The signs of dyscalculia look different at different ages. Dyscalculia tends to become more apparent as kids get older. But it can be detected as early as preschool. Here are some indicators:

Warning Signs in Preschool or Kindergarten

• Has trouble learning to count, especially when it comes to assigning each object in a group a number
• Has trouble recognizing number symbols, such as making the connection between ‘7’ and the word seven
• Struggles to connect a number to a real-life situation, such as knowing that ‘3’ can apply to any group that has three things in it—3 cookies, 3 cars, 3 kids, etc.
• Has trouble remembering numbers, and skips numbers long after kids the same age can count numbers and remember them in the right order
• Finds it hard to recognize patterns and sort items by size, shape or color
• Avoids playing popular games like Candy Crush that involve numbers, counting and other math concepts

Warning Signs in Grade School or Middle School

• Has trouble recognizing numbers and symbols
• Difficulty imagining a mental number line
• Has difficulty learning and recalling basic math facts, such as 2 + 4 = 6
• Struggles to identify +, ‒ and other signs and use them correctly
• Difficulty with basic math operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
• Difficulty understanding the ‘place-value’
• May still use fingers to count instead of using more sophisticated strategies
• Has trouble writing numerals clearly or putting them in the correct column
• Has trouble coming up with a plan to solve a math problem
• Struggles to understand words related to math, such as ‘greater than’ and ‘less than’
• Has trouble telling his left from his right, and has a poor sense of direction
• Has difficulty remembering phone numbers and game scores
• Avoids playing games like Risk that involve number strategy
• Has trouble telling time

Warning Signs in High School

• Struggles to apply math concepts to everyday life, including money matters such as estimating the total cost, making exact change and figuring out a tip
• Has trouble measuring things, like ingredients in a simple recipe
• Struggle with finding their way around and worries about getting lost
• Has a hard time grasping information shown on graphs or charts
• Has trouble finding different approaches to the same math problem
• Lacks confidence in activities that require estimating speed and distance, such as playing sports and learning to drive

            Source: UNESCO MGIEP, www.understood.org

If there is suspicion that a child may have dyscalculia, it is important to take notes of the child’s behavior and their learning before approaching an expert. Teachers and parents should coordinate on this. The history of a child and the child’s family can provide important clues in diagnosis. Since neuroscience has a long way to go in its research, this means dyscalculia cannot be diagnosed by testing brain function. Instead, the effects of dyscalculia need to be diagnosed. However, there’s no one specific test for dyscalculia. This means getting a diagnosis can involve several steps:

Step 1: Get a medical exam. A medical exam alone cannot diagnose dyscalculia. Instead, it is used to rule out alternate conditions and to develop a medical history focusing on the child’s cognitive capacities. Math issues are common in children who have certain genetic disorders, in babies that were born early and under-weight, and in those with ADHD. If your child has ADHD, it can be harder to tell whether his math issues are caused by dyscalculia, ADHD or both.

Step 2: See an educational professional. A professional practitioner working with difference learners can do an in-depth analysis of the child’s particular condition once all other conditions have been ruled out. It is important to prepare a child before taking them in for a session. Provide your professional with a detailed history of your child and observation and comments made by the parents and the teachers. A professional such a psychologist or education specialist will run a series of tests to understand the particular differences of the child. They may run a series of simple tests such as:

Counting Dots: Some tests, like the Dyscalculia Screener developed by Dr. Brian Butterworth, use dot-counting exercises to get insights into a child’s number sense. Below isthe link for the Dyscalculia Screener: http://www.dyscalculie.com/dlbin/dyscalculia_screener_manual.pdf

Counting backwards: A frequently used test for screening is the Neuropsychological Test Battery for Number Processing and Calculation in Children (NUCALC). It asks children to count backwards and do other number exercises that involve writing or talking. This test gives professionals a better idea how your child’s brain thinks about and makes sense of math.

Several different screening tools can test how your child sees and understands shapes. If, for example, your child has a rectangle-shaped block in front of him but cannot pick out a card, that shows the same block from a different angle, it may indicate trouble with visual-spatial skills.

Step 3: Put it all together. Once a detailed diagnosis has come in, discuss with the psychologist as well as the specialist on the specific areas that need intervention and whether the child has any other related condition. The treatment plan depends heavily on the diagnosis and varies from child to child. Dyscalculia, like other LDs, comes in varying degrees and for the intervention to be successful it must be centered around the child.

Source: UNESCO MGIEP, www.understood.org

Dyscalculia is a life-long condition but with effective treatment, a person can learn to cope with their condition and live a healthy and successful life.

There are no medications that can treat dyscalculia. However, some kids with dyscalculia do have co-occurring issues, such as ADHD, anxiety or depression. In thiscase, the doctor may prescribe ADHD medication, anti-anxiety medication or antidepressant medication as part of the treatment plan.

There aren’t specific therapies for children with dyscalculia. The following is a list of therapies that can be used individually or in a combination best suited for the child. The special educators may suggest an alternate approach as well.

Source: www.understood.org

There are several things a parent can do to for their child with dyscalculia. The following is a list of things that a parent can provide support in from diagnosis to treatment:

• Get informed – learn in detail about your child’s LD and get an in-depth diagnosis to understand their particular nuances
• Advocate for your child - It is important to remember that life can be made less painful for students who feel like they are failing on a daily basis
• Early Intervention is Key
• Develop a team that includes you, your child’s teacher(s), other school authorities, mentor, tutor and another supportive family member or friend.
• When you approach your school, do not be accusatory about their shortcomings but be collaborative. Explain your situation, your child’s situation and build a team to work around that child.
• Develop a support system for yourself. Children with LD can often be difficult to deal with. It is important to have a familial support system for yourself, to allow you to de-stress and cope and also to give your child the space to go somewhere else should he/she feel the need to and be comfortable with more people.
• Discover your child’s interests.
• Ask your school to assign reading specialists and special educators for your child. If they can’t then approach an institution that can provide your children with specialized aid.
• Find mentors/tutors that they are comfortable working with.
• Establish a communication with a ‘go-to’ person in school (a teacher/counsellor/ secretary etc.) that your child trusts and feels comfortable reaching out to should he/she feel overwhelmed in school.
• When your child is old enough, talk to them about their condition. Be informative and explain the disadvantages as well as the gifts/strengths that they have
• The more you stress, the more they stress. So stay positive and patient.
• Observe and take notes. Watching your child more closely and taking notes on her behavior may reveal patterns and triggers that you can begin to work around. Your notes will also come in handy if you want to talk to teachers, doctors or anyone else you enlist to help your child.
• Focus on effort, not outcome. Praise your child for trying hard, and emphasize that everyone makes mistakes—you included! Help your child understand how important it is to keep practicing. Your encouragement will help your child stay motivated.
• Boost confidence. Use hobbies and afterschool activities to help improve your child’s self-esteem and increase resilience. Try different ways to identify and build on your child’s strengths.
• Do not let the child fall in the ‘counting trap’
• Using concrete examples that connect math to real life, to strengthen your child’s number sense. Examples: sorting buttons or other familiar objects.
• Using visual aids when solving problems, including drawing pictures or moving around physical objects—which teachers refer to as ‘manipulatives’.
• Assigning manageable amounts of work so your child won’t feel overloaded.
• Reviewing a recently learned skill before moving on to a new one, and explaining how the skills are related.
• Supervising work and encouraging your child to talk through the problem-solving process. This can help make sure he’s using the right math rules and formulas.
• Breaking new lessons into smaller parts that easily show how different skills relate to the new concept. Teachers call this process “chunking.”
• Letting your child use graph paper to help keep numbers lined up.
• Using an extra piece of paper to cover up most of what’s on a math test so your child can focus on one problem at a time.
• Playing math-related games designed to help your child have fun and feel more comfortable with math.
• Try not to spend more than 10 to 20 minutes working through math homework that you and your child don’t know how to do.
• Don’t send back notes to the teacher saying the child did not understand the assignment/homework. Instead, find a way to work it out with your child or find a more positive recourse with the child’s teacher.
• There are several stress-free math games appropriate for children of different ages and with LDs that can be played at home. Here’s a list https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/games-skillbuilders/how-games-can-help-kids-who-struggle-with-math

            Source: UNESCO MGIEP, www.understood.org

• Early Intervention is Key
• Decouple their belief that their struggle with math makes them any less intelligent than their classmates. Be supportive, encouraging, and foster their strengths!
• Advocacy – allow the child, parent, and mentor to participate in the learning process and let them explain the particular difficulties the child is or is not facing to you.
• Advocate for the child with higher authorities in the institution.
• Collaborate with other teachers and counsellors
• Do not ask the child math problems out loud in class or do anything that may accidentally reveal their struggle to their classmates. This can lead to a series of problems such as anxiety, bullying, low self-esteem etc.
• Do not let them fall in the ‘counting trap’
• The child will need remedial help and a lot of patience.
• Review what the child already understands and what they struggle with specifically and go from there
• Use graph papers to help line up numbers and problems
• Allow the child to use to write out charts or draw sketches to solve the problem
• Create separate worksheets for word problems and number problems
• Highlight key number or words in the given problems
• Giving children own set of work to complete, which is at their level.
• Allowing extra time - even with problems they can do, dyscalculic children are much slower.
• Using written rather than verbal instructions and questions. Dyscalculic children are already spending a lot of mental energy trying to understand the math, the last thing they need is to have to memorize the instructions at the same time.
• Focus on understanding (especially of quantity)
• Use concrete materials to help link mathematical symbols to quantity such as blocks, coins etc.
• Allow extra time in test and provide extra space to solve problems
• Let the child use a chart of facts and multiplication tables during tests and otherwise
• Allow the child to use a calculator when not being tested.
• Divide the exam paper in sections (like the worksheets)
• Start at a level which the child is comfortable at, so that they experience some success, and slowly move to more difficult areas
• Provide a lot of practice for new skills/concepts
• Reduce the need for memorization, especially initially
• Ask a lot of questions to get the child engaged and thinking about their own thinking
• Make learning as active and fun as possible - a positive experience

Source: UNESCO MGIEP, www.understood.org