I am a mother of a 16 year old girl. She has been struggling with math since she started algebra. She was diagnosed with ADD in 1st grade. She has always been on the A honor roll. Recently she has switched from traditional high school to what is called The Early College at the the local community college. Her math seems to be the only thing holding her back from moving forward to college classes. She is getting increasingly frustrated. We have talked to teachers about this situation but no one seems to know what is wrong. She will work a math problem, with help, and then when asked to do it herself she doesn’t know what to do. I have felt this same way my whole life and I want to get her help, but don’t know what to do. Could this be Dyscalculia and if so where do I start?
Hi Sarah and welcome here,
Numbers are something that we concieve of with spatial thinking, which gives numbers a sense of quantity. So that we think of 3 as a group.
But with Dyscalculia, people have a spatial thinking difficulty. So that they don’t sense 3 as a group. In the same way, that if you count using the alphabet: A,B,C instead of 1,2,3 ?
You would have no sense of C as a group?
So that for Dyscalculics, 2+3= ?
Makes no more sense than: B+C= ?
Which causes a great difficulty with basic arithmetic.
But, it causes a different problem with algebra?
Where spatial thinking is also what we use to organize our thoughts, and then think through a process.
But with Dyscalculia, people have a difficulty with recalling and then working through the algebraic process.
So that when you wrote that ‘She will work a math problem, with help, and then when asked to do it herself she doesn’t know what to do’ ?
It is quite likely that she can’t recall and think through the algebraic process?
Which uses algebraic thinking, that is also termed as pattern thinking.
Where this needs to be understood as a separate problem with Dyscalculia?
As simply giving someone with Dyscalculia a calculator to do the arithmetic.
Wont help with algebraic thinking and working through the math problem?
Though I have a forum for Dyscalculia, which you are welcome to visit.
[url]http://www.dyscalculiaforum.com/news.php[/url]