Dyscalculia, learning disorder, dyslexia, dyscalculia - you may have heard these and other terms in connection with the mathematical abilities of your precious child?
Often teachers or even other people around them talk about the topic of dyscalculia. Googling and softer research on your own are usually not very effective and have only created more confusion than providing a clean solution. Right?Don't worry, you are not alone in this situation and help is within reach. Yes, but what exactly does this mean and how far is a dyslexia comparable to a dyscalculia? It is important to mention here that each of these terms should be considered separately. You can read more about this in our detailed FAQs at the bottom.
Dyscalculia as a child - what should be considered?
It is important to stay calm for the first time, because even if your child can be diagnosed with a possible case of dyscalculia, there is a solution for everything. At porta mundi you are in the right place, because we are not only the specialists in the area of targeted preparation for the Gymi examination, but we also have trained specialist teachers who have the necessary expertise to support you and your family in the area of dyscalculia.
We also support students with dyscalculia!
Our appropriately trained specialist teachers accompany pupils who have been diagnosed with dyscalculia. Thanks to their many years of experience as remedial teachers, the teachers pick up the children at their current level of knowledge, work on deficits and develop strategies with the pupils with the help of the appropriate subject teaching materials in order to reach a better level in everyday school life.
We also advise parents on how to deal with clarifications and the compensation for disadvantages and the associated support services in the case of diagnosed dyscalculia. If you wish, porta mundi can take over the exchange with the school or support you in parent meetings with the relevant teacher.
FAQ - Dyskalkulie
The symptoms of dyscalculia are often interpreted in different ways, but it is safe to say that common symptoms of dyscalculia can be identified as follows. Children with arithmetic weakness or arithmetic disorder are often referred to as such. However, it is important to define the lack of discriminatory power accordingly, otherwise learning disorders or other signs that are attributed to affected children often arise from existing ignorance coupled with incorrect assessments. It is imperative that this unprofessional judgement or the diagnosis derived from it be evaluated and confirmed or even denied by professionals and that the diagnosis be rejected accordingly before further steps are taken for the benefit of the child. In principle, this applies to the following symptoms, a possible dyscalculia can be attested, however, as already mentioned, your child should in any case be clarified by a specialist, associated with this, appropriate measures for support can be planned and implemented for the affected children.
It is important to note that dyscalculia or a mild problem with arithmetic should never be compared to the subject of dyscalculia.
Difficulties in counting Errors in calculating/ counting in particular often like to be among other things
difficulties with children as well as later with adults.
Counting with the fingers (counting even at higher school levels)
Children are often diagnosed with counting with the help of their fingers. At the beginning of the first grades of primary school, this is considered nothing special. Often this is also referred to as arithmetic disorder. At this early stage, however, neither dyscalculia nor dyscalculia can be said to exist unless appropriate assessments have been carried out by appropriate specialists. However, if after the transition to the next level - i.e. after more than two years of schooling - your child is still using his or her fingers to calculate simple arithmetic problems by hand using his or her own 10-finger system, then this is a possible indication of an existing dyscalculia in your child.
Difficulty in understanding the transition to tens
There is also often talk of dominant problems in children's approach to the essential tens transition, especially in the area of plus and minus calculations, as the first sign of a possible dyscalculia.
Problems with place values (ones, tens, hundreds, etc.)
If your child shows further impairment in the area of basic understanding and logic of place values in the area of mathematics in relation to number processing of ones, tens and hundreds, this is a first sign of possible dyscalculia.Only in the case of persistent difficulties ( approximately half a year) is it appropriate to call in an educational specialist.
Yes, dyscalculia is considered a congenital developmental disability. It is a specific learning disorder in the area of mathematics that usually manifests early in the age of childhood. Affected children have some difficulty understanding mathematical concepts and acquiring mathematical skills, even though they show normal intellectual development in other areas.
The exact causes of dyscalculia are not yet fully understood, but genetic factors are thought to play an important role. Studies have shown that dyscalculia is clustered in some families, suggesting a genetic predisposition. It is thought that certain gene variants may increase the risk of developing dyscalculia.
It is important to emphasise that early identification and targeted support of children with dyscalculia is crucial to improve their mathematical skills and minimise possible negative effects on self-esteem and academic performance. The support of teachers, parents and educational professionals is crucial in order to give affected children the best possible chances of successfully mastering mathematical challenges.