Symptoms Of Dyscalculia And Treatment: 8 Key Points

Dyscalculia ¹struggle is a learning disability that adversely affects the child’s ability to learn, understand, and perform math and number-based operations. Symptoms of Dyscalculia ²and treatment of dyscalculia³ are now known, by simple observation anyone can find out whether their kids are suffering from this disability or not. 

We can define dyscalculia in simple words- if a child cannot do math homework or math concepts and has difficulty learning basic math facts, math problems, and mathematical concepts, then it is confirmed that the child is suffering from Dyscalculia effects.

Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that is related to math learning disabilities. This specific learning disorder is wholly related to learning math skills in everyday life. Children with dyscalculia or developmental dyscalculia have problems with word problems, math facts, math processes, and math-based classes.

Kids struggle with math homework but have no difficulty understanding other subjects. Young math teachers or learning specialists should especially focus on children with dyscalculia. A child with dyscalculia can learn math in math classes if some special focus is put on it and some especially techniques are used to explain it to these kids.

1. Symptoms Of Dyscalculia And Treatment

There are a lot of symptoms that confirm that the child is suffering from dyscalculia; these effects include

• The child suffers from dyscalculia if he/she has problems understanding basic math skills.

• Having math dyslexia

• Difficulty in understanding basic math functions.

• Having problems recognizing numbers.

• If a child struggles with math difficulties or has problems with mathematical symbols, then these are the signs of dyscalculia.

• Difficulty remembering directions.

• Difficulty keeping score

• Difficulty in Tax identification number sense

Learning disabilities include many other learning disabilities, including math learning disability, word problems, math operations, and mental math. Suppose these symptoms of mathematics learning disability⁴ are visible in any child. In that case, the parents should keep some extra focus and care on that child to make him understand the basic problems. Along with the care, they should consult their respective doctors.  

A young child with dyscalculia needs spatial awareness, learning strategies, and number sense.

Let’s understand and discuss each symptom in detail according to age and school activities.

2. Signs Of Pre-school Children At Home

Pre-school children are those whose age is below 6 years; these age group children used to go to preschool, which is also called kindergarten schools or play schools. The children also face difficulties, including. 

1. The children face difficulty estimating the objects. They are not able to remember the names of those objects.

2. They do not remember their parents’ addresses and contact numbers even when you have tried to teach them a lot of times.

3. Suppose the child begins complaining that they are waiting for hours, but it is just a few minutes. So they are not able to estimate the time.

3. Signs And Symptoms Of Pre-school Children At School

The growth of preschool children at school is slower than that of normal children. They need more attention and care to make them understand the basic maths concepts. 

1. They are not able to learn things as normal children.

2. They are not so interested in doing activities like drawing, painting, dancing, and many others.

3. They do not try to talk to other children.

4. Symptoms Of Elementary School Children At Home

Every stage has its own specific signs and symptoms. By observing those, we can say that children suffer from Dyscalculia disease at the elementary school age. 

1. They do not like maths, so they avoid playing games that contain some maths activities like snake and ladder, chutes, and card games.

2. They remain confused about directions like north, south, left, or right.

3. They experience difficulty in writing something.

5. Symptoms Of Elementary School Children At School

The symptoms in elementary school children are not that easy to identify; hence, based on observation, we can say that children suffer from Dyscalculia disease at the elementary school age. 

1. They are very weak in maths and always get very low grades. In maths, their grade level never increases because it seems very difficult to them every time.

2. They cannot see the time in the analog clock because it is full of numbers, and they get confused.

3. They cannot differentiate between maths symbols, like greater than and less than.

6. Signs Of Middle School Children At Home

The signs and symptoms in middle school children at home face difficulty solving math problems and understanding basic maths concepts. 

1. They are very confused about many little things like directions and symbols.

2. They avoid solving math problems.

3. Avoid playing games in which they have to remember scores.

7. Signs And Symptoms Of Middle School Children At School

This learning disorder or disability has different stages, and the signs and symptoms are easily seen and observed in every stage. 

1. Avoid math class and not interested in doing math problems.

2. They are not able to speak some difficult words.

3. They always depend on their finger calculations to solve problems, so sometimes they lose track while doing calculations.

8. Symptoms Of High School Children At Home

The symptom of this disorder or inability is visible in school and at home; these children cannot do simple calculations in everyday life.

1. They are not able to calculate the normal budget allowance money.

2. They are not able to estimate the time. They will not be able to conclude how much time this activity requires.

3. Stay away from math-based questions and conversations in daily life.

9. Symptoms Of High School Children At School

High school children’s symptoms are more related to nervousness than behavior. The symptoms in children who are in high school include confusion, distraction, and many more. 

1. Always remains nervous for classes and exams.

2. They use calculators for general math sums.

3. They need a learning specialist to teach them maths. These kids can also take the help of the Child Mind Institute.

10. Treatment 

Dyscalculia disease can be treated in many ways. The children can use many programs to learn maths and solve mathematical problems, like higher-level math courses and TouchMath. These programs help students to learn maths. Children can also take the help of the Multi-sensory concrete learning method.

There are many plans and special education programs for children suffering from dyscalculia, like the Individualized Education Plan (IEP).⁵

11. Conclusion

 Children with dyscalculia have a math disability, meaning they struggle to recognize numbers and numerical patterns. This learning disorder is especially related to the math learning process. The symptoms of dyscalculia and treatment are observable and do not require any special test or medication.

The only treatment is the extra care, attention, and time of the teachers and parents. 

According to some medically reviewed, peer-reviewed studies and educational psychologists, these children have difficulty learning game scores, board games, times tables, and everyday tasks.

FAQs

1. Can dyscalculia be completely cured?

A. Dyscalculia itself cannot be cured, but individuals with dyscalculia can make significant improvements in their mathematical skills with appropriate intervention and support.

2. Is medication used to treat dyscalculia?

A. No, medication is not typically used to treat dyscalculia. Treatment primarily involves educational and therapeutic interventions.

3. What can parents and teachers do to support someone with dyscalculia?

A. Parents and teachers can provide a supportive and understanding environment, work with specialists to develop an individualized education plan (IEP), and use teaching strategies tailored to the individual’s needs.

Read more

1. Shalev, Ruth S., and Varda Gross-Tsur. “Developmental dyscalculia.” Pediatric neurology 24.5 (2001): 337-342. ↩︎
2. Kosc, Ladislav. “Developmental dyscalculia.” Journal of learning disabilities 7.3 (1974): 164-177. ↩︎
3. Haberstroh, Stefan, and Gerd Schulte-Körne. “The diagnosis and treatment of dyscalculia.” Deutsches Ärzteblatt International 116.7 (2019): 107. ↩︎
4. Mazzocco, Michèle MM, and Gwen F. Myers. “Complexities in identifying and defining mathematics learning disability in the primary school-age years.” Annals of dyslexia 53 (2003): 218-253. ↩︎
5. Pretti-Frontczak, Kristie, and Diane Bricker. “Enhancing the quality of individualized education plan (IEP) goals and objectives.” Journal of early intervention 23.2 (2000): 92-105. ↩︎

Last Updated on July 24, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology