MESHGuides

1. Use concrete manipulative materials

Invest in the right kinds of concrete materials and let your child play around with

them, experimenting and having fun with them. Most useful and versatile of all the

resources that I use with dyscalculic learners is a set of Cuisenaire rods. [Cuisenaire

rods are cuboid rods of wood or plastic, in ten fixed colours, ranging in length from

1 cm to 10 cm to represent the numbers from 1 to 10.] Other helpful materials are

Recommended reading

The following books will support dyscalculia friendly teaching practices. The main message is to make sure that you are supporting your teaching with appropriate concrete manipulatives such as base ten materials, Cuisenaire rods, dot cards, Numicon etc

Chinn, Steve (2004) The Trouble with Maths: A Practical Guide to Helping Learners with Numeracy Difficulties London: Routledge Falmer

Chinn, Steve (2012) More Trouble with Maths: A complete guide to identifying and diagnosing mathematical difficulties Routledge

Dynamo Maths Profiler

This is the link for the dynamo maths profiler for learners aged 6-9

Dynamo Profiler

Dyscalculia Screener

This is the link to Brian Butterworth’s dyscalculia screener, suitable for learners aged 6-14

Dyscalculia Screener

DyscalculiUM

This is a screener for adults and teenagers developed by Clare Trott at Loughborough University

More information for adults can be found at

http://www.dyscalculia.org/diagnosis-legal-matters/guidance-for-17-years-old

If a pupil is presenting a number of these difficulties, it is a clue that something is wrong and they are experiencing difficulties which will get in the way of them learning arithmetical skills.

Language and Memory

 1.Delay in counting. Five to seven year-old dyscalculic children show less understanding of basic counting principles than their peers (eg that it doesn't matter which order objects are counted in).

2. Delay in using counting strategies for addition. Dyscalculic children tend to keep using inefficient strategies for calculating addition facts much longer than their peers.

Preschoolers with dyscalculia may have trouble with maths skills like counting, sorting and organizing. For example:

Connecting symbols with numerical quantities- for example matching the number 3 to a plate with 3 biscuits on it

Sorting – grouping things by shape, size or colour

Time - difficulty appreciating the passage of time

Please be aware that the indicators listed in this column are only intended to be used as a checklist to provide a basic indication of whether or not an individual may be at risk of dyslexia. If you identify a cluster of difficulties and strengths, your next step should be to consult the school Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) so that appropriate and immediate support can be put in place (see Column 5: Signposting for further intervention / assessment)

Dyscalculia can affect different aspects of maths ability- leading to a variety of math profiles. Karagiannakis and Cooreman (2014) have identified four areas or subtypes. Dyscalculic learners may have difficulty in all or maybe just one or two to these areas:

1. Core Number
2. Reasoning
3. Memory
4. Visual Spatial

1. Core Number

This particular sub type of dyscalculia will lead to difficulties with:

Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) is an umbrella term used to cover a range of frequently co-occurring difficulties. SpLD affect the way information is learned and processed. They are neurological (rather than psychological), usually hereditary and occur independently of intelligence. 

A range of studies have indicated high levels of overlap between dyscalculia and other SpLD. This has led to the assertion by Kaplan (2001) that ‘in developmental disorders, co-morbidity is the rule, not the exception’.