Bad at Math: 7 Signs of Dyscalculia

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Math has been the source of anxiety for many schoolchildren. And while they are often accused of not trying hard enough, it may not be that simple.

Several children are trying very hard to do well in math. Moreover, they are embarrassed and frustrated that they can’t figure it out.

If your child is struggling with math, it could be a case of dyscalculia.

What is dyscalculia? It’s a developmental disorder that makes understanding and doing math challenging.

If you have a child who just can’t get math, look out for these seven signs of dyscalculia.

  1. Does Your Child Lose Track When Counting

Does your child lose track when counting? Are they still using their fingers to count at an age where they should be out of that habit?

This could be a symptom of dyscalculia. Counting seems so simple, and yet some children just seem to be stuck. Dyscalculia may be the cause.

  1. Severe Math Anxiety

Children with dyscalculia are so stressed out by math that the thought of math homework can give them a panic attack. If you’re seeing any stress symptoms in your child when they are doing math homework, you may be seeing a sign of a deeper issue.

  1. Difficulty Learning Basic Math Skills

Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are easy and basic math, unless you are someone with dyscalculia. If your child is having trouble learning these skills, you should look into a dyscalculia test.

  1. Unable To Subitize

Children with dyscalculia have trouble with subitizing. Subitizing is the ability to see with a quick look how many items are in a small group. A child with dyscalculia, for example, will often still count the dots on a dice rather than being able to see it just by looking.

  1. Problems Remembering Numbers

Children with dyscalculia have such trouble with numbers that simply remembering phone numbers, addresses, and zip codes is hard for them. Dyscalculia goes deeper than math formulas. This is about understanding numbers in general.

  1. Inability To Understand Graphs And Charts

Eventually, a child with dyscalculia could get over the basic math hurdle. However, a new issue will take form when they reach more advanced math such as reading graphs and charts. Inputting data and reading it can be another major hurdle.

  1. Unable To Apply Math And Numbers To Life

Not knowing how to understand math and numbers will be a major challenge for kids. They won’t understand distances and time. As they get older and get jobs, they may struggle to count or make change.

Understanding Dyscalculia

If your child is showing these symptoms, have a professional perform a test, and go from there. There is hope. Researchers are slowly but surely learning what causes dyscalculia, and what dyscalculia treatment should look like for individual patients.

Perhaps your child developed the disorder due to a lack of concrete education earlier on. If they are having trouble, look into online resources like the percentage calculator at dadsworksheets.com. Show them how the calculator works and use the provided information to guide them through understanding the formulas.

Other dyscalculia strategies include using fun math games to combat anxious feelings about math. You’ve got plenty of resources you can help your children with. Dyscalculia does not have to hold them back.

Recognize And Treat The Signs Of Dyscalculia

If you see these signs of dyscalculia in your child, be grateful to have an explanation. And encourage your child that it’s not a hopeless matter. They will need extra help, but they can make leaps forward in their math skills even with dyscalculia.

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