ADVANCING LEARNING through INCLUSION
dyscalculia
What does dyscalculia involve?
Dyscalculia is a learning disorder that presents significant difficulties in the area of mathematics, including both number processing and simple calculations, the construction of problems or mathematical logic.
Characteristics
Dyscalculia occurs despite an average or above average intelligence, adequate schooling or auditory, visual or physical problems to explain it.
Bearing in mind that each case is different and not all symptoms need be present, the most frequent symptoms are:
Difficulty in understanding the meaning of matematical quantities or concepts.
Difficulties in remembering mathematical data, for examples, multiplication tables.
Difficulties in counting money or calculating change.
Difficulties in calculating time.
Difficulties in estimating speed or distance.
Difficulties in understanding the logic of mathematics.
Difficulties in reading very high figures.
Difficulties in remembering numbers to solve problems.
ENABLING STRATEGIES
Intervention needs to occur in all the stages of education and in all subjects to ensure that students with Specific Learning Difficulties (SLD) have an equal opportunity to learn. The most important measures to be taken are:
Multiplication tables
Allow the use of multiplication tables whenever necessary.
Calculators
Also allow the use of calculators.
More time for exams
Give students more time to complete exams and written tests.
Rough draft paper
Allow the use of rough draft paper so that students can do calculations, draw and make notes freely.
Periodic table
Allow the use of the periodic table if necessary for the subject.
Reading exams out loud
Before beginning an exam, read it out loud to ensure students understand all the questions.
Multisensory material
Provide multisensory material to students whenever possible.
Visual schemes
Provide more visual schemes.
With the collaboration of…
DISFAM
Organización Internacional Dislexia y Familia
DISFAM is the first non-profit Latin American organisation founded in Spain at the end of 2001. It is made up of families of children with dyslexia, adults with dyslexia and professionals from different fields that decided to join together because of their concern with problems experienced by children and adults and also the emotional consequences of the disorder.
DISFAM belongs to the European Association of Dyslexia (EDA) and the Federación de Dislexia Española (FEDIS). It is present in most Latin American countries.
