers and Percents

* Whole Numbers and Decimals

Multilingual program includes English, Spanish, and French versions.

Mathematics Trek 10,11,12

  Source Des

Compatibility/Requirements:

Macintosh or Windows

Grades: 10 - 12

Price: $59.95 each module

These modules are for use in grades 10-12 and cover the following topics.

* Factoring

* Systems of Equations

* Statistics, Probability

* Coordinate Geometry

* Transformational Geometry

* Second Degree Relations

* Quadratic Functions

* Mathematical Tools

* Student Tracking System

The Mathematics Tools module includes a charting tool, spreadsheet, a mathematics word processor, probability tools, and algebra tiles. A Student Tracking System module is also available. 

This program is at a high level of difficulty, and there is a less difficult program, described above for grades 7-9.

Mathematicscad 5.0/6.0

 

Compatibility/Requirements:

386 or higher IBM or compatible PC, 4 MB RAM, 15MB free disk space, MS Windows 3.1

Ages: College

Price: $129.95 - $349.95

Mathematicscad is a computer program, which helps solve mathematical calculations.

This program helps turn the computer screen into a worksheet. The user types the equation onto the screen and Mathematicscad solves it.

The user can type the formula or choose symbols from Mathematicscad’s palette. This program can solve equations from algebra to calculus, and text can be added to create a document. This program runs in Windows only, not in DOS.

Mathematics Home Work

 

Compatibility/Requirements: Macintosh family only

Ages: Any age

Price: $29

MathematicsHomeWork is especially useful for students who need to use a computer for written work. It is a template for creating, solving, and printing mathematics problems in all basic operations, including fractions and decimals.

It is configured to proofread calculations automatically as they are entered and to identify where in the problem an error occurred, without solving the error for the user.

A separate column is provided for visual clarity.

This product allows only two font sizes (9 and 12 point), which might be problematical for low-vision students.

Mathematicspert Algebra Assistant

 

Compatibility/Requirements: Windows 3.1, Win95, Windows NT 

386 or higher (speed), 6 MB (hard drive space), 8 MB minimum (memory), 256-color VGA 1X (CD ROM speed), Windows compatible sound stereo, Windows compatible mouse 

Ages: High School and College

Price: $95.00

Mathematicspert Algebra Assistant is a professional mathematics program that utilizes active intelligence to solve any course-level problem in Algebra I and II. The system is unique in its ability to analyze any problem and display the solution in a correct series of steps. Its remarkable mathematical power is combined with an easy-to-use graphical interface that guides students through problems in the same step-by-step manner as taught in class. The student is placed in full control of the operational strategy, while the computer takes care of the mathematical details and provides protection from trivial mistakes. The program offers hints, assistance and complete step-by-step solutions when requested, and always displays the mathematical justification for each operation. 

Algebra Assistant builds experience and proficiency in the strategy of problem solving-the essence of mathematical mastery. In addition to its unmatched capabilities for solving any problem, the program contains over 2, 500 typical textbook exercises organized by standard algebra topics. Students can go directly to any topic where extra help and practice is needed, including factoring, linear equations and inequalities, quadratic equations, fractions, exponents, roots and more. 

Operation Neptune (CD)

 

Compatibility/Requirements: Macintosh or Windows

Grades: 5 - 9

Price: $57.95

This product helps prepare students for algebra.

Students read and interpret real-world graphs, charts, maps, and other tools as they navigate the submarine Neptune.

Students develop mathematics skills with whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percentages, and practice using measurement concepts, including time, distance, speed, angles, area, and volume.

Theorist

 

Compatibility/Requirements: Any Macintosh

Ages: College

Price: $299.00

This program can help the student take on any challenges in the undergraduate mathematics curriculum.

It is one of the first symbolic-mathematics programs for the Macintosh and is geared for a student taking a freshman calculus class in college.

Its strength is its interface: the student can enter an equation with just a few clicks, graph or simplify the equation with a single click, and tinker with it endlessly. The interface encourages exploration, and the tutorial makes exploration easy and entertaining.

The Trigonometry Explorer (CD)

 

Compatibility/Requirements: Macintosh or Windows, 4 MB RAM

Grades: 9 - 12

Price: $129.95

Students discover applications of trigonometry for science and social studies and see how trigonometry relates to algebra and geometry as they measure the distance to the stars; experiment with sound, light, and radio waves; explore bridge construction with triangles; and travel back in time to discover how Eratosthenes first measured the circumference of the earth.

The animated lessons are easy to follow and are presented in a logical, concept-building format. Within the lessons, students are encouraged to explore different aspects of trigonometry and apply what they have learned to randomly generated practice problems.

After each lesson real-world applications with graphic animations and QuickTime movies reinforce students’ learning and suggest new avenues of exploration.