Layered EducationWhat it looks like
- Counts on fingers or cannot recall basic facts
- Struggles to estimate or judge if an answer is reasonable
- Loses track of steps, signs, or place value
Specific Learning Disabilities
Dyscalculia
Number sense and math fact difficulty inside a middle or high school math class.
Why it happens
Dyscalculia is a difference in how the brain makes sense of numbers and quantities. Facts and procedures do not become automatic, so each problem takes extra working memory.
Try this tomorrow
- Provide a calculator and formula sheet so the main idea stays the focus
- Show each new idea with a number line, diagram, or other visual
- Teach one strategy at a time, with a worked example to keep
- Give fewer problems per page, with graph paper to line up work
- Post the steps so no one has to memorize them
If two of you are in the room
Co-teaching pairs can split this between them, and swap who takes which part so both teachers work with every student.
One teacher
Teaches the concept with a visual model and a worked example.
The other teacher
Hands out supports, watches first attempts, and reteaches one step to a small group.
What the research can and cannot tell us
Research and practical resources on dyscalculia are much thinner than for dyslexia, especially in high school. Most recommendations here draw on wider studies of students with math difficulty.
Keep in mind
Teachers do not diagnose. Describe what you see, and take any evaluation question to the case manager or student support team. Calculators and formula sheets on tests come from the IEP or 504 plan.
Resources
9 resources for this topic, drawn from 6 organizations. Everything opens free, and the ones from other organizations open on their own sites.
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Classroom Accommodations for Dyscalculia
A printable list sorted by new concepts, directions, assignments, and tests. Includes formula lists, graph paper, and calculators.
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What Is Dyscalculia?
A plain overview with signs by age, including trouble with graphs and algebra in high school.
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Visual Representations
How to move from concrete objects to drawings to symbols, with examples of number lines, diagrams, and virtual manipulatives.
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Explicit Instruction in Mathematics
The parts of explicit instruction, with a video of a high school teacher using them to teach tangent.
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Teaching Students with Mathematical Disabilities
State guidance on explicit instruction, math language, concrete to abstract teaching, fluency, word problems, and assistive technology.
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Dyslexia and Mathematics
Teaching principles for students with dyslexia or dyscalculia: manipulatives, explicit math vocabulary, and lighter working memory load.
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How to Spot Dyscalculia
Describes signs across ages and how dyscalculia differs from other reasons a student may struggle in math.
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Signs of dyscalculia and other tips from a math expert
A special education math teacher explains dyscalculia and supports such as moving from concrete objects to drawings to symbols. Transcript included.
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What dyscalculia means
Researcher Daniel Ansari gives a short, clear explanation of dyscalculia with examples of how it shows up in math.
These resources are shared for professional learning and planning. They are meant to inform your professional judgment, not replace it. Each student's IEP and your district, state and federal requirements always come first. Listing a resource here is not an endorsement by Layered Education. This is educational information only, not legal advice.
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