Dyscalculia
"It is fundamentally to do with how individuals understand and process numbers"
"A learning difficulty involving the most basic aspect of arithmetical skills. The difficulty lies in the reception, comprehension, or production of quantitative and spatial information. Students with dyscalculia may have difficulty in understanding simple number concepts, lack an intuitive grasp of numbers, and have problems learning number facts and procedures."
- Taken from the British Dyslexia Association
"I would have preferred them [my department] to know like the ins and outs of how it affects me so that that could have been taken into consideration by my tutors"
What are some characteristics of students with dyscalculia?
People with dyslexia may struggle to remember maths facts or how to do calculations or equations (National Numbers)
Advice to support students with Dyscalculia
Break Tasks Down into Subsets
Dyscalculic students can easily get overwhelmed by a complex problem or concept, especially if it builds on prior knowledge — which they may not have retained. Separating a problem into its parts and working through them one at a time can help students focus, see connections, and avoid overload.
Draw the Problem
Drawing the problem can also help visual learners to see relationships and understand concepts. Students can “draw through” the problem with images that reflect their understanding of the problem and show ways to solve it.
Review Often
Like other learning disabilities, dyscalculia affects student success both in and out of the classroom. Study strategies that bring the abstract world of mathematics down to earth with visual and verbal cues and physical props can help dyscalculic students overcome obstacles to making sense of math.