Many children struggle with math occasionally. However, for some students, math challenges are much more frequent and severe. If your child consistently has trouble grasping basic arithmetic concepts, remembering math facts, or solving word problems, it may be a sign of a math learning disability, also known as dyscalculia.
Dyscalculia is a learning disability that affects a child’s ability to learn math concepts and understand how numbers work. Just like dyslexia affects reading, dyscalculia affects math. Students with dyscalculia are often highly intelligent students who may excel at other skills, like reading and writing, but struggle significantly with math.
At Knowledge Plus Tutoring, we work with students throughout Florida who have math learning disabilities.
Early identification and targeted support can make a tremendous difference in helping children build confidence and improve their math skills.
Parents looking for individualized support can learn more about choosing the right special education tutor in Florida for children with learning disabilities, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia at Special Education Tutoring in Florida: What Parents Should Look For.
What Is Dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that affects mathematics. Students with dyscalculia often have trouble grasping quantities, understanding number relationships, performing mental math, and solving math word problems.
These challenges are not due to a lack of effort; in fact, many students with dyscalculia work very hard but still struggle to keep up with math concepts taught at school.
Dyscalculia can affect many aspects of math, including:
- Number sense
- Memorizing math facts and developing fluency with them
- Telling time
- Counting with one-to-one correspondence
- Grasping place value
- Solving math word problems
- Estimating numbers
- Multi-step math problems
The severity of these math challenges typically varies from student to student.
Common Signs of Dyscalculia in Children
What are common dyscalculia symptoms?
Difficulty Learning Basic Math Facts
One of the earliest signs of dyscalculia is difficulty understanding number quantities and trouble memorizing basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division facts.
Your child may do the following:
- Count on their fingers well after their peers stop
- Forget math facts
- Take an excessive amount of time to solve basic problems
- Struggle to solve simple equations
Even after extensive practice and repetition, students with dyscalculia are often unable to retain math concepts.
Difficulty Understanding Number Concepts
Students with dyscalculia often struggle to understand what numbers mean and represent.
For example, they may have trouble with:
- Comparing larger numbers to smaller numbers
- Grasping quantities
- Recognizing number patterns
- Estimating
- Counting objects correctly
Math can seem confusing and overwhelming to them, rather than straightforward and logical.
Challenges Solving Word Problems
Word problems are often particularly challenging for students with dyscalculia because they typically require:
- Multiple steps
- Comprehending language
- Sequencing
- Math reasoning
Students with dyscalculia may know how to solve simple calculation problems but become confused when deciding which operation to use when solving a word problem.
Difficulty With Multi-Step Math Problems
Many students with dyscalculia struggle with sequencing and solving problems with multiple steps.
You might notice the following errors in your child’s math work:
- Steps of problems are skipped
- Problems solved out of order
- Calculation errors
- Challenges with carrying numbers
- Confusion with long equations
- Difficulty with multi-step directions
These challenges can become more pronounced as students move through upper elementary school and into middle school and beyond.
Trouble Telling Time
Students with a math learning disability often have trouble reading analog clocks and telling time.
Your child might do the following:
- Mix up the hour and minute hands
- Struggle to calculate elapsed time
- Have difficulty managing their time
- Often become confused with time-related concepts
Poor Sense of Direction or Spatial Awareness
Many children with dyscalculia also struggle with spatial awareness and have a poor sense of direction.
You might notice the following struggles with your child:
- Difficulty remembering directions
- Confuses left and right
- Challenges with lining up numbers correctly on paper
- Trouble reading a map
These types of spatial difficulties can affect various aspects of math, including geometry and higher-level math concepts.
Math Anxiety and Avoidance
Because students with dyscalculia struggle with math, they often develop significant anxiety around math schoolwork.
You might notice that your child:
- Avoids math homework
- Has meltdowns when working on math assignments
- Has poor self-esteem
- Makes comments like, “I’m bad at math,” or “I’ll never be able to solve these problems”
- Shows excessive frustration around math
These math struggles can have a significant impact on your child’s self-esteem.
Signs of Dyscalculia by Age
Keep an eye out for the following signs of a possible math learning disability:
Preschool and Kindergarten
- Trouble learning how to count
- Difficulty identifying numbers
- Challenges grasping quantities
- Trouble sorting objects
Elementary School
- Struggles to learn math facts and develop automaticity with them
- Trouble learning how to tell time
- Challenges with money concepts
- Problems understanding place value
- Difficulty solving word problems
Middle and High School
- Challenges with fractions, decimals, and percentages
- Trouble solving algebraic problems
- Difficulty estimating numbers
- Slow pace of solving math problems
- Anxiety about math
- Trouble applying math to real-life scenarios
Dyscalculia vs. Typical Math Struggles
Not every child who struggles with math has dyscalculia. Some students may have minor difficulties understanding certain math concepts, which may not indicate a math learning disability.
Signs that may signify your child has dyscalculia are:
- Math challenges are persistent and may get worse with time
- Math struggles are much greater than in other subjects
- Practice and repetition do not lead to growth or understanding
- Extreme anxiety about math
- Math performance at school that is not indicative of your child’s intelligence
A comprehensive evaluation can help determine whether a math learning disability is present, or whether your child is just facing minor math challenges.
How Specialized Dyscalculia Tutoring Can Help
Students with dyscalculia often benefit from one-on-one, multi-sensory instruction that breaks math concepts down into smaller, more manageable steps.
Effective dyscalculia tutoring may include:
- Visual math models
- Manipulatives specific to each concept being taught
- Hands-on learning
- Repetition and review of new concepts
- Step-by-step teaching
- Executive functioning coaching
- Motivation and self-esteem building strategies
At Knowledge Plus Tutoring, we provide individualized one-on-one tutoring for students with learning challenges throughout Florida, including students with dyscalculia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, autism, and executive functioning challenges. Tutors provide individualized instruction to students to build their foundational math skills and help them feel confident and successful.
Parents can also explore practical strategies to help children improve math skills at home using hands-on learning, repetition, and confidence-building activities at Four Ways to Improve Your Child’s Math Skills | Knowledge Plus Tutoring.
When Should You Seek Specialized Math Tutoring for Your Child?
If your child consistently struggles with math and it is affecting their self-esteem, you may want to seek specialized dyscalculia tutoring sooner rather than later.
Hiring a specialized math tutor early can:
- Prevent math gaps from widening
- Reduce the severity of math challenges
- Minimize anxiety
- Boost motivation
- Improve your child’s math performance at school
The earlier you can find the right math tutor for your child, the more confident and successful they will become.
Step Up Funding for Dyscalculia Tutoring in Florida
Families in Florida may be able to receive free dyscalculia tutoring through the Step Up For Students scholarship programs.
Students who have learning disabilities, including dyscalculia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and other learning challenges, may qualify for educational funding that can be used toward specialized tutoring services.
Students may be able to use scholarship funds for:
- One-on-one specialized math tutoring
- Multi-sensory math remediation
- Executive functioning coaching
- Curriculum and learning materials
- Other related educational expenses
At Knowledge Plus Tutoring, we work with many students in Florida who use Step Up funds to cover the cost of individualized academic tutoring tailored to their specific needs. We provide in-person tutoring to students in Boca Raton, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and surrounding areas, and provide online tutoring throughout Florida.
If your child struggles with math, exploring Florida Step Up tutoring scholarship options may help make specialized dyscalculia tutoring more accessible.
Florida families can learn how to use Step Up For Students scholarships for private tutoring in Florida to help cover the cost of specialized dyscalculia tutoring and academic support services at Can Step Up for Students Pay for Private Tutors in Florida? - Knowledge Plus Tutoring.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dyscalculia
What causes dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a math learning disability that affects how the brain processes numerical information. It is not caused by laziness, lack of effort, or low intelligence.
Is dyscalculia the same as dyslexia?
No. Dyslexia affects reading and language processing, typically impacting reading and writing skills. Dyscalculia affects math skills and an understanding of numbers. Some children may have both dyslexia and dyscalculia.
Can children with dyscalculia improve in math?
Yes! With the right specialized math tutoring, children with dyscalculia can make significant progress and develop stronger math skills.
How is dyscalculia diagnosed?
Dyscalculia is typically diagnosed through a comprehensive evaluation either in school or outside of school, performed by a qualified professional.
What type of tutoring works best for dyscalculia?
Students with dyscalculia typically benefit from direct, explicit, step-by-step, multi-sensory, math instruction individualized to the needs of each student.
Are online dyscalculia tutors effective?
Yes! As long as the right multi-sensory tools are used with evidence-based, step-by-step instruction, online dyscalculia tutoring can be very effective.
Can ADHD and dyscalculia occur together?
Yes! Many students with dyscalculia also have ADHD. This combination can further impact a student’s math performance and overall organizational skills.
Does my child have a learning disability in math?
The only way to know if your child has a learning disability in math is to have them undergo a comprehensive evaluation by a qualified professional, either in school or outside of school. Once diagnosed, finding the right dyscalculia tutor who uses an evidence-based, multi-sensory approach is key.
Are you concerned that your child may have dyscalculia?
Knowledge Plus Tutoring provides individualized one-on-one math tutoring using specialized evidence-based techniques to students throughout Florida. Contact us to schedule a free consultation and learn how we can help your child build confidence and improve their math skills.
Dr. Emily Levy is the executive director of Knowledge Plus Tutoring and a special education expert. She holds her Doctorate Degree in Education and her Master’s Degree in Special Education, and has helped thousands of students develop their math skills with individualized tutoring for over twenty years. She frequently speaks at national educational conferences and appears as an educational expert on podcasts. Dr. Levy is the author of the Strategies for Study Success, Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham, and Flags and Stars Multi-Sensory Math student workbook programs, all of which are used by students and schools nationwide. She has been featured in publications including Newsweek, Epoch Times, Autism Advocate Parenting Magazine, and Macaroni Kids.
