dyscalculia

Generality

Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability, which, in the carrier subject, results in a clear lack of sense for numbers.

Like other specific learning disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc.), dyscalculia is also an innate and permanent disability, which usually arises shortly before or immediately after the start of elementary school.

The precise causes of dyscalculia are still unknown. According to the experts, both genetic factors and environmental factors would participate in the onset of disability.

The path of diagnosis is quite complex and requires the intervention of a team of specialists.

Today, those suffering from dyscalculia can count on a support program for the specific strengthening of mathematical and arithmetic skills.

What is dyscalculia?

Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability, which, in the carrier person, causes difficulty in understanding the mathematical and arithmetic concepts and in learning the manipulation and purpose of the numbers.

Experts tend to define dyscalculia as " the lack of sense for numbers ".

Generally speaking, dyscalculia is a problem that emerges at a young age - or just before school or in the early years of school - and is maintained throughout life .

In spite of the common opinion, subjects with dyscalculia are people with an average intelligence .

IS IT AN INNATE DISORDER?

Doctors and experts believe that dyscalculia is an innate condition .

In other words, the subject with dyscalculia would be born with a scarce, if not entirely absent, sense for numbers.

IS IT SYNONYMOUS OF ACALCULIA?

It is widely believed that dyscalculia is synonymous with acalculia .

In reality, however, dyscalculia and acalculia are two slightly different problems: the acalculia is the complete impossibility to perform mathematical calculations, an impossibility that generally derives from a cerebral injury .

Epidemiology

Also due to the lack of precise diagnostic criteria, the exact incidence of dyscalculia in the general population is unknown.

According to the most reliable statistical surveys, 6-7% of children of elementary school age would suffer from dyscalculia.

Moreover, according to studies similar to the previous ones, it would seem that almost 50% of young subjects with dyscalculia have reading problems, due to a condition that is certainly known to most people: dyslexia .

For reasons still to be clarified, dyscalculia is a disorder found with a frequency higher than normal in subjects with ADHD ( attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ), in women with Turner syndrome (genetic disease of the female sex) or in individuals with spina bifida .

LEARNING DISORDERS: WHAT ARE THEY?

The specific learning disabilities are disabilities (not diseases!) Which, in those who carry them, are cause for obvious problems in reading, writing and calculating.

Among learning disabilities, in addition to dyscalculia, include the aforementioned dyslexia, dysorthography and dysgraphia .

Causes

The precise causes of dyscalculia still remain a mystery.

In recent decades, researchers have tried to propose various causal theories, including:

A genetic-hereditary theory
A theory linked to the presence of brain anomalies
An environmental theory

HEREDITARY GENETIC THEORY

Several studies have found that in some families nucleic acid is a recurrent disorder.

This interesting observation led the researchers to hypothesize that dyscalculia is a hereditary condition, linked to the passage from parents to children of some specific abnormal genes.

The genetic anomalies that would seem to cause dyscalculia are, for the moment, unknown.

The experts' wish is to recognize these genetic alterations, so as to better understand their effect on mathematical and arithmetic abilities.

THEORY LINKED TO THE PRESENCE OF CEREBRAL ANOMALIES

Thanks to modern diagnostic imaging tools, scholars could view in detail and compare the brains of normal people with the brains of people with dyscalculia.

The comparison has brought to light something really interesting: from the images there appeared to be differences at the level of brain surface, brain thickness and brain volume.

Curiously, the areas in which these differences resided were those that, in the human being, are used for learning, memory and memorization of mathematical concepts.

ENVIRONMENTAL THEORY

Premise: an environmental factor is any circumstance, event or habit that can affect the life of an individual to a certain extent.

Several studies have shown the existence of a correlation between dyscalculia and the prenatal exposure of the carrier to alcoholic substances . In other words, alcohol intake by a pregnant woman may have dyscalculia, among other possible consequences.

Moreover, according to other studies, it seems that they can affect, on the lack of a sense for numbers, premature birth and low birth weight .

Symptoms and Complications

SYMPTOMS AND TYPICAL SIGNS OF THE PRESCULAR AGE

Presence of dyscalculia in preschool includes:

Difficulty in learning to count and assign a number to an object.
Difficulty recognizing numeric symbols. This implies that the patient is unable to connect the number 7, written for example on a sheet of paper, to the word "seven".
Difficulty in connecting numbers to real life situations. For example, faced with a situation that sees the presence of 3 objects, the patient does not know (because he cannot conceive) that he must use the number 3.
Difficulty remembering numbers.
Difficulty in ordering objects by size, shape and color.
Difficulties in engaging in games involving numbers, knowing how to count and / or knowledge of basic mathematical concepts.

SYMPTOMS AND TYPICAL SIGNS OF THE AGE OF ELEMENTARY AND MEDIUM SCHOOL

The presence of dyscalculia in elementary school and middle school age involves:

Difficulty in recognizing numbers and symbols.
Difficulty in learning and remembering basic mathematical concepts, such as simple addition 2 + 4 = 6.
Difficulty in identifying and correctly using the "+", "-" signs etc.
Difficulty in using more advanced counting strategies, compared to counting with the fingers (which is the simplest and the one that is learned first).
Difficulty in writing numbers correctly.
Difficulty in solving math problems.
Difficulty in distinguishing the right from the left and the presence of a poor sense of direction.
Extreme difficulty in remembering phone numbers and scores resulting from some game or sport activity.
Difficulty in reading and reporting the time of day.
Difficulty in engaging in games involving simple numerical strategies.

SYMPTOMS AND TYPICAL SIGNS OF THE HIGHER SCHOOL AGE

The presence of dyscalculia in high school age involves:

Difficulty applying mathematics and arithmetic concepts to everyday life situations. For example, the patient has problems with money matters: he cannot estimate the total cost, he cannot foresee a possible currency exchange, etc.
Difficulty in measuring things like, for example, an ingredient for a recipe.
Difficulty in gathering the information in a chart or table.
Difficulty finding different approaches to solve the same math problem.
Poor familiarity in activities that require the assessment of distances or speeds. The activities involved include some sports and even vehicle driving.

DISCALCULIA AND DAILY LIFE

Daily life may be affected by dyscalculia, as this last influence in negative:

Social interaction . Patients with dyscalculia are aware of their mathematical difficulties, especially when they compare them with their normal peers. This can lead to social isolation, low self-esteem and difficulty in establishing new friendships and maintaining existing ones.
The ability to orient . Patients do not know how to distinguish right from left, so they may get lost when they have to follow some written or oral indications.
Moreover, subjects with dyscalculia struggle to imagine objects, buildings and other similar things, so this makes it even more difficult to reach a certain goal.
The ability to physical coordination . Individuals with dyscalculia have problems estimating distances between themselves and objects. This leads to a certain clumsiness in the movements.
Money management . Dyscalculia carriers are struggling to manage their finances and estimate how much they will spend when they buy different items.
Currency exchange can be an extremely complicated operation.
Time management . Patients with dyscalculia have difficulty measuring the time that passes; they also have problems in assessing the duration of short periods of time.
Other skills . People with dyscalculia are unable to assess the speed of moving objects. This leads to various difficulties in driving, cycling etc.

CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DISCALCULIA

For reasons still unknown, dyscalculia is associated with: dyslexia, ADHD, mathematical anxiety, Turner syndrome, fragile X syndrome and Gerstmann syndrome .

At present, physicians and experts on the subject of dyscalculia are trying to understand whether there is a link between the latter and the appearance of the aforementioned associated problems.

Diagnosis

In general, the diagnostic procedure for detecting dyscalculia involves a team of professionals (including doctors, speech therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists and experts in learning disorders) and includes at least three obligatory steps (or steps):

First stage or step 1

It consists of an objective examination, aimed at the analysis of the patient's health conditions and the evaluation of problems that lead to think of dyscalculia.

Since the subjects examined are usually very young, it is essential for those who carry out the physical examination to use the help of their parents.

This phase allows to understand if the individual under examination suffers from ADHD, dyslexia etc., that is recurrent conditions in dyscalculia patients.

Second stage or step 2

It consists of consulting a specialist in learning disabilities.

The specialist provides to submit the suspected case of dyscalculia to some specific tests, useful to understand which are the skills with problems. The tests included include: normal and backward counting exercises, number writing exercises, mathematical exercises, form recognition exercises, comprehension tests of the order of magnitude and, finally, patient observation during math school lessons.

A large part of the definitive diagnosis depends on the outcome of these tests.

To obtain reliable information from this second step, doctors and experts believe that it is essential not to let the patient understand that he is under examination.

Third stage or step 3

It consists in the final evaluation of everything the previous tests have reported. At this stage, doctors and specialists collaborate and exchange opinions.

In addition, they assign a review of their mathematical and arithmetic skills to the examinee and establish the most suitable support program for current problems.

Support strategies

Premise: dyscalculia, similarly to other specific learning disorders, is a permanent disability and not a disease. Therefore, talking about therapies or treatment techniques is inaccurate and could lead some readers to believe that recovery is possible.

In other words, an individual with dyscalculia will never be able to acquire the mathematical, arithmetic, calculation, etc. skills. of a healthy person.

Today, individuals with dyscalculia can count on some support strategies, whose ultimate goal is to strengthen numerical and computational abilities, so as to compensate for existing mathematical and arithmetic difficulties.

In practical terms, the support strategies envisaged in the case of dyscalculia consist in so-called educational interventions and in the use of tools, mostly of a technological nature, called compensatory ("compensatory" instruments because they compensate for the patient's gaps).

EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS

Educational interventions are particular teaching strategies, which include:

The use of concrete examples that link mathematics to real life.
This should serve to reinforce the sense of patient numbers.
The use of visual references (drawings, moving objects, etc.) for troubleshooting.
The assignment of manageable quantities of exercises and mathematical tasks, so that the patient does not feel overloaded with work.
The review of newly learned mathematical skills, before moving on to new topics, and the explanation of what the link between competences is.
The division of the lessons into smaller blocks (or parts). Through this approach, the teacher can show and make the patient understand what mathematical skills are needed to understand the various concepts given during the individual lesson blocks.
The use of pieces of paper, to cover the problems and the mathematical operations that the patient still has to face. In this way, the subject with dyscalculia focuses on one exercise at a time and does not get agitated to see a series of particularly difficult tasks for him.
The use of mathematical games, rather than exercises, in such a way that the patient feels a certain amount of fun at performing calculations and operations and feels more at ease in the face of math problems.

To deal with the so-called educational interventions, they are teachers with a specific preparation in the field of specific learning disorders.

Today, more and more schools have, in their teaching staff, people with such preparation, who can help subjects not only with dyscalculia, but also dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc.

Teachers who take care of educational interventions usually work with one patient at a time (individual lessons or one-to-one lessons) or with a small group of patients.

The reason for this is very simple and is connected to a concept expressed in the chapter dedicated to the symptoms: each individual with dyscalculia represents a case in itself and deserves a specific support (which on another subject may not be very effective).

COMPENSATORY TOOLS

Compensatory tools consist mainly of software / PC devices, multiplication tables, calculators and voice recorders .

However, it should be pointed out that, among the compensatory tools, non-technological strategies are also included, such as: granting the patient more time to perform math class tasks and reducing the number of problems to be solved, during classroom exercises.

To describe the compensatory tools (and their purpose) in comparison, dyscalculia experts and other specific learning disorders tend to define them as " like glasses for a short-sighted person ".

In Italy, the use of compensatory instruments, as a support for people with dyscalculia, is also required by law (to be precise, law 170/2010).

Important note!

Some might think that compensatory tools facilitate the schooling of subjects with dyscalculia, making the study load less expensive.

However, it should be pointed out that this is not the case at all: in the scholastic context, compensatory instruments represent neither a facilitation nor an advantage, therefore any criticism of their use is superfluous.

TIPS FOR PARENTS

In the process of strengthening the mathematical and arithmetical abilities of a subject with dyscalculia, parents represent a fundamental support element.

To help those suffering from dyscalculia one does not necessarily have to be a mathematician; then the parents who, considering themselves to be poorly equipped from a mathematical and arithmetic point of view, renounce to help their children with dyscalculia commit a serious error.

Among the most common advice given to fathers and mothers of children with dyscalculia, are:

Learn as much as possible about dyscalculia and its effects . Accurate knowledge of the disorder allows the parent to avoid the child all those situations that could create difficulties or reveal existing problems.
For a person with dyscalculia, feeling less frequently in difficulty means living their disability better: less discomfort, less anxiety, greater self-esteem and so on.
Play with math . It means connecting the numbers to daily activities or objects in the home. This makes the calculation exercises easier and less anxious the time of day for their execution.
Create work stations where there are no distractions. In this way, the patient concentrates 100% on the calculation exercises and problems to be solved.
Get a child's calculator that is easy to use.
Working on personal trust, encouraging the child to focus on his own strengths. The exploitation of the strength points helps to circumvent the gaps and difficulties present.
Help the child keep track of the time that passes, through alarm clocks, alarms, etc.
Recognize your son's efforts, praising him when he also solves simple calculation exercises. This is also a way to increase self-esteem and reduce discomfort, created by mathematical and arithmetic problems.

SOME COMMENTS

Unfortunately, at present, the knowledge concerning dyscalculia and its causes is still scarce.

This lack of understanding of the disorder involves a reduced number of support tools, aimed at strengthening the calculation skills and the sense of numbers.

Prognosis

For a permanent disability such as dyscalculia, speaking of a positive prognosis can be strange and even inappropriate.

However, it is important to point out that the process of strengthening numerical and computational skills is all the more effective, as soon as it begins.

In other words, a patient with dyscalculia who undergoes early support strategies derives, from these, more benefits than a patient with dyscalculia who delays the onset of strengthening.