Math Specific Learning Disabilities

OVERVIEW

Learning math requires several components of the brain to work together. When a student struggles in math it indicates weak neuroconnections between these areas. This could be because of

environmental conditions
cognitive or neuropsychological factors
language difficulties

Students who have difficulty with math do not necessarily have a learning disorder. They may just require more time developing understanding or require a different approach. Since approximately 5% of the population have dyscalculia, most math difficulties are due to other factors.

(image: youcubed.org)

LEARN MORE

Seeing As Understanding (article by Dr. Jo Boaler, 2016)

How the Brain Learns Mathematics (book by Dr. David S. Sousa, 2015)

What is Dyscalculia? (video with Dr. Daniel Ansari)

"MATH BRAIN" areas

VISUAL-SPATIAL

This area is responsible for orientating self or objects in space, and "seeing" patterns and magnitude by recognizing or comparing quantities. We are born with an intuitive sense of "amount" (and so are some animals!).

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LANGUAGE

This area encodes the learned symbols (graphemes) and spoken words (phonemes) that relate to how we describe, understand, compose, and decompose quantity. The language of math also includes an understanding of equality and the operations, as well as the complex abstractions used to represent algebraic functions.

. . .

MEMORY

The long term memory stores meaningful vocabulary and frequently used facts. The working memory pulls from the long term memory to work out problems. Efficient processing speed and recall is affected by stress (sometimes called math anxiety) as well as demands on executive functioning and attention.

A specific learning disability with an impairment in mathematics (sometimes diagnosed as dyscalculia) affects how a person conceptualizes number (number sense) and accurately calculates or reasons numerically.

Research on dyscalculia is in its infancy - most studies are within the last 15 years!

signs of Dyscalculia

difficulty sequencing numbers (counting on and back, ordering)

can't keep track of scores or whose turn it is in games

counts 1-1 or uses tallies for most calculations

abnormal magnitude representations and estimation of quantities (has wild guesses)

difficulty with time (frequently late or misjudges how long something takes)

poor recall of numbers (math facts, phone numbers, PIN numbers, dates)

gets lost easily or misplaces objects

cannot strategize numerically to solve problems (such as adjusting for a wrong answer that was too high)

SUPPORTing all struggling learners

Any deficits in mathematics learning should be viewed through the lens of the visual - language - memory relationship. Here are some suggestions to solidify those connections.

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teach math as a language, focusing purposefully on symbol meaning and vocabulary
remove stressors (timed fact recall tests, pressure for fast mental computation)
always connect symbolic to visual (number sense) and TALK ABOUT why the brain needs this
use concrete (money, number frames, meter sticks, fingers), representational (drawn or number lines), and abstract (symbols). At the abstract stage, have students close their eyes and talk through manipulating the objects or numbers to help internalize the visualization.
use instructional practices where you are able to provide immediate feedback (not just at the end of a worksheet) - individual whiteboards work great!
allow other forms of assessment (oral, visual) for students who make dyscalculic errors
provide students with supports to alleviate the load on the working memory (charts, tables, calculators, vocabulary cards)

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