Exceptionality:

Dyscalculia

Danica Puente
EDU 2011 Spring 2016
A Dyscalculia Primer
Dyscalculia is a difficulty in math that is a result of deficiencies
in the mathematical processing parts of the brain.
Dyscalculia is also called number blindness and is often
compared to dyslexia.
Dyscalculia is a result of brain development or traumatic brain
injury and not something that is acquired.
Dyscalculia is difficult to diagnose because individuals with the
disorder usually do not have other deficits.
People freely admit at
dinner parties that
they are poor at math,
while few would admit
that they are a poor
reader.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxloGUFR2Tk
Diagnosing Dyscalculia

Curricular Testing
This test is given at the childs
grade level to determine if the
Neuropsychological Testing
student can meet the learning
These tests are geared toward assessing a childs basic
objectives for their grade. understanding of numbers, arithmetic and non-
numerical functions

Only correct answers are All answers are considered including response time
related to mathematical difficulty
considered on this test, it is
strictly for content knowledge
Areas of deficit

Students may struggle in one or all of the following categories:

Fact retrieval such as learning simple addition sums and times tables
Visio-spatial difficulties when comparing symbols or items that
represent numbers
Difficulties in procedures and strategies such as counting numbers in
groups or skip counting
Having no apparent sense of numbers including recognizing that
7 and seven are the same number
 Symptoms in Young Children
Dyscalculia can go undiagnosed even though it will have
been present even at a young age. Some of the
symptoms in young children include:
Difficulty learning even basic counting, especially
backwards
Trouble organizing things logically like grouping round
objects and square objects together
An inability to make the connection between the same
number of different objects. There is a commonality
between 3 cars, 3 dolls and 3 pencils.
Difficulty remembering numbers whether they are
presented written, symbolically or verbally.
 Symptoms in School-aged
Children and Teenagers

Difficulty measuring things

Avoiding strategy games
Poor ability to understand money or budgeting
Trouble with the concept of time or scheduling even with a digital clock
Difficulty with even simple mental math
Using fingers to count beyond the age when it is expected that this should not be
necessary
First, there are many reasons for being bad at mathematics,
including inappropriate teaching, behavioral problems, anxiety, and
missing lessons. This makes identifying a specific endogenous
condition difficult. Second, many educational authorities, many
parents, and many children believe that difficulty in acquiring the
basic skills is due to stupidity or laziness. This is reminiscent of the
way in which difficulties in learning to read were treated 20 or 30
years ago.

Dr. Brian Butterworth

emeritus professor of cognitive neuropsychology in
the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University
College London.
How Dyscalculia Affects the
Student

Most students with dyscalculia would have extreme

difficulty with this image. The math processing part of
their brain is unable to help them differentiate between
both symbolic and non-symbolic numbers.
This can lead to frustration, anger and may lead to
behavior problems as a way to avoid math.
 Intervention
Interventions will be specific to the type of deficit that has been
diagnosed.

The most common intervention at

this point in time is to use digital
programs that can be customized
and adapted as the individual
learns.

Neuroscientists are a key factor in

how successful these programs
are because part of remediation is
teaching a student to access
other parts of their brain for
mathematical processes.
Is Full
Inclusion
Possible?
YES!! Children with
dyscalculia often have little to
no discernible deficits in
subjects that dont involve math.
As long as the proper
accommodations are made there
is no reason that a student with
dyscalculia could not participate
fully in a general education
classroom.
 References
1. Wilson, A. J. (n.d.). Dyscalculia Primer and Resource Guide. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from
http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/dyscalculiaprimerandresourceguide.htm
2. Butterworth, B. (2005). Handbook of mathematical cognition. New York: Psychology Press.
3. Dyscalculia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2016, from http://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-
disabilities/dyscalculia/
4. Accommodations - Dyscalculia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2016, from
http://www.dyscalculia.org/college-dyscalculia/dyscalculia-in-college
5. Flora, C. (2013, December). How Can a Smart Kid Be So Bad at Math? Retrieved February 09,
2016, from http://
discovermagazine.com/2013/julyaug/20-learning-disability-dyscalculia-explains-how-a-smart-kid
-can-be-so-bad-at-math
6. Shalev, R. S., & Gross-Tsur, V. (2001). Developmental dyscalculia. Pediatric Neurology, 24(5),
337-342.
7. Math and Dyscalculia Services. (n.d.). Retrieved February 06, 2016, from
http://dyscalculiaservices.com/?page_id=187
8. Kaufmann, L., & Aster, M. V. (n.d.). The Diagnosis and Management of Dyscalculia. Retrieved
February 11, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3514770/
9. Best Tools - Dyscalculia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2016, from
http://www.dyscalculia.org/math-tools