On dyscalculia – the difficulty in learning mathematics

By Fauziyya Muallim

Mathematics is one of the core subjects all students must learn from pre-school to a certain level. Therefore, there is much effort for students to understand it by all means possible. However, many students consider it to be the most challenging subject that is difficult to understand. Several factors lead to difficulty in learning mathematics. 

Dyscalculia is a term used to describe specific learning disabilities that affect a child’s ability to understand, learn, and perform math and number-based operations. It usually begins to show as soon as children start to learn Mathematics in school, but adults may have dyscalculia without knowing. 

The good news here is: Dyscalculia can be treated in children because their brains haven’t finished developing, making it possible for them to learn skills and develop abilities they need to adapt to this condition. Moreover, not all difficulties in math are caused by dyscalculia.

Dyslexia disrupts areas of the brain related to reading. External factors include overcrowded classes, fear and anxiety, weak foundation, instructors and instructional materials. 

For young children struggling longer and harder with the most elementary of numeracy rules and facts, you may assess the child for dyscalculia. It is important to understand the symptoms of dyscalculia at all ages so that struggling students can be identified and supported. 

Young children (pre-school pupils): For young children, the most common symptoms include trouble with:

• Counting upward
• Matching numbers with objects
• Recognising numbers
• Arranging numbers in order

Primary school pupils: The symptoms for kids around the age of 6 include trouble with:

•  Counting on fingers with small numbers
• Loose track when counting backwards
• Memorisation of multiplication tables 
• Confusing operations signs or performing them in the wrong way
• Doing simple calculations from memory
• Understanding the concept of word problems
• Basic math functions like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
• Forgetting what they are doing in the middle of a math problem
• Having difficulty reading the clock and telling time 

Secondary school (Teenagers) and adults: The symptoms in teenagers and adults may include; 

• Trouble with Solving word problems
• Unable to recall basic math facts, steps, rules and formulas
• Forgetting what they are doing in the middle of a math problem 
• Confused when learning multi-step procedures
• Measuring items or quantities
• Understanding and converting fractions
• Struggling with money matters such as making change, counting bills, or estimating how much something will cost
• Easily get frustrated by games that require consistent scorekeeping, number strategies or counting.

There’s no specific test for dyscalculia, but you can help your child through the following processes:

Please consult your child’s teacher: Ask your child’s math teacher the areas they struggle to understand the most and the child’s complete learning to help you understand where to focus.

Visit a doctor: check out your child’s hearing and vision impairment that could impact learning. Your healthcare provider can tell you more about their treatment options for your case. Treatment should start as soon as possible; the sooner treatment begins, the better chances for a child to adapt to this condition and limit the impacts.

Consult a specialist: seek professional help to evaluate your child and give advice, which usually takes the form of a one-on-one learning program to focus on what the child struggles with most.

A child with dyscalculia may do well in other subjects and still struggle in math and math-based classes.  Moreover, dyscalculia doesn’t affect intelligence directly. It’s common for people with dyscalculia to have an above-average score on IQ tests. People with dyscalculia are also often gifted in other areas, especially creative skills (arts).

Fauziyya Muallim is a mathematics teacher and wrote from Kano.