You have a student who is consistently poor at arithmetic. Based on the readings in this Unit, analyze the information and prepare a plan to help this student.
- How will you go about examining whether the student has dyscalculia or not?
- Prepare a plan to help this student If:
- the student has dyscalculia
- the student does not have dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a specific disorder of arithmetic skills (ICD-10 Version:2010, n.d.), i.e. impaired numeracy in children, most often observed in the early stages of mathematics learning.Dyscalculia is associated with various features of mental development. It can be both an independent disorder and manifest itself along with other learning difficulties: dyslexia, dysgraphia, dysorphography.The basic mathematical concepts and skills, the formation of which determines the success of further learning of mathematics, can be attributed to (Staake, 2018):formation of the concept of number (definition of quantity, direct and reverse ordinal counting);
elementary mathematical actions (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division);
analysing the task condition.
Diagnosis of dyscalculiaIf dyscalculia is suspected, when a child has difficulties in mastering counting operations, it is important to examine the cognitive sphere - regulatory functions, spatial representations, perception in different modalities, attention, memory, praxis, oral and written speech, thinking, to investigate the numerical representations of the child (Michaelson, 2007).This is carried out in the process of neuropsychological, speech therapy and pathopsychological examination.
Based on the results of the assessment of the formation of these functions, an individual route of correction is built, aimed at the formation and development of the corresponding cognitive processes (Michaelson, 2007).At different stages of a child's mastery of mathematical operations, the possibility of determining the number of objects (visual stimuli), establishing correspondence between a written number and a given set, understanding the meaning of a number, naming a number, decomposing a number into hundreds, tens and ones, ordering numbers by number, writing numbers by dictation, understanding mathematical symbols, and performing simple counting operations are investigated (Michaelson, 2007).
Correction of dyscalculia
Correction of dyscalculia consists of correcting the basic functions that are the basis for the child's mastery of counting operations. For example, the child has difficulties in problem solving - this may be due to deficits in regulatory functions, as well as deficits in speech or spatial functions (Staake, 2018). Based on the results of the relevant diagnostics, a correctional route is built. Despite the fact that it is important to consult specialised specialists (speech therapist, neuropsychologist, defectologist) to correct dyscalculia, a parent can do a lot in terms of prevention and development of the basic prerequisites of numeracy.As an option for the child's leisure time, it is possible to offer the child different forms of activities that develop spatio-temporal representations, connected speech, generalisation abilities, auditory-verbal memory, fine motor skills, etc. (Staake, 2018):
- Reconstruct the chronology of events in stories, story pictures, watched cartoons;
- Observe the change of seasons, weather and temperature changes - take notes;
- Describe different human activities over time - for example, a child's routine on a weekday or a weekend;
- Explore the sequence of days of the week and months of the year, and teach the child to orientate himself or herself using a clock with hands;
- Solve logical problems, classify different animals, plants, objects used in everyday life;
- Engage in dance, music, drawing, labour (appliqué, construction);
- Play various board games (using digital material), games with rules - encourage the child to tell the rules of the game;
- Cooking and setting the table together: the child can prepare the right amount of ingredients according to the recipe, cut the food into the right number of portions, determine the number of utensils needed for the right number of guests;
- Going to the shop together: buy groceries according to a list prepared in advance, choose the right quantity, discuss prices - what is more expensive and what is cheaper;
- Play shop, trying on the roles of seller and buyer;
- Counting while walking: counting alternating numbers at traffic lights - how much time is left before switching colours, counting floors when going up or down in the lift, counting the number of steps, floors in a house, entrances - in forward and reverse order;
- Call friends and relatives by dialling the phone number manually.
In the process of correcting dyscalculia it is very important to take into account that any educational, corrective, developmental work should arouse the child's interest and curiosity, this is achieved through visualisation (you can use objects, drawings, schemes), game situations, use of real situations, saying aloud especially difficult moments for the child, drawing up step-by-step algorithms of actions in various calculation situations.
References
ICD-10 Version:2010. (n.d.). Icd.who.int. https://icd.who.int/browse10/2010/en#F81.2
Michaelson, M.T.(2007). An overview of dyscalculia: Methods for ascertaining and accommodating dyscalculic children in the classroom. Australian Mathematics Teacher, 63(3), 17–22. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ776577.pdf
Staake, J. (2018, October 19). What Teachers Need to Know About Dyscalculia. WeAreTeachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/understanding-dyscalculia/