Dyscalculia belongs to the family of learning disorders that includes dyslexia and dysorthography. More specifically, it’s a learning disorder that affects a child’s ability to learn math. This neurological condition has nothing to do with intelligence or a lack of stimulation.
Dyscalculia is a neurological disorder with symptoms that may appear early in a child’s life and persist despite intervention. Children with dyscalculia face very real challenges and often have difficulty with the following:
- Estimating, understanding, and working with quantities
- Reading and writing numbers
- Applying calculation procedures
- Memorizing math tables
- Solving math problems: understanding the problem, choosing the right procedure, etc.
You can play games with your child to get them excited about math and encourage them to work with numbers. Some games are geared toward younger children, while others will be suitable for kids in the first few grades of elementary school. Here are a few suggestions:
- Count objects they encounter in their daily lives, such as the number of apples in the fruit basket
- Put together a math equation puzzle
- Colour a math equation colouring page
- Play Fin Lapin 3 or Météormath 2 (French only)
- Play The Allomarket, a money counting game
- Etc.
Kids can use a variety of strategies to help them with counting. To help them find a strategy that works for them, encourage them to try the following tools:
- Their fingers
- An abacus
- A calculator
- Illustrations
To reach their full potential, your child needs to develop an effective work method. Encourage them to try the following strategies:
- Break down word problems into smaller steps
- Identify models to which they can refer for problem solving
- Use all the tools available to them
- Make a personalized glossary of math terms
- Make diagrams
- Etc.
Your child’s school team is made up of several staff members (e.g., their teacher, remedial teacher, speech-language pathologist) who strive to meet the specific needs of each student. Working with them can have a significant impact on your child’s academic success. To foster a strong parent-school relationship, you can do the following:
- Communicate with your child’s teacher
- Talk about the challenges your child faces during homework time
- Listen to the school staff and apply their advice
- Etc.
There are plenty of other ways to forge a partnership with your child’s teacher. Read our article on the topic to learn more about them.
Rewriting : The Alloprof Parents' team and the Institut TA
LAFAY, Anne, (2016). « Déficits cognitifs numériques impliqués dans la dyscalculie développementale », [En ligne], theses.ulaval.ca/archimede/fichiers/32392/32392.pdf, Thèse de doctorat, Université Laval.