The Exceptionality of Dyscalculia

The Exceptionality of Dyscalculia

Danica Puente

Salt Lake Community College

The Exceptionality of Dyscalculia

Learning disabilities can be a major roadblock in life whether it affects an individuals

ability to read, comprehend or retain information. As science progresses we as a society are

becoming more aware of the many varied forms and presentations that learning disabilities can

take and how we can help those that are affected by them. The term dyslexia was used as early

as 1887 but didnt appear in academia until 76 years later when it was used in a speech given by

psychologist Dr. Samuel Kirk at an education conference in Chicago. One of the lesser known

learning disabilities today, despite its effect on anywhere from 3% to 6% or individuals, is

dyscalculia. Dyscalculia is often grouped with dyslexia but though the two conditions have their

similarities should not be used interchangeably.

Dyscalculia has been broadly defined as a mathematical disability but more specifically it

is a difficulty in mathematical performance resulting from impairment to those parts of the brain

that are involved in mathematical processing, without a concurrent impairment in general mental

function. (Wilson) This accepted definition was first introduced by Czechoslovakian

psychologist Ladislav Kosc in 1974 but its origin can be traced all the way back to 1919 when

Salomon Eberhard Henschen described what we now call dyscalculia. Henschen even coined the

term acalculia when discussing math impairments in individuals with brain damage.

Dyscalculia is divided into two different categories: developmental dyscalculia and acquired

dyscalculia. Developmental dyscalculia is specified as a deficit in mental processes that is

present from birth whereas acquired dyscalculia can be acquired through lesions on the brain or

traumatic brain injury. Dyscalculia is not simply having difficulties with math, individuals with

dyscalculia have deficits that affect their thought processes when the brain attempts to access

areas associated with number sense.

The Exceptionality of Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is still in the early stages of being researched and so its prevalence and levels

of severity are not clear. IQ tests are not a reliable indicator of dyscalculia and diagnosis of

dyscalculia spans a wide range of IQs. Some conditions such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and

low birth weight have been associated with dyscalculia but has not been studied enough at this

point to make a clear connection. What has become clear is that dyscalculia defies the trends of

most learning disabilities and affects male and female individuals at a nearly identical rate.

Dyscalculia research so far has not shown ethnicity to be a factor other than it is more likely to

be diagnosed in Caucasians and overlooked in ethnic minorities.

One of the defining characteristics of dyscalculia is the absence of deficiencies in other

areas and can be difficult to diagnose because of this. With the widespread acceptance of math as

a difficult subject, how do we determine what is normal and what is a learning disability in

math? One of the most recognized researchers of dyscalculia, Brian Butterworth, had this to say

about the difficulty of properly diagnosing dyscalculia, First, there are many reasons for being

bad at mathematics, including inappropriate teaching, behavioral problems, anxiety, and missing

lessons. Second, many educational authorities, many parents, and many children believe that

difficulty in acquiring the basic skills is due to stupidity or laziness.

For those with a diagnosis of dyscalculia there are ways to overcome or at least help

alleviate its effects on everyday life. Within a dyscalculia diagnosis there are typically three

categories of learning difficulties: fact retrieval, learning procedures and strategies, and visuo-

spatial awareness. The most common intervention for individuals with dyscalculia has been

digital intervention. One of the benefits to digital intervention is that many of the programs

designed to help individuals can be catered specifically to the persons area of deficit. This also
The Exceptionality of Dyscalculia

makes progress easy to track for teachers and can identify areas of need that may benefit from

special attention or individual instruction. Another intervention is called Dots2Track and is a

program that aims to help students learn and retain the correlation between dot patterns and a

number in digit form. This program can be done digitally or practically in a classroom and the

studies on its effectiveness are encouraging for students with dyscalculia.

The most beneficial way that family members can help with interventions is to be patient,

understanding and to encourage the student to do the math that happens in the process of daily

life. One of the reasons that dyscalculia is not as widely recognized is due to the societal

acceptance of math as a difficult concept. Individuals with dyscalculia need it to be understood

that it is an issue directly related to brain processing. Blaming an individual with dyscalculia for

being lazy or unintelligent is dangerous and damaging. The best thing for families is to educate

themselves together on the many ways in which dyscalculia can affect someone so that there can

be understanding and accommodations at home not just at school. One suggestions for families

may be to play math games at home so that the child can continue to practice their math skills

while also having fun.

Because dyscalculia is typically a singular deficiency and not usually associated with

other learning disabilities, full inclusion into a general education classroom is possible. Students

with dyscalculia can easily be integrated with the proper accommodations for activities and

subjects involving mathematics. As an educator it will be important for me to have a basic

understanding of learning disabilities so that I can recognize the signs in students and be

prepared to help them achieve despite their learning disability. As neuroscientist Daniel Ansari

notes in Discovery Magazine, People freely admit at dinner parties that they are poor at math,
The Exceptionality of Dyscalculia

while few would admit that they are a poor reader. (Flora, 2013) What is especially important

with dyscalculia is that it not get overlooked because societal norms tell us that being bad at

math is normal and okay when it could be a disability that can be overcome with the right

interventions.
The Exceptionality of Dyscalculia

References

Wilson, A. J. (n.d.). Dyscalculia Primer and Resource Guide. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from

http://www.oecd.org/edu/ceri/dyscalculiaprimerandresourceguide.htm

The Work of Dr. Ladislav Kosc on Dyscalculia., Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics,

1986. (n.d.). Retrieved February 04, 2016, from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ353046

A Timeline of Learning and Attention Issues. (2014). Retrieved February 11, 2016, from

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know/a-timeline-of-learning-and-attention-issues

The Work of Dr. Ladislav Kosc on Dyscalculia., Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics,

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Dyscalculia. (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2016, from http://ldaamerica.org/types-of-learning-

disabilities/dyscalculia/

Flora, C. (2013, December). How Can a Smart Kid Be So Bad at Math? Retrieved February 09,

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explains-how-a-smart-kid-can-be-so-bad-at-math

Cortiella, C., & Horowitz, S. H. (2014). The State of Learning Disabilities: Facts, Trends and

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content/uploads/2014/11/2014-State-of-LD.pdf

Shalev, R. S., & Gross-Tsur, V. (2001). Developmental dyscalculia. Pediatric Neurology, 24(5),

337-342.
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Understanding Dyscalculia. (2014). Retrieved February 06, 2016, from

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Gersten, R., & Chard, D. J. (1999). Number Sense: Rethinking Arithmetic Instruction for

Students with Mathematical Disabilities. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from

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Students_with__Mathematical_Disabilities

Butterworth, B., & Laurillard, D. (2010). Low numeracy and dyscalculia: Identification and

intervention. ZDM ZDM Mathematics Education, 42(6), 527-539.