Could It Be Dyscalculia? Are We Asking the Right Question?
When a child struggles with maths, it's natural for parents to look for an explanation.
Perhaps they still count on their fingers, struggle to remember number facts or become overwhelmed by maths homework.
Increasingly, parents are asking whether their child might have dyscalculia.
It's a reasonable question. But perhaps there's a more useful place to start.
Instead of asking, "Could my child have dyscalculia?", what if we asked, "Why does my child find maths difficult?"
Maths difficulties are broader than dyscalculia and do not all have the same cause
Mathematics is a complex skill. Successful mathematical learning relies on much more than an understanding of numbers.
Children need to remember information, follow sequences, process language, recognise patterns, retrieve number facts and manage several steps at once.
Difficulties in any of these areas can affect mathematical progress.
For example:
A child with working memory difficulties might understand a calculation but lose track of the steps needed to complete it.
A child with slow processing speed might have a secure understanding of mathematical concepts but struggle to work quickly enough in timed activities.
A child with language difficulties might find mathematical vocabulary and word problems particularly challenging.
A child with attention difficulties might make frequent errors, miss important information or struggle to follow multi-step procedures.
A child with gaps in foundational learning might find increasingly complex mathematics difficult because earlier concepts haven't been fully secured.
And, of course, some children experience persistent difficulties with the underlying processing and understanding of numerical information, which may be consistent with dyscalculia.
These children may all appear to be struggling with maths, but their needs can be very different.
Understanding the difficulty
A specialist assessment should do more than establish whether a child meets the criteria for dyscalculia. It should explore their mathematical understanding, cognitive processing skills and individual pattern of strengths and difficulties.
Sometimes the findings will support a diagnosis of dyscalculia. Sometimes they won't.
But not having dyscalculia doesn't mean a child isn't genuinely struggling with maths.
Understanding the reasons behind those difficulties helps parents and teachers provide more targeted support. It also helps children recognise that finding maths difficult doesn't mean they're simply 'bad at maths'.
So perhaps the most important question isn't whether a child has dyscalculia, but
what's making maths difficult for them, and what can we do to help?
Children need an explanation that protects confidence
Maths difficulties can affect confidence quickly. Children often notice when others finish faster or remember facts more easily. Some begin to say, “I’m stupid” or “I can’t do maths” long before adults realise how much shame they are carrying.
A good explanation can change that.
When a child understands that maths draws on many skills, and that one or more of those skills may be harder for them, the problem becomes less personal. They can begin to see that needing support does not mean they lack intelligence.
This is one of the most valuable outcomes of assessment. It gives adults a clearer plan, but it can also give the child kinder language for their own learning.
I’m Lizzy Morton, a Specialist Teacher and Assessor at Clarity Assessment in Caversham, Reading. I provide diagnostic assessments for dyslexia and mathematical learning difficulties, including dyscalculia, across Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
Comments